Discover Il Piano: Culture, History and Landscape

Il Piano can be discovered through a diverse sequence of specific sites and landscape features. These include the remains of a Roman villa, the Via Lauretana, churches with traces of artistic and architectural history, fortified architecture, and mountains in the surrounding area and the wider region. If you would like to combine culture and landscape in your travel planning, the topics range from archaeological finds and sacred architectural forms to the clay road and the geosite.

Roman Remains and the Via Lauretana

At the Campo all’Oro site near Pieve al Bozzone, in the vicinity of Il Piano, are the remains of a large Roman villa dating from between the 1st and 4th centuries AD. Some of the finds from the Roman villa near Pieve al Bozzone are displayed in the Santa Maria della Scala museum complex in Siena. Thus, the archaeological trail extends from a specific site in the surrounding area to a museum complex.

In the vicinity of Il Piano, the Via Lauretana leads to the permanent stone installation “Sito Transitorio” by Jean-Paul Philippe. The Siena–Vescona stage of the Via Lauretana also leads to the summit of Leonina-Biancane, a significant geosite in Tuscany. It then follows a clay road along the ridgeline, whose appearance is almost lunar.

Churches, Castles and Remembrance

The Chiesa di Sant'Ansano a Dofana kept the body of Saint Ansanus until 1108; it was then transferred to Siena Cathedral. The Castello delle Quattro Torra, a fortified complex dating from the 14th century, is also located in the vicinity of Il Piano. Four corner towers give the Castello its name.

The Chiesa di Santa Regina has a Latin-cross floor plan and a single-nave body under a simple gabled roof with a wooden roof structure. Some 15th-century frescoes have been uncovered on its stone walls. In Monteaperti, a memorial pyramid commemorates the historic battle that took place there. Every year, the Monteaperti Past and Present Committee organizes a torchlight procession to the Cippo di Monteaperti.

Museums, Palaces and Garden

In the vicinity of Il Piano are Bologna Buonsignori, a museum, and the Musei dell'Accademia dei Fisiocritici, also a museum. The Vestri Palace and the Malavolti - Sozzini Palace are palaces located there. The Giardino Emilio Montagnani is a garden in the vicinity. Thus, the cultural surroundings include different types of buildings and a garden as another specific site.

Landscape Features

Poggio Cerrete is a mountain in the area around Il Piano. Monte Maggio and Poggio la Biffa are located in the wider regional surroundings; both are mountains. Together with the Leonina-Biancane geosite and the clay road of the Via Lauretana stage, they create a landscape that encompasses both individual elevations and distinctive geological formations.

Further destinations for orientation: Costalpino, San Rocco A Pilli, Le Tolfe.

For the higher-level travel overview: Siena.