Trequanda – historic town centre, cultural landscape and routes

Trequanda lies on a hill between the Val d’Asso and the Val di Chiana. The town combines a well-preserved historic centre with a rural cultural landscape and several opportunities to combine history, architecture and physical activity. If you are looking for a place with its own distinctive character for your trip to Italy, you will find various points of interest here to incorporate into your daily plans.

Hills, landscape and a route

A 5 km route begins and ends at the car park on Via Cacciaconti. It takes 2 hours on foot and 1 hour by bicycle. These clearly stated times provide simple guidance if you would like to include a walk or cycling tour in your stay. The celebrations in honour of Blessed Bonizzella Cacciaconti also connect Trequanda with routes through the landscape: as part of these celebrations, walks through the hills of Trequanda took place.

Historic centre and notable buildings

Trequanda’s historic town centre is intact and partly surrounded by walls. It can be accessed through the preserved Porta al Sole, which is also called Porta al Leccio. Within this historic setting stands the Romanesque church of Santi Pietro ed Andrea. Castello Cacciaconti features an Italian garden, a tall white-stone tower and battlemented walls.

One particularly unusual building is the Torre del Molino a Vento. It is a dovecote dating from the late 18th century and contains around 500 terracotta nests arranged in a chequerboard pattern. The historic picture is complemented by archaeological finds from between the 3rd and 1st centuries BC, which can be found in Trequanda.

Terracotta and music

The Museo della Terracotta in Petroio is regarded as a place where the continuity between ancient terracotta-making techniques and more recent production methods can be seen. Alongside Trequanda’s buildings, this also places the region’s craft tradition at the centre of attention. The second edition of the Cacciaconti Music Festival included a chamber music concert by Quartetto Indaco at Castello Cacciaconti in Trequanda.

Celebrations in May

In May, Trequanda hosts celebrations in honour of Blessed Bonizzella Cacciaconti. Traditional programme items included a pilgrimage to Belsedere on Sunday, 3 May. In one edition of the celebrations, the “Contesa delle Porte” was introduced for the first time, a competition between Trequanda’s three contrade. The various elements show how religious tradition, routes through the hills and local community life are interconnected.

Rural character and local culture

The cultural landscape Paesaggio Policulturale di Trequanda was officially included in Italy’s national register of historic rural landscapes by a decree dated February 2018. The Trequanda area is also part of the Città dell'Olio network. Both references emphasise the town’s rural and cultural character without reducing it to a single experience.

For families and younger travellers, the Piscina Comunale “Del Sole” is one of the local amenities. It offers relaxation, swimming lessons and numerous summer activities for children and young people. Thus, alongside local history, architecture and landscape, Trequanda also offers opportunities for physical activity and shared leisure time.

You can find more places for planning your trip at Radicondoli, La Fratta, Chiusi, Gallina, Ponte A Tressa, Poggibonsi, Fonterutoli and San Quirico D'orcia.

For the higher-level travel overview: Siena.