Villages and paths through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance
The gentle hills of this countryside appear painted such is their grace and harmony. The landscape is the result of centuries of hard agricultural labour and care when man cultivated olive groves, vineyards, cypress avenues and controlled wild woodland areas while the many villages are perched like gems on the hills one more beautiful than the other. Castiglione del Lago Trasimeno, Pienza, Montepulciano, Cortona, Città della Pieve, Panicale, Val d’ Orcia, described by Dante, are just 15 minutes by car from Castel Brio while in less than an hour you can reach Orvieto, Siena, Perugia and Assisi.
Some roads are worth the trip in themselves offering stunning views and monuments. Among them the ancient pilgrimage way of the Via Francigena in Val d’Orcia and the Medieval panoramic routes of Montepulciano and Pienza stand out. The road running along Lake Trasimeno is fascinating, dotted with viewpoints and stops; the high hilly stretch of Tuoro is breathtaking and from it a perspective of the islands stands out surrounded by a sea of olive trees. Here the ancient Tuscan Customs remains marking the border between the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the Papal Kingdom. In the same place, on the morning of June 21, 217 BC., the Roman army was defeated by Hannibal at the famous Battle of Trasimeno. Many of these roads are lined with rest stops and country tracks equipped for long walks providing emotional sensations.
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