Tuscany and Val d'Orcia
Between Countryside and Art
When you think of the Tuscan countryside you imagine, perhaps, a beautiful landscape but it is impossible to capture in a photograph the harmony and variety of colours of our area.
The majestic but gentle mountain of Amiata marks the southern boundary of the Val dOrcia. Cypress trees, vineyards, olive groves, rolling hills, stark clay craters, farms, white country roads, fields of sunflowers in summer and poppies in the spring are some of the natural wonders of the valley the manmade wonders are the medieval and renaissance towns and villages that crown the hilltops.
Proud of their glorious and unique past, these towns offer a warm welcome...
Pienza
The Pope and The Architect's "Lie"
Pienza, a Unesco world heritage site and the earthly realization of Leon Battista Alberti's "Ideal City", is one of our favourite locations, both for its undeniable beauty and for the special atmosphere that envelopes the piazza and the small streets, which suddenly and unexpectedly open out into the elegant Val d'Orcia.
What you see today is the outcome of three years of transformation from the old village of Corsignano, into Pienza: "Pius's City". Enea Silvio Piccolomini, future pope, was born in Corsignano in 1405 to a noble family exiled from Siena. He was a great humanist, a diplomat, and an important ecclesiastical figure of the time. Pius II commissioned and personally supported the project, entrusting it to a follower of Alberti: Bernardo Gambarelli, called Rossellino. A passage in the Commentari, the Pope's autobiography, recalls this charming anecdote: "You did the well with this work, Bernardo, by withholding the real cost from me. If you had told me the truth I would have persuaded you not to spend such an enormous sum and these noble edifices, hailed throughout Italy, would not have been built. Therefore it is to your lie that we owe the construction of these two noble buildings, admired by all except those who are red with envy. I thank you, and consider you the best among the architects of the present times and worthy of the highest honours"(Commentarii, IX).
Civil weddings may only be held in the Comune, or Town Hall. Pienza's Comune dates back to 1462, as do all the buildings on the Piazza. Its red brick tower rising above the more elegant façade offers a counterpoint to the white travertine stone of the Cathedral or Duomo. It has a sober but beautiful Council Hall, decorated by 15th century Siennese frescos and with wooden seats along the walls. The Hall can seat up to 30/40 guests and offers a splendid view of the Piazza and the Duomo from its beautiful mullioned windows.
Religious ceremonies can be held in the Duomo or in the nearby Pieve, the medieval parish church of Corsignano. The Duomo was the first building to be completed in 1462 and was consecrated by Pius II who ordered that the church was not to be altered in any way in the future. Given its north-south orientation, the church is illuminated at all times of the day through a series of large gothic windows in the apse. Its style, transitional between gothic and renaissance makes the church unique and, as if this wasn't enough, the interior is furnished with painted altarpieces created by Sienese Renaissance artists, in which a portrait of the Pope is visible.
The medieval Pieve is a magical and evocative place located approximately 800 metres from the town's main gate, at base of the hill on which Pienza sits. The carvings above the main door and the cylindrical bell tower (northing less than the expansion of the original baptismal font) bear witnesss to its 9th century roots. The simplicity of the ancient interior inspires reflection and lends a certain air of 'austerity' to the ceremony.
Pienza provides a natural "backdrop" for photographs, as attested by the many professionals and amateurs who have photographed models, actresses and friends in Via dell'Amore, Via del Bacio, Via della Fortuna or in the golden fields of the valley.
San Qurico d'Orcia
Le Pietre della Collegiata e l'eleganza di Palazzo Chigi
San Quirico d'Orcia is a nice hamlet which was quite important in the Middle Ages because of its strategic position along the Via Francigena, one of the most travelled roads of its times. For this reason San Quirico was often the object of interest of Siena, her allies and her enemies. After Siena's defeat by the Florentines in 1555, San Quirico became subject to the Medicis, that later gave the town as a gift to Cardinal Flavio Chigi.
Many medieval features remind us of the old glory of ancient times: Santa Maria church, the Scala Hospital, the Collegiata church, fortunately still intact, together with the rest of the walls and the fortress, give the town elegance and beauty. So do the Horti Leonini, an enchanting park half wood half italian garden style, and the recently restored Palazzo Chigi.
Palazzo Chigi, situated at the west end of the main street that once was the Via Francigena, appears like a jewel in the square that bears its name. Built in the late renaissance, property of the Chigis until 1774, today it hosts the town hall offices and various spaces for temporary exhibitions. The civil ceremonies are held in a small room of the first floor which was once a chapel. You reach it climbing a wide staircase under frescoed vaults and big windows.
Opposite the Palace lies the Collegiata church, facing westward as if it was a warden at the entrance of the hamlet. It has a travertine marble and tuffo stone facade which immediately reminds us of the first Christian years, when you could find in the bas-reliefs real or mythological animals and symbols like grapes or saints. The interior tells us that there have been different times closer to us which have left each something precious to the church. Here they are the wooden choir stalls dating back to the 15th century, the triptych by Sano di Pietro, the rococo altar decorating the interior that still has the typical structure of the romanesque churches.
Outside and around there is a labyrinth of narrow side streets, small gardens, roads leading to golden fields as a scenery for a great reportage.
*Quelle che mostriamo sono solo alcune delle possibilità che la Toscana e la Val d'Orcia ci offrono. Poichè il nostro servizio è assolutamente su misura, basta chiedere e vi sarà dato!
