Surroundings
The winery “Le Torri” is the perfect place for those who want to spend their holiday in touch with a fascinating nature, art and history, enjoy active life on the farm and taste high-quality oil and wines.
Our estate is located in the heart of Tuscany, in open countryside, 2 Km from Marcialla, 5 km from Barberino Val d’Elsa, 4 km from Val di Pesa a Tavarnelle , towns offering all major services and well connected to the most important cities of the region. Staying here or taking a small trip will enable you to relax and enjoy the surrounding landscape with its breathtaking scenery; medieval villages, rolling hills, woodlands and vineyards.
You can easily reach very important cities such as Siena, Florence, San Gimignano and Certaldo.
Marcialla
Its position on a hill between Val d’ Elsa and Val di Pesa allows us to admire a beautiful panoramic view. Don’t miss the piazza, with its unusual pentagonal shape, the Church of Santa Maria and the village’s stone palazzos.
Church of St. Lawrence to Vigliano
it presents elements of the X-XII century and has a plant with an only aisle with apse. It has been widened and restored in 1928. Villa St. Lawrence
the villa was in origin a convent. There is information of the villa in some documents of the XIII and XIV century. In the gardens there is a small chapel.
Lucardo, a very old structure of which only the entrance gate remains; the towers are no longer distinguishable. Very interesting the Church of San Lazzaro a Lucardo.
BARBERINO VAL D’ELSA
The territory of Barberino, along the borderline between the Chianti and Val d’Elsa zones, is one of the most important examples of typical landscape of Tuscany: it is dotted with little medieval villages, ancient parish churches and romantic castles. BARBERINO VAL D’ELSA, built by the Florentines, had its finest period after the destruction of the nearby settlement of Semifonte. Still visible is the ring wall and the two gates. Along the two main streets are a few tower-houses and small medieval palazzos, including Palazzo Barberini and Palazzo Pretorio and the church of San Bartolomeo.
Tignano
Tignano, an XI-century village that has recently been restored. It’s perhaps the most beautiful example of walled center of the Val d’Elsa. The Alberti Counts fortified it in the XII century. Facing on the village’s little piazza are a few noble palazzos and the sixteenth-century church of Sant’Anna.
Petrognano
Along the road leading to Certaldo is the little village of PETROGNANO, situated on the spot where the ancient city of Semifonte, razed to the ground in 1202, had stood.
On a hill a few hundred meters from Petrognano stands the CHAPEL OF SAN MICHELE, which reproduces in 1:8 scale the cupola of Santa Maria del Fiore. IT was built in 1597 to commemorate the destroyed city of Semifonte and serve as a testament to Florence’s power. All that remains of the city of Semifonte area are a few ruins hidden in the woods or incorporated into houses on the hill.
Pieve di Sant'Appiano
The little Romanesque church has XV and XVI-century frescoes. On the lawn in front of it are four pillars, testimonials of the ancient baptistery built there by early Christians and torn down in 1805. Adjacent to the entrance to the rectory is the little archaeological museum that preserves some finds from the area.Linari
It’s a quaint hamlet, of very ancient origin and of great charm.
Interesting the Church of Saint Stephen Linari.
Tavarnelle
Tavarnelle is of ancient origin but the current town is quite modern in appearance. The first mention of the town of Tavarnelle dates back to a map of the year 780, with the name Tabernulae, possibly referring to the taverns located here on the road from Florence to Siena.the Church of Santa Lucia al Borghetto is the most interesting architectural sight, and the Parish Church of San Pietro in Bossolo which now houses the Museum of religious Art.
Badia a Passignano In Passignano once with its old abbey and a little hamlet, it was an important settlement.
The hamlet became a castle and in 1986, thanks to vallumbrosian monks, it became a real monastic community.
San Donato
Very important place that linked Via Francigena to Florence. In the main square you can find Palazzo Pretorio, restored after the second World War , with a fresco from XV sec., a public cistern, renewed in1867 and the gothic Church of the castle.
Notes on the Via Francigena
The Via Francigena is one of the Medieval routes followed by those who, coming from England or France (hence the name Francigena), intended to reach Italy and Rome. The first great roadway in history, the Via Francigena was an extremely important commercial, cultural and geographic junction for all the countries of Europe.
The first to travel down this “Medieval highway” was Sigerico, bishop of Canterbury in 994. All along the road there stood hostels, hotels, abbeys, old hospitals and imposing castles (like that of Semifonte) which were historic residences and sources of provisions for pilgrims. In 1994 the Via Francigena was declared a “Cultural Itinerary of the Council of Europe”, confirming interest in this very valuable part of our historic patrimony. ".
Certaldo
Medieval village, rich of cultural and artistic events, among them the most famous is Mercantia, important international festival for street theatre.
Don’t miss: Palazzo Pretorio, the house where Giovanni Boccaccio (author of Decameron) was born.
San Gimignano
You can clearly notice its towers from our farmhouse. It has been named after Saint Gimignano, who saved it from several attacks.
It had a great development during Middle age, thanks to via Francigena, that passed through it. Its churches and convents house many artistic treasures.
Don’t miss The Dome, Museum of religious art, Archaeological Museum, Church of Saint Augustin, Museum of Tortures.
Florence
The cultural and historical impact of Florence is overwhelming. The city is one of Italy's most atmospheric and pleasant, retaining a strong resemblance to the small late-medieval centre that contributed so much to the cultural and political development of Europe.Its buildings, formidable galleries and treasure-crammed churches attest to the beauty and the importance of Florence.
Siena
One of the most beautiful cities of Tuscany and Italy, rich of artistic and architectural treasures.
Don’t miss the main square Piazza del Campo, where twice a year the traditional Palio takes place.
Tel. e Fax +39 055 8076161 - +39 055 8061257 - e-mail: info@letorri.net