Sleeping in Tuscany in Val d'Orcia, here is the review of the Fattoria Pieve a Salti. A special place to ride at sunset and live an experience in close contact with nature. Are you ready to go?
I admit I have a soft spot for Tuscany., for its food, its wines, landscapes and the infinite artistic treasures of its territory. So I chose to spend a few days of vacation in the province of Siena in Val d'Orcia, one of the areas I love most for its Crete and its breathtaking sunsets. As a place to stay I booked a Pieve a Salti. Not a simple one farmhouse but a real farm which with its rustic buildings straddles two municipalities: Buonconvento and San Giovanni d'Asso.
Pieve a Salti: farm near Siena
You know those dream postcards with sunny houses above the hills surrounded by long rows of cypresses and breathtaking sunsets? Here, I was in this scenographic context and I am not writing the infinite number of photographs taken.
What to expect
The Pieve a Salti farmhouse has the main reception at Podere Caprili, in the municipality of Buonconvento. In the same building are the restaurant, a small breakfast room, several bedrooms upstairs and one large outdoor pool. Less than 800 meters away is the village of Pieve a Salti where we had our room, a triple in a rustic style with two bathrooms.
I wrote borgo not by chance since within 200 meters there are the ancient Pieve, a second reception with breakfast room, an indoor swimming pool, and several apartments that from their name betray their ancient use. Like the Vecchio Forno or the Piccionaia. Many of the apartments also have a kitchen as those who book here often stay there for up to two weeks and is ideal for families.
You are in a Tuscan farmhouse but the services available are practically from hotels, such as the massage center, the small gym, personalized yoga courses and more.
The stables
When you wake up in the morning, don't be surprised if the horses pass right under your window. This agriturismo obviously has a great riding school, managed by Clara and Marco, and is very popular. Those who come to Pieve a Salti must also enjoy a quiet ride around the hills and perhaps immortalize the foliage of the ancient centuries-old holm oak that in the distance seems to protect the many tourists who flock to this structure.
What to visit in the surroundings
I chose Pieve a Salti also for its strategic position. In fact in front of him is the village of Montalcino, the capital of Brunello, only a few kilometers away and which I did not fail to visit starting from its castle and then getting lost in the many shops that offer every type of wine. Going back then I suggest you pay a visit to the neighbor medieval village of Buonconvento which still today has intact the walls that surround it. It is a 3-minute drive from Pieve a Salti and is a must whether you go to Montalcino or to Siena. If you are hungry, go to Mario, a restaurant that opens in the evening and has a lovely internal garden.
Pienza
Since we were in Val d'Orcia we didn't miss visiting the splendid one Pienza just 26 km from Buonconvento. We are talking about an urban jewel always crowded with foreign tourists. Having visited its cathedral and the adjacent Piccolomini palace, enter the restaurant The Terrace of the Cloister which is located on the main street. Admission is free and from the garden terrace you can photograph the vast landscape of the Val d'Orcia, included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Before leaving the city, I recommend that you taste and buy the different variants of the famous Pienza cheese, protected by a special consortium. If you don't want to have lunch in a restaurant, no problem as many wine and cheese shops always have a few tables inside to eat well but in a more basic and certainly economical way.
Returning from Pienza at sunset I admit that I stopped numerous times to photograph the hilly landscape of the Val d'Orcia, the fields of spelled and wheat already harvested not yet plowed and which seem literally combed, and then those rows of cypresses typical of the Tuscan landscape. I then stopped at San Giovanni d'Asso, but to get there I did not take the regional road that crosses San Quirico d'Orcia and Torrenieri to Buonconvento. I opted for a shortcut in the hills along the Provincial Road 14 Traversa dei Monti. It took me a few more minutes, but the landscape I enjoyed was thrilling. Inside the village of San Giovanni d'Asso I visited the White truffle museum which is located inside the castle and is only open on weekends from Friday to Sunday.
La Farm of Pieve a Salti is only 25 kilometers from Siena and honestly, if I were you and I found myself in these areas, I would not miss visiting the beautiful Piazza del Campo and its historic buildings.
