di Felicia Rotundo

Characteristics of the Crete Senesi

The Crete Senesi are located across a vast area to the south of Siena that includes the river valleys of the Arbia and Ombrone, the districts of Asciano, Buonconvento, Monteroni d’Arbia, San Giovanni d’Asso and Trequanda.

The territories in which the Crete is situated possess a marked individuality regarding the geomorphologic structure: the clay-like soil evolved following the movements of the sea during the Pliocene period. The area that corresponds to these ancient marine basins is reflected in the typically hilly character of a gentle and rolling nature accentuated by valleys in which the arboreal vegetation is limited while the signs of human inhabitation and pastoral cultivation are marked.

Calanchi and biancane

The dominant element in the landscape is made up of the phenomena of erosion that reveals the clay sub layers that are light in colour and that have contributed to the formation of the calanchi and the biancane. The calanchi has the appearance of a system of sharply cut valleys separated by extremely thin crests in such a way as to reproduce a miniature hydro graphic network. The Biancane are small dome-shaped hillocks that protrude from the landscape and usually situated in groups spread out across the land.

The wonder of the Crete Senesi

On account of these formations the landscape of the Crete Senesi has always been considered to be of notable charm. Set amid the backdrop of this extraordinary landscape is the Monteoliveto Abbey, the home of the order of the Olivetani founded in 1313 by Bernardo Tolomei, and the nearby mediaeval village of the Chiusure, these offer a view of one of the most particular and characteristic panoramas in all of Tuscany, in which the work of nature and the creations of man come together to form a majestic expression that has been considered both spiritual and symbolic.

The central part of the territory of the Crete Senesi is used for agricultural production with vast areas used for pasture while on each hilltop that rises above the landscape are small towns and villages, made up of houses and churches, and connected by roads bordered by Cypress trees that lead back down onto the plain.

Along the ancient Via Francigena that leads from Siena to Rome there are some examples of the most significant pieces of mediaeval architecture like the Grancia di Cuna, one of the many fortified farms managed by the Hospital Santa Maria delle Scale, that was used to help them provide assistance, the Monteroni Mill sull’Arbia or the Borgo di Bonconvento with its beautiful walls.