Art & Culture Itinerary
Quick description: a three-day holiday in Arcidosso focused on art and culture.
Difficulty: **
Price: around 250 euro (it includes every excursion, guides and every lunch)
Day 1 – the fortress and the fountain: Our staff will pick you up in Siena at 9 am. You will be taken to your hotel in Arcidosso by bus. You will have the full morning to rest or visit the centre by yourself, maybe doing some shopping in the many local shops. At 1 pm we will meet everybody in the hotel hall and you will be taken by to a typical restaurant in the medieval center, where you will taste fantastic italian food! After lunch, you will be taken to the most interesting spot, the Aldobrandeschi Castle, Arcidosso main attraction. A guide will be there for you, leading you through the castle. Then you will visit the Fonte del Poggiolo, a beatiful gothic fountain. You will be taken back to the hotel and you will be free for the rest of the day.
Day 2 – the churches way: We will meet at 9 am in the hotel hall, and our bus will take you to the Chiesa di San Niccolò, the oldest church in Arcidosso. There you will meet your guide for the day. At 1 pm you will eat your lunch in another local restaurant, famous for their unique home-made wine. After lunch, you will be taken to another famous church, Chiesa di San Leonardo, romanic in style. Chiesa di Sant’Andrea will be the next spot. This church is famous for its frescos, and also because inside it is buried one of the most important local poets, Gian Domenico Peri. You will be taken back to the hotel by bus.
day 3 – the Dzog-chen community: We will meet in the hotel hall at 3 pm (the morning is free) and in the conference room of the hotel you will meet some representetive of the Dzog-chen (“absolute perfection“) community. A Buddhist community that estabilished here in the 70′s, it is one of the main communities in Europe. They will talk about their history and culture and you will be free to ask questions. At 5 pm you will be taken back to Siena.
Matilde Cei
Art and Culture Itinerary
One-day trip Price:65 euro (it includes the lunch at the restaurant “Il Giardino”)
The group will meet at 7 o’clock at lucca trainstation where a bus will take you to Arcidosso.
Before going into the old village, it is worth visiting the Shrine Madonna delle Grazie or Incoronata. A nice trachyte fountain stands on the right side of the façade;there are many remarkable works of art, all from the Sienese school.
Walking on the road leading to the old village,you can admire a Neogothic cast iron fountain and on the left, a steep slope leads to the foot of the fortress. There a guide attend you for a visit into the fortress.
After the visit, your guide will take you to the restaurant “Il Giardino” for the lunch. At 3 o’clock the group will meet the guide in front of the restaurant and then, going back to the Talassese gate, you can visit the St. Nicolas Medieval Church, restored in Romanesque Style in 1934.
Then you can freely walk through the old lanes of the village.There you can taste typical products and buy souvenirs.
At 6 o’clock the group will meet outside the Talassese gate where the bus will take you back to Lucca.
Roberta Gangemi
