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Pietra Porciana Reserve

Pietraporciana Nature Reserve was established in 1996, covering an area of about 341 hectares between the Val d’Orcia (UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004) and the Valdichiana, between the municipalities of Chianciano Terme and Sarteano, in the southern part of the province of Siena.

The Reserve extends over a part of the ridge between the two valleys, and it is one of the few points from which you can admire both valleys in their full extension. The ridge continues south to Mount Cetona (1,147 m), while to the southeast, beyond the Val d’Orcia, you can see Mount Amiata (1,738 m), clearly visible from the Reserve and the Visitor Center.

The Reserve reaches a maximum height of 847 meters above sea level; the Visitor Center is located at 791 meters; the lowest part of the Reserve coincides with the course of the Astrone stream, at an altitude of 400 meters above sea level.

The Reserve is surrounded by woods and the typical post-sharecropping landscape of this part of Tuscany, with arable land and pastures. You can get there by following two roads: from Chianciano or from Sarteano, both along a gravel road, in the midst of an incredible countryside landscape.
The Reserve has several trails, paths, gravel roads, both in the forest and in the countryside, with many equipped areas where you can stop and rest, whether you are traveling on foot, by bicycle or on horseback.

From here, you can easily reach the cities of art (Pienza and Montepulciano), historic towns of the Val d’Orcia (from San Quirico to Castiglione d’Orcia), medieval towns such as Sarteano, country villages such as the very close Castiglioncello del Trinoro or Monticchiello, noble estates with art gardens such as Villa La Foce, and then many valuable hot springs, from those of Chianciano Terme to San Casciano dei Bagni, Bagni San Filippo and Bagno Vignoni.