profile
map
start / finish
itinerary timetable
tourist info
Host city:
Siena
Overview
Siena is nestled among the gentle Tuscan hills. Here, it feels as if time has stopped at the 13th century, when the city’s artistic and architectural heritage started to develop, earning Siena
its endless renown. It has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1995, owing to its well-preserved mediaeval structure.
The main square, Piazza del Campo, is the mandatory starting point to describe the city. The piazza has a unique shell shape, and gently slopes towards the centre. It is surrounded
by majestic buildings, such as Palazzo Sansedoni
and Palazzo Pubblico. Towering over the piazza is the majestic Torre del Mangia, built in the 1440s. Soaring an impressive 102 metres, it is just as tall as the Duomo belfry, to symbolize the balance between worldly and spiritual power. The famous
Palio takes place in Piazza del Campo every summer: in July and in August, the different Contrade (city quarters) challenge each other in a compelling horse race. But there is more to
Siena than just Piazza del Campo, including little streets and alleys teeming with little shops and craft stores where you can buy local handmade products or taste the traditional cantucci cookies with a glass of Vin Santo. Throughout the narrow
alleys, all the way to the wide Piazza del Campo, you can actually feel the real atmosphere of this city – contemporary yet ancient, monumental yet lively: the perfect setting for the start and finish of this iconic bicycle race.
Punti di interesse
Rapolano Terme
Overview
The municipality of Rapolano Terme extends between the wooded hills of Chianti, the Val di Chiana and the Crete Senesi. This stretch of land is a work of art created by the effort and hard work of farmers, artisans and the ingenuity of its inhabitants. An endless piece of land made of villages, parish churches, castles and farms.
Local cusine
This land grows high quality products such as cereals, olives, vines, or can also be left for grazing. Excellent oil, delicious vegetables, top quality meat and fragrant pecorino cheese, made from the milk of sheep that are lucky enough to feed on the variety of herbs available in the area. The cuisine is the traditional and essential one of rural Tuscany. Vegetable soups, bread soups that become “ribollite” the next day, fresh handmade pasta, and barbecued meat. Rapolano boasts a dessert called the “focaccia rapolanese”, a delicacy that can only be tasted in local bakeries and restaurants. Two disks of short pastry and almonds enclosing a mouth-watering pastry cream.
Points of interest
Rapolano Terme is synonymous with thermal waters and thus with well-being. The San Giovanni thermal baths and the Antica Querciolaia thermal complex are the right places to find comfort and give your body and mind a well-deserved moment of relaxation.
The benefits of the local thermal baths have been known since antiquity and proven by archaeological excavations attesting to the healing powers of their waters.
The vocation for wellness and well-being is complemented by trekking and biking routes that wind through an area of great scenic and naturalistic value. Of note is the Crete Senesi cycle route project.
An important village is Serre di Rapolano. The centre of the village winds around the 13th-century architectural complex of the Grancia, Granaione and Tinaia, which are part of a network of fortified farms belonging to the Sienese hospital of Santa Maria della Scala.
