Tuscan Castles, Monasteries and thermal springs

Montaione is a wonderful part of Tuscany, known for its history, charming small villages, fortressed castles, natural sulpharic pools, and regional foods.

Drink fine wine, dine on the best Tuscan cuisine, and enjoy some fabulous countryside on horseback. The holiday includes four full days of riding and one half day ride, enabling riders to spend time by the panormanic pool that enjoys sunshine from dusk untill dawn, or relax in the thermal pools. The rides take you over varied countryside, once populated by Etruscans and then later on, feuding lords.

Australian stock, endurance and western saddles are utilized for comfort and ease. These saddles are very relaxing, and riding in them is very easy, relaxing and addictive. A stock saddle on a trusty horse offers to a rider, even with little experience, the chance to enjoy trail riding on varied terrain as the saddles are extremely secure. These saddles, used by stockmen and jackaroos are especially appropriate for long excursions, you will find the gaits more comfortable, and at the end of the day you will not feel exhausted but only a little tired, though highly satisfied.

The particular beauty of its picturesque landscape of Tufo cliffs, abandoned convents, cultivated fields, and its wild and mysterious forests make the area an unforgettable and little-known destination for travelers.

You will stay on a 200 hectare farmily owned estate that was originally a mineral quarry during the Medici Dynasty. The farm overlooks one of the most atmospheric panoramas in Tuscany, and is known as Italys "California" due to the rich prescence of natural minerals within the farms boundaries. The estate, which also has its own natural thermal pools (with fabulous toning mud included), provides a magnificent backdrop for a truley unique Tuscan experience.

Itinerary:

Saturday: Afternoon transfer from Pisa airport 16.30. Apertif at 19.30 followed by dinner in the village centre.

Monday: CASTELFALFI AND TONDA. Full day ride north to the ancient castles of Castelfalfi and Tonda.Castelfalfi and its castle were founded around 700 by Long bards.During the renaissance the Castle of Castelfalfi was transformed from a fortified city into a lavish villa. The hamlet of Tonda and its castle dates back to 1212 .Acquired in 1267 from the town of San Miniato and subjected to the Medici Lords of Tuscany and Florence in 1370, the walled castle of Tonda,has inside a church with a tower, and an cistern for collecting rainwater.We lunch at Castelfalfi, taking in the stunning panoramic veiws around us, before riding home through the rolling fields filled with wildflowers. Dinner in Iano.

Tuesday:Bagnino Ride: Full day ride along the trail of the Sulpharic thermal pools of Bagni di Mommialla and Gambassi terme. We ride past the ancient Church of San Ferdiano dating back to the year 1000. The thermal pools of this region have been used for centuries to cure different ailments. In the last century special baths around the source of some of these springs, were used to bath animals with skin problems. The countryside today is diverse, alternating from rolling chalky red hills, to silver tinged olive groves, and lush green vineyards.We lunch in a well chosen picnic spot, while the horses quietly graze nearby, returning in the twighlight in time for a hot shower before dinner at the restuarant.

Wednesday: Free day to explore world famous San Gimignano and its eleven medieval towers.Dinner in Iano.

Thursday:The sanctuary of Pietrina Half day ride to the Sanctuary of Pietrina, passing through the farms soft rolling fields,olive groves, and Tufo rock faces before riding up to the sanctuary of Pietrina and then onwards to the ruins of an old watchtower between the two lakes of Montaione before returning for a Tuscan style picnic at the farms own natural sulpharic pools.Dinner at Iano.

Friday:The Roman Cistern and village of Montaione Trail.River riding, wild forests, Roman ruins and a gorgeous medieval village are all highlights of this full day ride.Leaving Iano via the "Red springs" you will ride through both Iano and Marradi, passing the farmhouse "Orcia" where there is a spectacular panoramic veiw to take your breath away. Riding on, we pass the "Pozzo Diago", an ancient stone wall that has now created a ten metre high waterfall. Eventually we come to the Roman cistern (II century BC) where we take our picnic lunch.In the afternoon we ride through the river Egola into the national park "Poggio all' Aglione" before we ride to the San Vivaldo convent on our return to Iano.

Saturday: Departure.