On the tracks of the art treasures, in churches and museums of the Val d’Orcia

The art works of Val d’Orcia, with their eternal and somewhat secret beauty, are pearls to be found in places of spirituality and culture.

ART AND CULTURE

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Val d'Orcia is a land of views and freedom, nature and open spaces, as well as of villages and historical places that preserve treasures and small secrets that are offered to a watchful eye.

The churches and museums are places where the art heritage of the territory is kept and protected: paintings, sculptures and objects bear witness to ancient mastery, that in the Senese school and over the centuries had their great representatives; in the Sala d'Arte San Giovanni at Castiglione d'Orcia, for instance, you can admire the works of Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Simone Martini, Giovanni di Paolo and Vecchietta, while the Museo Civico e Diocesano of Montalcino – established in the former Convent of Sant'Agostino in Montalcino which can be visited thanks to the routes of the Tempio del Brunello – offers an array of wooden sculptures where gold and the natural grain of wood dominate in charming and skilful works of art and craftsmanship, together with an ancient section where findings coming from the Archaeological Park Poggio della Civitella are on display.

Just the same, the Church of the Collegiata in San Quirico d'Orcia is the guardian of what remains of a wonderful wooden group, with as many as 19 original panels made by Antonio Barili, and 7 of them only are kept in the church; some were destroyed over the years (like the one given to a museum in Vienna, which was damaged under the bombs of World War Two); others went to enrich private collections and their traces were lost. Next to the Collegiata is situated Palazzo Chigi, designed by Carlo Fontana - a pupil of Bernini - and rich with frescoes of great beauty.

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If the town of Pienza is itself an open air museum thanks to its unique architecture which earned it the designation of ideal city and the inclusion on the list of UNESCO heritage sites, at Radicofani two churches in particular still have an art heritage of great value. In the Church of San Pietro Apostolo and in that of Sant'Agata in fact are kept many terracottas by Andrea Della Robbia, who at the onset of the Renaissance showed all his innovative genius. These objects, known as “glazed terracottas” for the effect given by the special mix of techniques used, have become one of the symbols of Tuscany over the centuries.

Visiting Val d'Orcia is discovering its landscape and views, as well as exploring its villages, finding works of art, stopping in the quiet churches and museums, climbing up the towers that dominate the valley and immerse yourself in the genuine flavours of an authentic land rich with experiences.

For further information:

MONTALCINO

Montalcino museums. Archaeological, Medieval, and Modern Collection

Tel. 0577 846014 – Tel. 0577286300 – orodimontalcino@operalaboratori.com

https://www.orodimontalcino.it/

Truffle museum at San Giovanni d’Asso

Tel. 0577286300 – museodeltartufo@operalaboratori.com

CASTIGLIONE D’ORCIA

Sala d'Arte San Giovanni, Torre di Tentennano

Loc. Rocca d'Orcia

Tel 392 0033028 email museicastiglione@gmail.com

PIENZA