Monte Amiata
Monte Amiata is the district that extends between the provinces of Siena and Grosseto, in southern Tuscany, around the homonymous...
Ενημερώθηκε στις 20 Ιουλίου 2026
Monte Amiata
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Η ιστορία
Η ιστορία του/της Monte Amiata
Geography and territory
Monte Amiata is an extinct volcano, now eroded and covered with vegetation, which with its 1,738 meters of altitude dominates southern Tuscany on the border between the provinces of Siena and Grosseto. Its territory, often called the Amiata district, includes a dozen municipalities arranged in a ring around the summit, including Abbadia San Salvatore, Piancastagnaio, Santa Fiora, Arcidosso, Castel del Piano, and Seggiano. The mountain ideally separates the Val d'Orcia from the Maremma grossetana and is an important water basin: rivers such as the Fiora, the Albegna, and the Vivo originate from its springs, supplying good part of southern Tuscany with water.
History and identity
Inhabited since Etruscan and Roman times, the Amiata territory experienced the rule of the powerful feudal family of the Aldobrandeschi in the Middle Ages, who built fortresses and castles there, still visible today in Arcidosso and Piancastagnaio, before passing under the Republic of Siena and then the Grand Duchy of Tuscany of the Medici and the Lorraine. Between the 19th and 20th centuries, the mountain became one of the main mining districts in Europe for the extraction of cinnabar, from which mercury was obtained, especially in the mines of Abbadia San Salvatore, active until 1976. On Monte Labbro, near Arcidosso, the prophet David Lazzaretti, a significant religious and social figure for the 19th-century Amiata identity, also preached.
Landscape and nature
The landscape of Monte Amiata is dominated by extensive beech forests, among the largest in the Apennines, which cover the mountain up to just below the summit, and by centuries-old chestnut groves that for centuries have guaranteed the sustenance of local communities. In winter, the slopes of Prato delle Macinaie and Monte Labbro welcome skiers and hikers on the snow, while in the beautiful season the mountain is crossed by hiking trails, including the loop that almost entirely surrounds it, suitable for trekking and mountain biking. Wild boars, roe deer, badgers, and birds of prey live in the woods, while the many springs feed streams and ancient fish ponds, such as the one in Santa Fiora.
Villages and places to see
Ogni borgo del comprensorio ha un carattere proprio: Abbadia San Salvatore custodisce l'abbazia longobarda dell'VIII secolo e il centro storico minerario, tappa storica della Via Francigena; Piancastagnaio conserva la Rocca Aldobrandesca e le contrade che animano il suo palio; Santa Fiora, tra i Borghi più belli d'Italia, offre la Pieve delle Pievi con terrecotte robbiane e la suggestiva Peschiera; Arcidosso è dominata dalla sua rocca medievale e dal vicino Monte Labbro; Castel del Piano vanta un centro storico raccolto e un vivace carnevale storico; Seggiano, tra gli olivi, ospita il celebre Giardino di Daniel Spoerri, parco di arte contemporanea a cielo aperto.
Enogastronomia e tradizioni
La cucina amiatina nasce dai prodotti del bosco e della civiltà contadina di montagna: la castagna IGP, un tempo alimento base delle comunità locali, viene ancora oggi celebrata in numerose sagre autunnali e trasformata in farina, castagnaccio e dolci tradizionali. L'olio extravergine di Seggiano, a Denominazione di Origine Protetta, è tra i più pregiati della Toscana, mentre boschi e prati offrono funghi porcini, tartufi e miele di castagno. Non mancano il pecorino toscano stagionato nelle grotte di tufo e i salumi di produzione locale, spesso serviti nelle trattorie dei borghi insieme a paste fatte a mano e ai vini dei colli circostanti, in un'offerta gastronomica autentica e legata alla stagionalità.
Da non perdere
- The summit of Monte Amiata, with views over Tuscany and Lazio
- The Abbey of San Salvatore in Abbadia San Salvatore, a historic stop on the Via Francigena
- The Pieve delle Pievi and the Peschiera fish ponds in Santa Fiora
- The Daniel Spoerri Garden in Seggiano, an open-air contemporary art park
- The Monte Amiata Mining Park Museum, tracing the region's mercury mines
Αξιοθέατα
What to see in Monte Amiata
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