Centoia I: Wine, Olive Oil and Historic Routes

Centoia I offers several specific ways to experience culture and local food and drink: a wine tasting that requires a reservation, a museum with historic machinery, and routes with a long history. If you are looking for accommodation for your trip to Tuscany, it may help to consider which of these interests you want to shape your stay: local produce, the history of technology, or cycling. These themes complement one another without forming a fixed itinerary.

Wine Tasting and Olive Oil

At IVITI, visits and tastings are available by reservation only. Visiting hours are Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; confirm these details with the provider before you arrive. The guided tour of the winery includes a wine tasting paired with typical local products. This makes wine and local produce joint highlights of the visit.

Olive oil is also part of IVITI's agricultural production: the winery cultivates 0.70 hectares with old olive trees, whose yield is used to produce extra virgin olive oil. Visitors can therefore connect the tasting not only with wine, but also with olive cultivation. If you want to plan your stay around a visit that requires a reservation, arrange the date and visiting time in advance.

Historic Technology and the History of Education

The Museo Ai Borghi displays 46 exhibits. These include the “Locomobile a vapore Legnago,” the SuperLandini, and the Motomeccanica Balilla. These specific names give the museum visit a distinctive technical focus: rather than a general overview, you encounter selected machines and vehicles. The museum therefore offers a different way to explore the region's history than a wine tasting or a cycling trip.

Another historical point of interest is the Istituto Tecnico Agrario Statale “Angelo Vegni.” It was founded in 1886 in accordance with Angelo Vegni's testamentary wishes; he had designated his estate for the establishment of a higher agricultural school. The institute is also associated with an important historical collection from its physics cabinet: it includes old surveying instruments and physics apparatus used for experiments in the early 20th century. The school's founding story and collection show different aspects of agricultural education: its institutional origins and the scientific instruments preserved there.

Via Lauretana: Distinguishing History from the Cycling Route

The Via Lauretana originated as an Etruscan road; the Romans later used it and developed it with advanced construction techniques. Its historic route led from Cortona through Camucia and the plain to Centoia, then continued along a hilly stretch to Castello di Valiano. This gives the route a clear historical context: Centoia lay on a road that linked a plain with the hills beyond.

A separate cycling option is the variant of Stage 34, “Cortona–Pozzuolo–Castiglione del Lago.” It runs through Ossaia, past Riccio, and onward through Pietraia to Centoia; it then follows Via della Stella to Petrignano del Lago. This offers two distinct perspectives on the routes: the historical development of the Via Lauretana and the described course of a cycling stage. The names and route sections can help you decide what to focus on during your trip, without conflating the two routes.

A festival celebrating new olive oil is also part of the local connection to produce and tradition: in connection with a festival announced for 2025, Proloco Centoia organized the “Merenda unta” in the community hall. This information refers to the announcement for 2025 and does not indicate a recurring event. If you are considering Centoia I as a place to stay, you can first weigh up whether tastings, the museum, and historic routes match your interests. Reservations are required for visits to IVITI; arrange the tour and its times in advance.

Discover more destinations: Foiano Della Chiana, Bibbiena, Le Ville, Falciano, Strada, Montemignaio, San Giovanni Valdarno, Manzi.

For the overview of the wider area: Arezzo.