Civitella in Val di Chiana: Medieval History, Art and Landscape

Civitella in Val di Chiana combines historical landmarks, art collections, regional traditions and a landscape ranging from hills to mountains. If you are looking for a place for your trip to Tuscany where culture is not limited to a single building, you will find several different ways to explore it here: from the medieval fortification and memorial and art sites to vineyards, olive groves and a typical local pastry.

Fortification and Historical Traces

The Rocca is accessible around the clock every day, making it a clear starting point for exploring the history of the area. The medieval fortification of Civitella in Val di Chiana includes the specifically named Porta Aretina, a gateway with its own name and historical significance. Another entrance to the Castello is Porta Senese. A 16th-century tabernacle with a polychrome Madonna and Child from the Robbiana school is located there. The church of Santa Maria also reaches far back into history: the Romanesque building dates back to around the year 1000. The various landmarks come from different periods and take different forms. You can therefore choose between fortification architecture, religious art and a single art-historical detail without reducing the history of the area to one date.

Memorial Sites and Art Collections

The Sala della Memoria was inaugurated in 2004 on the 60th anniversary of one of the bloodiest Nazi massacres in Italy. Its exhibition presents objects recovered from victims, numerous photographs of the site before and after its destruction during the Second World War, archival documents, historical research and eyewitness accounts. This site has a distinctly different focus from the medieval fortification and makes the history of the 20th century accessible through various forms of documentation. The art collection of Civitella comprises around 200 paintings. The Civica Galleria d’Arte di Civitella in Val di Chiana displays works by artists who took part in the national painting competition Premio Città di Civitella. This competition was founded in 1964. For your visit, this creates a connection between an extensive local collection and the history of a specifically named painting competition. Another collection is dedicated to the Giostra del Sarapino. The Sala delle Lance in the Museo del Sarapino displays locally made handicrafts, the costumes worn by the participants and the accessories used for the Giostra del Sarapino. As a result, the focus extends beyond paintings to include crafts, festival traditions and specific items of equipment.

Landscape and Regional Specialty

Olive groves and vineyards stretch across the hilly and mountainous landscape around Civitella in Val di Chiana. This landscape aspect complements the historic interiors and collections with a distinctly rural character. For families or travel groups with different interests, this makes it possible to mentally divide the stay between culture, landscape and regional food traditions without limiting the area to a single theme. Typical specialties of the area include Corolli di Civitella. This ring-shaped pastry is made with flour, eggs, sugar, lard, yeast and Vin Santo. The precise list of ingredients makes the local specialty more tangible than a general description of Tuscan cuisine. Several paths lead from the Ponte a Buriano visitor center to a reed bed and birdwatching hides. Other nearby locations to consider include Albergo, Tegoleto, Ciggiano, Badia Al Pino and Pieve A Maiano.

For the broader travel overview: Arezzo.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Loro Ciuffenna, Fratta-Santa Caterina, Penna.