Pietraia – Wine, Culture and Cycling Routes

Pietraia between Art, Wine and Active Experiences

Pietraia combines cultural impressions, regional wines and a variety of activities. These include a church with a 19th-century work of art, wine tastings, cycling routes and a motocross track. Art and religious heritage thus meet culinary and sporting experiences.

Art and Landscape Connections

The Chiesa di San Leopoldo alla Pietraia is located in Selvapiana on the plain of Cortona, near Lake Trasimeno. The church houses an oil painting created by Baldassarre Moracci in 1893. It depicts the Madonna dei dolori and Saint Leopold. This makes a clearly identified work, with its artist, date of creation and religious subject, part of the area's cultural profile.

The name La Pietraia also refers to a distinctive local landscape feature. The place is named after a sandstone outcrop considered to be the only one in the Valdichiana. This connection adds a geological feature to the church's artistic heritage.

Wine and Regional Specialties

The Baldetti experience includes a tasting of five wines. It is accompanied by Tuscan bread, their own Poggiobarullo extra virgin olive oil, and a selection of Pecorino cheeses and cured meats. This gives you a concrete insight into the connection between wine and regional products, without limiting the tasting to wine alone.

At the Note di Vino event at Azienda Agricola Pasini in Pietraia, a concert, a tour of the estate and a wine tasting were combined.

Cycling Routes and Motorsport

Two cycling experiences pass through or lead across Pietraia. The Valdichiana 2 cycling tour passes through Pietraia and connects Castiglion Fiorentino with Camucia. The Pietraia Bike Tour leads from Camucia to a winery visit and then through the village of Pietraia on the way to the Baldetti winery. The routes have different focuses: one connects named places, while the other combines a winery visit with a ride through the village.

Motorized sports include the Crossodromo Comunale. The facility has a 1,400-metre category 3 motocross track with a dirt surface. To access the Crossodromo Comunale, the sports office of the Municipality of Cortona should be contacted.

An Event Held at Regular Intervals

The Presepe Vivente di Pietraia is a community event held every two years and has continued for more than 30 years. The programme includes a traditional procession of the Three Wise Men to the nativity scene. The Presepe Vivente also features a more-than-two-kilometre circular walking route with around 80 to 100 performers at approximately 20 stations.

Discover More Places

If you would like to extend your search to other places, you can find Ossaia, Riccio, Col Di Morro, Camucia, Pergo Di Cortona, Monsigliolo, Mercatale and Chianacce here.

For the higher-level travel overview: Cortona.