La Selva to Montebenichi, one of Arezzo's prized “Strada del Vino”
One of the wonderful things to do
during your holiday at
La Selva Vacation Villa Rentals is to take a walk up
to Montebenichi. It overlooks the breathtaking Val'd'Ambra or valley of the Ambra River. It is
considered one of the most scenic roads in the Province of Arezzo and
is part of “Le Strade del Vino” or “Wine roads”. It's a great
way to start your day or to get moving after a day of relax reading
or lounging around the pool. If you think La Selva Villas already has an extraordinary panorama just you wait!
At the top is Montebenichi, a charming
ancient medieval village and aside from the church and private homes of local and international dwellers, it has a
small 4 star hotel in a castle and one quaint restaurant, both fantastic. There is
no bar or grocery store, but thankfully there is a public drinking
water fountain next to the church to fill up your water bottles.
Montebenichi is 3.5-4.2 kilometres (2.2-2.6
miles) up depending if you are starting out from the main grounds of
La Selva villa where
Libreria and
Terrazza apartments are located or one of our large Villas,
Felciai and
Fabbri.
It climbs 200
metres (656 feet) up in altitude, just right. A completely paved road it
meanders among olive groves, vineyards, cypress trees, oak woods
with a few lovely farmhouses and villas on the way. Wide enough that
any passing cars can get by you easily, it's bordered with and array
of
wild flowers, some very fragrant.
The climb starts out slowly and
increases, a sort of natural warm-up. Softer slopes dot the route from
time to time to give you
a bit of a break. It's nice to stop and turn around to admire the
remarkable view. Often wild animals can surprise you when they cross
your path; wild boar, pheasants, porcupines,
fox, deer and badgers. No worries, they are afraid and take off fast!
You won't be alone on this trail as quite a few of us have discovered
this wonderous walk.
About
2/3rds to the top is an interesting 8th Century Romanic Church where
the local Priest Don Alessandro stays. The church is a wonderful
setting for weddings overlooking terraced hills you can see in the photo above.
The back faces the
road and you can just walk around the side to get to the front.
The
360° panorama is stunning from the
top. Siena can be easily seen to the SW and the Chianti Mountain range
to the north.
Of course the main view is Val'd'Ambra spread out marveously
below. On clear days you can see as far as Rapolano, the Crete di
Siena, Val'd'Orcia
and Tucany's volcano, Monte Amiato where the famous Brunello wine
comes from. Closer below you can see La Selva and a little beyond
Castello di Montalto (historical enemies of La Selva Castle-now-Villa
during the medieval, but this is another story for another blog!).
If you are super energetic you can
continue on a gravel road along the crest of the Hills of Val'd'Ambra
towards Solata and further, Cennina; a great trail for mountain
bikers. After a wonder around Montebenichi and a rest the way down is much easier - it is hard to not
run! You can admire the sights all the way down.
When weather permits I go almost every
day as one of my primary work outs. Just being outdoors, getting the
heart pumping, breathing in the clean air along with with stupendous
views and fragrances extends the mind and brings a real sense of well
being. I feel so fortunate to have this at my doorstep.
What you will need:
comfortable running shoes, a water
bottle, adequate clothes, sunscreen, hat and sunglasses depending on
the weather.
I hope you enjoy it when you are here
with us.
Sherry
