SURROUNDINGS
Podere San Giorgio enjoys a privileged position halfway between Pisa and Florence, both within a 45 to 60 minutes journey by car.
PISA
Westbound there’s Pisa, with its glorious past as a Maritime Power and home of the famous Leaning Tower. Visiting Campo dei Miracoli is a must, but one cannot forget the rest of the historical and architectural gems that the city has to offer: the church of San Francesco and the church of San Frediano, dating back to the Middle Ages, Casino dei Nobili, Palazzo Pretorio with its clock tower and the Lungarni, the streets running along the river Arno.
The Municipality created different itineraries to discover Pisa and its history. You can find all the relevant information on the website.
FIRENZE
In the opposite direction, moving towards the backcountry, you’ll get to the spectacular valley where Florence lays, surrounded by green hills and cut in half by the river Arno.
Strolling around the city is like taking a journey throughout Italy’s history, from the “roman quadrilateral”, to the Renaissance splendour, to the Italian Unification and its days as capital of the new kingdom.
The list of the historic and architectural points of interest is long: from the Duomo to the Uffizi gallery, from Palazzo Vecchio to the Gardens of Boboli. The whole city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
SAN MINIATO AND VALDERA AREA
Apart from the most famous locations, this corner of Tuscany is a fascinating territory, home to a number of hidden gems to discover.
Following the route of the Wine of the Pisan Hills, you can start from San Miniato, a village on top of three hills overlooking the Arno, which maintains intact his medieval urban plant to this day. Walking through the historic centre you can admire churches, convents and palaces, you can enjoy high-quality food and wine from the area, rich in vineyards, olive groves and white truffles.
TUSCAN COAST
Heading south, the seaside is not that far away: in just 50 minutes you can dive into the blue water of the Alta Maremma seaside, lined up with coastal dunes and lush pine groves. Along the coast you’ll find small villages, with bars, shops and waterfront lidos, to enjoy your day at the beach.
MEDIOEVAL BORGOES
A few minutes from Cecina, at the end of a majestic road lined with cypress trees, there’s the village of Bolgheri, famous worldwide for the excellent wine production, among which the most prominent are the Sassicaia di Tenuta San Guido and the wine of Ornellaia and Masseto, all guaranteed by the brand Bolgheri DOC.
Giving you a ceremonious welcome at the main entrance is the antique castle in red bricks of the Counts of Della Gherardesca, from which you can access the old village, surrounded by majestic walls.
From here, you can take the country roads that lead to Siena, just a couple of hours away, and drive by some enchanting borghi along the way. Like Volterra, one of the most prominent cities in the Etruscan era, then home of a powerful episcopal Signoria, a lordship that is.
In its historical centre, each palace, church and tower testifies the fervent political, economical and cultural life of the time.
Volterra is such a unique blend of history, art, and architecture recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990, same as San Gimignano, also known as the City of the Towers.
LUCCA
Heading north from Podere, passing through the famous hill of Colle di Compito, lies Lucca and its territory.
Lucca’s Walls are the most famous landmark of the city: built between the mid-1500s and mid-1600s as a fortified defensive system, they’re covered in red bricks and made up of alternating curtains and bastions that harbour magnificent gardens.
The walls are still perfectly preserved today and host 4 kilometres of pedestrian and cycle routes, from which you can enjoy the landscape of the city from above.
Piazza dell’Anfiteatro, with its unique oval shape, is one of the most interesting public squares in Tuscany.
Like other cities and villages in the area, Lucca is not only home to incredible historical features, but also plays host to a number of cultural events, the most prominent one being Lucca Comics & Games, that attracts around 500.000 fans and cosplayers every year.
