Signature experience — Siena
The crete senesi and Monte Oliveto abbey
Duration
Half day
Price
From €460
Mercedes
Dedicated vehicle & chauffeur
Leave Siena’s busy lanes behind and the land breaks into pale clay swells, combed by wind and seasons. The Crete Senesi roll from Taverne d’Arbia to Asciano, 20–35 minutes from Piazza del Campo, their biancane and calanchi shaped since the Pliocene. Cypress spines mark lone farmsteads, the Olivetan monks kept time here, and late light carves every ridge. You come for the SP438 scenic road, the hush, and the 1497–1508 fresco cycle of Saint Benedict at Monte Oliveto Maggiore.
The plan stays flexible: hotel pick-up in Siena, a Mercedes at your disposal, and the driver handles the bends to Asciano while you take in the view. Your private driver in Tuscany knows the Belvedere di Leonina photo stop, a pecorino tasting in Chiusure, and the best sequence for visits. Expect 70–90 km all told: enter the abbey, walk the grand cloister painted by Signorelli and later Sodoma, then the old monastic pharmacy, before a calm return via Buonconvento or Arbia, tuned to the light and your timing.
Your itinerary
- I
08:45 — Pick-up at your Siena hotel, heading onto SP438 toward Asciano.
- II
09:30 — Scenic stop at Leonina and the biancane, 15 minutes for photos and landscape notes.
- III
10:15 — Arrive at Monte Oliveto Maggiore; visit the grand cloister and church (60–75 min).
- IV
11:45 — Stop in Chiusure for pecorino and coffee, then return to Siena via Buonconvento (about 45 min).
What’s included
- ✓ Dedicated Amani driver
- ✓ Late-model Mercedes
- ✓ Hotel pick-up
- ✓ Waiting during visits
Your chauffeur’s tip
From May to early July, time the abbey around 10:30: the low angle light brings out the fresco relief in the grand cloister, then opt for an early light lunch in Chiusure to miss the 1 pm rush.
Book this experience
Confirmed within 30 minutes · Fixed price quoted in advance