Myths, legends, and luxury properties in Tuscany
Prestigious estates and farmhouses a little over 100 km from mysterious locations to be explored
Tuscany treasures many fascinating areas that are remote yet have great historic importance. Broker Immobiliare Exclusive Real Estate lists luxury estates and farmhouses for sale in Siena and Arezzo, a few kilometers out of these fascinating and mysterious locations. Let’s explore a few of these Tuscan sights off the beaten track, starting from Montecristo Island and stopping in Siena and its surrounding territory.
Montecristo Island, a key setting in the celebrated novel “The Count of Montecristo” by Alexandre Dumas père, is a small islet off the Tuscan coast. It lays between Sardinia and the Tuscan coast and south of the Island of Elba. Strong environmental conservation policies are in effect on the island in order to protect it pristine ecosystem. Until a decade ago, tourists weren’t allowed on the island, and nowadays access is very limited. Montecristo is open to visitors only twice a year with permits by the State Forestry Department, the same organization which ferries visitors to the island. Furthermore, during opening period, of the one thousand permits issued, six hundred are reserved for students. Two landmarks on the island attract most attention – the Cala Maestra beach with Caribbean-white sand, where ferries dock, and the ruins of the Monastery of Saint Mamiliano. According to legend, this saint chose this island as a refuge and named it Mons Christi. Gazing at the entrance to the monastery’s ruins, readers can easily imagine Dantès – the main character in Dumas’s novel – going in and discovering the treasure within.
Another location with a literary connection is the so-called ghost river Diana, allegedly running below the city of Siena. Dante mentions it in the 13th Canto of the Purgatory:
[IT] Tu li vedrai tra quella gente vana
che spera in Talamone, e perderagli
più di speranza ch'a trovar la Diana;
ma più vi perderanno li ammiragli.
[ENG] Them wilt thou see among that people vain
Who hope in Talamone, and will lose there
More hope than in discovering the Diana;
but there still more the admirals will lose.
With these verses, the noblewoman Sapia is ironic towards her people who, desperate to have access to water, bought the castle of Talamone, which never became a successful port. She compares this attempt to the searches for the river Diana. The people of Siena, being far away from important waterways, dug many water wells, and during the Middle Ages an elaborate tunnel network was built, which in time became a water main. Searching for water at all costs started the legend of the ghost river: it is said that the flowing river can be heard in the quiet of the night. The tunnels forming the water main run for 25 km and can be visited.
Imagining Tuscany, few would think of comparisons with the United Kingdom, if not to note the starkly different landscapes. And yet, they have a common thread: Tuscany also has a touch of Arthurian legends in the form a sword in a stone, which can be seen in the Abbey of Saint Galgano. The building is now in a state of ruin, and was never blessed with luck. In 1500, abbots sold most of the lead roofing to pay off debts, leaving the abbey for the most part uncovered and exposed to the elements. In 1781, what remained of the vaults collapsed. In 1786, the bell tower collapsed due to being struck by lightning. By 1789, the building was so heavily damaged that it was deconsecrated and abandoned. The saint who the abbey was named after was the owner of the sword in the stone. Galgano Guidotti lived in 1100 and was a knight who repented for his violent acts before an apparition of the Archangel Gabriel. Legend has it he climbed the hill Colle Montesiepi where the the abbey would be built, and plunged his sword into a stone.
Broker Immobiliare Exclusive Real Estate lists luxury estates and farmhouses in Siena and Arezzo, a few kilometers from these locations off the beaten track waiting to be explored.
Tenuta Brera
Characteristic Tuscan estate for sale a few kilometers out of Siena and Montalcino, Tuscany, in an extremely peaceful panoramic location, where each window frames the charming view over the surrounding countryside.
Castello La Pertica
A fairytale castle nestled in the heart of the beautiful Tuscan countryside, with stunning views across Siena and its beloved hills.
Podere Rosino
Farmhouse for sale near Chiusi, Tuscany. It is 450 square meters, made of stone and brick and completely renovated, with 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and a swimming pool.
Casale Renello
Beautiful stone farmhouse for sale in Pienza, Tuscany, with guesthouse, swimming pool, olive grove and incomparable view of the Val d’Orcia and the Tuscan hills, immersed in a fairytale landscape.
