The Merse Valley The Merse Valley is located west of Siena, between the valleys of the Val d'Elsa and the Val d'Orcia, transit area to the seaside and the Maremma. It consists of the following municipalities; Sovicille, Chiusdino, Monticiano and Murlo. Within the province of Siena it is the least known area, but the one that offers the largest number of churches, villas, castles, archaeological sites, monasteries, rivers, mills and amazing landscapes.
Sovicille The historical and artistic heritage of the area offers a large number of Romanesque churches such as; San Giusto a Balli, Pernina, Molli, Pieve di Ponte allo Spino, the parish of S.Giovanni Battista in Rosia, the church of San Lorenzo in Sovicille and Torri, with its breathtaking cloister of the Abbey of Santa Mustiola. Outstanding are; Villa Cetinale, the castle of Celsa with Peruzzi chapel, park and spectacular Italian garden (that can be visited from March to October, by reservation) and Villa Linari. In Malignano there are Etruscan tombs. The Pia bridge is certainly worth seeing, legend holds that the noblewoman Pia de 'Tolomei has crossed this bridge on her way to exile in Maremma. Even the Italian writer and great poet Dante writes in his fifth canto of the Divina Commedia about this event.
Chiusdino village on a wonderful position with beautiful chapel of S. Martino, also called 'fuori le mura' (outside the walls), the Provostship of S. Michele, the birth house of Saint Galgano and the Jesuit Church of San Galgano with an interesting relief dating from 1466, shows how Saint Galgano plunged his sword into a boulder. Near Chiusdino are; the Cistercian Abbey of San Galgano and the hermitage of Montesiepi, the castle of Frosini, ancient residence of the Gherardesca Counts (1004), Luriano, Castelletto and the Montalcinello castle.
Monticiano In the village one can visit the church of S. Agostino with the chapel of the former monastery and frescoes of Bartolo di Fredi, Guidoriccio Cozzarelli and Giovanni di Paulo, the Callaini Palace and the old hospital, which was converted into a church. Nearby are San Lorenzo a Merse with the ancient castle and the Romanesque church, the small village of Castello di Tocchi, the ruins of the fortifications of Castellaccio, Monte Quoio and Renna.
Murlo Typical, fortified town with a small group of houses and Bishop’s Palace, today seat of the Archaeological Museum, prison and cathedral. The Antiquarium di Poggio Civitate (Piazza della Cattedrale)hosts the remains of an Etruscan mansion from the seventh century BC, statues, ceramic and bronze works. In the small church of Vescovado di Murlo there is a painting of Benvenuto di Giovanni, representing the enthroned Madonna with Saints (1475).