Holiday apartment in Poggibonsi: Fortress, Art and Landscape

Holiday apartment in Poggibonsi: Fortress, Art and Landscape

If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Poggibonsi, you are choosing a place with a history of fortifications, sacred art, contemporary works and green surroundings. This gives you different options when planning your trip: you can admire historic architecture, discover art in various locations or plan a hiking or pilgrimage stage. Which location suits your accommodation needs depends above all on whether you would like to focus on culture, activity or the transition between the town centre and the countryside.

Fortezza Medicea di Poggio Imperiale and historical traces

The Fortezza Medicea di Poggio Imperiale was built between 1488 and 1511 by the architect Giuliano da Sangallo on behalf of Lorenzo dei Medici. It comprises the Cassero with its bastions as well as approximately 1.5 km of fortress walls with defensive walkways.

The Fonte delle Fate also leads into the history of the area: it is the only monumental architectural remnant of the destroyed Poggio Bonizio. Mimmo Paladino’s work “I dormienti” is also located in the Fonte delle Fate. The Basilica di San Lucchese offers another connection between architecture and art. The Gothic basilica in Val d’Elsa houses works by Cennino Cennini, which can be viewed there.

Art, faith and a route to Poggibonsi

The Santuario di Romituzzo houses around 5,000 ex-votos collected from 1400 to the present day. This large collection, which has grown over a long period, provides another way of exploring the area’s religious traditions. If, in addition to architecture, you are interested in expressions of lived faith, this aspect is one of Poggibonsi’s distinctive cultural impressions.

For active days, the Via Francigena variant “Fondovalle Poggibonizio” is relevant. The route, approximately 28.5 km long, begins in the area of San Gimignano and reaches and passes through Poggibonsi. The approximate route length helps you assess the scope of a planned hike or pilgrimage stage without focusing your stay exclusively on sightseeing.

The Archeodromo di Poggibonsi is gradually reconstructing 17 structures identified during excavations in a village from the Carolingian period. Contemporary art is also present in the townscape: there is street art in various locations throughout Poggibonsi. As part of innovative contemporary art projects, the town displays works by numerous artists, including Anthony Gormley and Mimmo Paladino.

Connections and green surroundings

Poggibonsi has road, bus and rail connections. When choosing your holiday apartment, you can therefore consider which means of transport you would like to use for your arrival and planned activities. A tour of Poggibonsi extends beyond the town centre to the green area surrounding the town. This allows you to combine a visit to the area with a transition from urban impressions to surroundings characterised by greenery.

If you would like to consider other destinations for your trip in addition to Poggibonsi, you can also include Staggia and Talciona.

For the higher-level travel overview: Siena.

Other destinations

Other places within the same destination:

Isola D'arbia, San Giovanni D'asso, Radda / Chianti, Buonconvento, Asciano, Anqua.