The new Valdichiana Living tours to discover Tuscany out of the clichés

The year has come to get to know another Tuscany, the one you don't expect. And it is in Valdichiana Senese.

"Once a year, go to a place you've never been before." A phrase that is much more than an invitation, it is one of the 18 principles drawn up by the Dalai Lama for the new millennium and we want to follow it for the new year. Our wish for 2022, in fact, can only be one: to travel, and that you can return to do it in the most serene and peaceful way, reaching new lands or old places but always with new eyes.

Just know that every time you decide to travel, Valdichiana Living will be ready to guide you to discover the most authentic and unexpected Tuscany, with original and trendy accommodation proposals, tours and experiences.

In 2022 we have decided to surprise you once again with new proposals that will disprove even those who think they know everything about Tuscany, or those who think they had every and each possible experience because, it is well known, in Tuscany there is wine and a lot of good food, unpolluted air, art and culture. But there is way and way to experience Tuscany and talk about it, we like to do it with originality and with new narrative and experiential languages, so ​​that even if you have already been to Valdichiana Senese several times, the next time you return it will seem like it is the first.

Let's find out the tours that you would not expect to experience in Tuscany and that instead in 2022 you can do in Valdichiana Senese.

Passion for food and wine: beyond wine and cured meats

In Valdichiana Senese, food and wine tours are a true must. Valdichiana Living specializes in organizing food and wine experiences and accommodation and, for over ten years, it has been offering a wide range of proposal to which this year we added a few new gems. The picnic among the vineyards of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is the first, it is an original way to taste wine in company and a valid alternative to brunch or as a empowered snack, perfect for couples or friends. Lovers of wine and style, on the other hand, can choose the Sensory Tour among the wines and scents of Tuscany, which will activate your senses by first taking you to a cellar and then to a local perfume laboratory, a journey through taste and fragrances to understand the true essence of Tuscany. The important winemaking tradition of the area has not prevented the spread and growth of raft beer culture that you can discover with a new tour that will take you directly to a brewery for a visit with tasting, obviously perfect for beer enthusiasts or for those who look for an alternative to wine tours. This year, even those who believe that Tuscan food and wine tradition does not offer tasting possibilities to vegans will change their minds. Among the novelties of Valdichiana Living there is an unexpected and original Vegan cooking class to learn traditional recipes that fully embrace this philosophy and that we assure you are more than you think. At the end of the class, lunch or dinner based on the dishes prepared accompanied by a certified vegan wine is also included.

The lakes of the Valdichiana, where beauty mirrors herself and adventure begins

Face to face with nature and adventure in the two lakes of Valdichiana Senese, the Chiusi Lake and the Montepulciano Natural Reserve Lake. Two perfect places to rediscover contact with nature, play sports or simply contemplate the environment. In fact, the new experiences we offer you are absolutely in line with this mood. This summer, as well as doing Yoga, you can discover Lake Chiusi with the canoe tour that will allow you to fully appreciate this natural oasis, the vegetation, the animals that populate it as well as the beautiful surrounding landscape, from a privileged position. For ornithology enthusiasts, on the other hand, at the Montepulciano Nature Reserve it will be possible to have a birdwatching session, trying to spot the over 100 species of birds that populate the Reserve: a naturalistic tour among the points of interest of the Reserve, together with the staff who will guide you in this exciting adventure.

Museums and history suitable for children

The Civic Museum The underground city of Chiusi is tailored for children with the Valdichiana Living tour proposals dedicated to families, to study the Etruscan civilization in a creative and curious way. You can choose between a creative drawing workshop where your children will be inspired by the fantastic waxworks, divinities and demons that the Etruscans represented on the cinerary urns or on tombs’ walls, or the Etruscan writing workshop where children will learn to write on clay tablets. Experience fun for both adults and children. The two tours, both designed for families, will end with a snack for the little ones and an aperitif for the parents in the historic centre of Chiusi.

Wonderful Saturdays

For every Saturday in 2022, with Valdichiana Living you can book two unique tours dedicated to the ancient wonders. In San Casciano dei Bagni the tour dedicated to The tour of sacred waters  will take you to the sensational archaeological excavation of Bagno Grande, re-emerged at the foot of the historic center, a large Augustan worship building dedicated to water, with a tank and a monument dating back to the same period: one of the most important finds of contemporary archeology. From there, your journey with the waters will continue in Fonteverde Spa where part of the exhibition continues, as a result of the antiquarian spirit of the seventeenth century, when the Medici had a private spa built and which today houses the luxurious spa.
Also on Saturday in Sarteano it will be possible to book the Descent into the underworld tour to admire the extraordinary Tomb of the Infernal Quadriga, an exclusive visit that will allow you to closely see this amazing discovery that at the beginning of the 2000s thrilled the world of archeology, not for its perfect state of conservation. It is difficult to explain what it feels like being in front of the demon, the two men and the sarcophagus which has remained intact. From there, always following Etruscans’ trail, you will move to Chianciano Terme for a swim at the Theia Thermal Pools.

Outdoor or underground?

The beauty of Valdichiana Senese is sometimes not visible in the sunlight, it must be sought. For this reason, among the novelties of 2022 you will find the Tour of the underground Valdichiana. In fact, under the historical centres of Valdichiana Senese develop very dense and complex tunnels in the subsoil, where precious treasures are kept. Paths that trace, in negative, the beauty of the villages on the surface and that surprise visitors with their beauty. A tour that will take you from Sinalunga, where you will explore the Path of the Waters, to Chiusi for the Underground City, passing through Montepulciano with a visit to the cellars of the historic centre.

If instead open air is your vocation, in addition to the Bike tour on the Nobile Path or on the Barlettaia Trail, you can already book your Bike Tour among the Paths of Pietraporciana Natural Reserve, a path of about 10km in these immense woods which embrace Valdichiana Senese and Val d'Orcia.

So, who said they did everything in Tuscany?

Photo credits - Alessandro Zaccaro, Fancy Factory