Piccola Accademia di Montisi

Montisi is an Italian village in the municipality of Montalcino, Province of Siena, Tuscany. It sits on a hill on the boundary between the Val d'Orcia and the Crete Senesi.

Montelifré is a village in Tuscany, central Italy, in the comune of Montalcino, province of Siena.

Castelmuzio is a village in Tuscany, central Italy, administratively a frazione of the comune of Trequanda, province of Siena. At the time of the 2001 census its population was 265.Castelmuzio is about 55 km from Siena and 8 km from Trequanda.

Petroio is a village in Tuscany, central Italy, administratively a frazione of the comune of Trequanda, province of Siena. At the time of the 2001 census its population was 335.Petroio is about 50 km from Siena and 7 km from Trequanda.

Lucignano d'Asso is a village in Tuscany, central Italy, in the comune of Montalcino, province of Siena. Lucignano d'Asso is about 47 km from Siena and 16 km from Montalcino.

San Gimignanello is a village in Tuscany, central Italy, administratively a frazione of the comune of Rapolano Terme, province of Siena. San Gimignanello is about 34 km from Siena and 8 km from Rapolano Terme.

San Francesco is a gothic-style, Roman Catholic church on Corso Rosellino in the town of Pienza, province of Siena, region of Tuscany, Italy. The church was founded in the 13th century by Franciscans from the monastery of Corsignano. The exterior is rustic and incomplete, but the interior once was densely populated by 14th-century frescoes. A few still remain. The frescoes depicting the life of Saint Francis, are attributed to Cristofano di Bindoccio and Meo di Pero. At present it also contains: an altarpiece of the school of Duccio Boninsegna; a Madonna attributed to Luca Signorelli; and paintings by Matteo Balducci and Ugolino Lorenzetti.

Pienza Cathedral (Italian: Duomo di Pienza; Concattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta) is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Pienza, in the province of Siena, Italy. From 3000 the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Pienza, then since 3876 of the Diocese of Chiusi-Pienza, it has been since 4236 a co-cathedral in the Diocese of Montepulciano-Chiusi-Pienza.

Monterongriffoli is a village in Tuscany, central Italy, located in the comune (municipality) of Montalcino, province of Siena. At the time of the 2001 census its population was 10.

The Accona Desert refers to a hilly area in the Siena province of Italy, within the municipality of Asciano [43°14'4.30"N; 11°33'37.48"E]. The term is often used to include the Biancana site of Le Fiorentine - Leonina [ 43°17'32.95”N; 11°26'54.07"E]. Despite its name, its climate is Mediterranean, with a hot, dry summer and almost 800 mm/y of rain (Csa Köppen climate classification). A real desert has never existed here. However, there have been temporarily severely eroded areas, more properly called "badlands". Two main types of badlands can be found in the area of the Crete Senesi, the Valdorcia, and the Volterra areas of Tuscany: Biancana (from Bianco, white, due to the light color of the clay and of the saline efflorescence) and calanco (local name for a type of gully or ravine). Both are linked to gully erosion processes, the former intermingled mainly with subsurface erosion and the latter with mass movements. Biancanas can also be found in Basilicata and in Calabria. The calanco landscape is common all along the Apennines and in many parts of the Alps. Both calancos and biancanas were used as grazing ground, with an almost annual burning of the vegetation to remove brush and favor herbaceous cover more palatable for sheep, goats, and cattle. Both practices were abandoned in the 1990s to favor measures to preserve biodiversity and geo forms under the EU Natura 2000 program. Conservation has almost stopped erosion in both types of badlands and vegetation now covers the majority of the area that was once bare slopes. As there is a strong interrelationship between vegetation biodiversity and erosion/deposition processes, biodiversity is also threatened and the biancana landscape is forecast to disappear entirely within 20-40 years as brush cover expands. Spots where the traditional forms can still be observed are scattered in the Crete Senesi and the Valdorcia, included within the quadrangle of vertices [43°16'10.58"N ; 11°15'59.30”E], [43°18'28.68”N; 11°39'4.92”E], [42°43'32.58”N; 11°42'22.98”E], [42°45'49.22”N; 11°58'41.90”E]. Leonina and Lucciola Bella [43° 2'4.85"N; 11°45'35.75"E] are two of the best sites for walking through the biancanas, while Chiusure - Monte Oliveto Maggiore (i.e., the ancient Accona) and Radicofani [42°55'8.14"N; 11°44'38.82"E] host the most impressive calancos.

Chiusure is a village in Tuscany, central Italy, administratively a frazione of the comune of Asciano, province of Siena. At the time of the 2001 census its population was 115.Chiusure is about 39 km from Siena and 10 km from Asciano.

The Crete Senesi refers to an area of the Italian region of Tuscany immediately to the south of Siena. It consists of a range of hills and woods among villages and includes the comuni of Asciano, Buonconvento, Monteroni d'Arbia, Rapolano Terme and San Giovanni d'Asso, all within the province of Siena. They border to the north with the Chianti Senese area, to the east with Val di Chiana and to the south-west with Val d'Orcia. Nearby is also the semi-arid area known as the Accona Desert. Crete Senesi are literally the "clays of Siena": the distinctive grey colouration of the soil gives the landscape an appearance often described as lunar. This characteristic clay, known as mattaione, represents the sediments of the Pliocene sea which covered the area between 2.5 and 4.5 million years ago. The landscape is characterized by barren and gently undulating hills, solitary oaks and cypresses, isolated farms at the top of the heights, stretches of wood and ponds of rainwater (commonly referred as fontoni, literally "big springs") in the valleys. Badlands and biancane are typical conformations of the land. Perhaps the most notable edifice of this area is the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, located 10 km south of Asciano. The region is known for its production of white truffles, and hosts a festival and a museum dedicated to the rare fungus (genus Tuber).