Casa Martina

The splendid Piazza del Campo in Siena (35 minutes’ drive) is the setting for a summer horse race known as ‘Il Palio’, in which the city’s various districts compete against each other. Grab an outdoor table, and sip a drink while gazing at the Palazzo Pubblico, or head to the Cathedral, with its ornate facade and distinctively striped belltower. In Montalcino (35 minutes), the Tempio del Brunello - Interactive Museum takes you on an immersive journey exploring the soil, the grapes and the people that have made the local wine – Brunello di Montalcino – such a prestigious product. Then head out into the surrounding countryside to visit vineyards and wineries. On the outskirts of Poggibonsi (45 minutes), the Fortezza di Poggio Imperiale is a military fort built by order of Lorenzo de’ Medici in the 1480s and never fully completed. On the same hill is Poggibonsi Archaeodrome - Open Air Museum, with reconstructed huts and other structures from the ninth century