The best walks and hikes around Monticiano

The thermal water springs from the ground at 40° and creates several pools, forming a real little thermal bath.

Warning! The path is impassable starting about 1 km after the Abbey of San Galgano, unless you have a machete. Francesco confirms April 2025. In particular, the path is impassable (November 2025) since it is forced between the fence of the "San Galgano" hunting reserve and the narrow strip of dense woodland on the banks of the Merse River. We had to turn back!

The Great Abbey of San Galgano Construction of the Great Abbey downstream began only in 1220 (or 1218?). Construction work continued until 1268, when it was officially consecrated by the Bishop of Volterra, Alberto Solari. Then came a hundred years of great splendor until 1364, followed by a slow decline due to the unfortunate practice of Commenda.

Visiting the hermitage of San Galgano, you'll also notice some human bones. According to tradition, these belong to one of the three "envious men" who, in 1181, in San Galgano's absence, attempted to break the sword in the stone. As punishment, his arms were torn to pieces by wolves, friends of the Saint. Radioactive dating has established that the bones date to the 12th century.

Among the bare naves of the Abbey of San Galgano (12th-13th century), where the sky replaces the vault, Helidon Xhixha raises a seven-meter steel cross. It is the heart of the "Jubilee of Light" project, conceived for the 2025 Jubilee and curated by Carlo Pizzichini: an exhibition that transforms one of the most emblematic places of medieval Italian spirituality into a space for contemporary reflection. The intervention by Xhixha – an Italian-Albanian artist known for his use of polished stainless steel and his ability to activate space through light – appears as an operation of visual and symbolic resonance. "Divine Light," the main work, is not just a monumental cross. It is an optical device that captures and reflects the sun, amplifying its luminous energy in an environment already charged with spirituality. In an architectural context where absence—the missing roof—has for centuries been an invitation to look upward, Xhixha inserts a symbol that reflects and transfigures the world. The choice of site is not accidental: the legend of San Galgano, the knight who plunged his sword into the stone, renouncing war, is ideally linked to this contemporary cross, as a new icon of peace and transcendence. Steel, a shiny, industrial material, replaces the stone of the past, but the gesture remains the same: suspending violence and seeking an interior dimension.

The Montesiepi Hermitage was built immediately after the saint's death, over the ancient hut where San Galgano lived during his last year (1181). The hermitage was consecrated in 1185 by the bishop of Volterra, Ildebrando Pannocchieschi. The small complex consists of the circular church interrupted only by the small apse, the chapel with frescoes by Lorenzetti, and the entrance porch. In the porch, look down to the left and look for an "original" medieval plaque that reminds the pilgrim... that he must die and that life is short. The original church was circular, then the entrance hall was added in 1200. The bell tower and Lorenzetti's chapel were added in the following century. The rectory dates back to the 18th century. The dome, constructed from alternating rows of white stones, is extremely elegant. Inside the Hermitage, in the center of the Rotonda, there is the famous Sword of San Galgano, stuck in the rock for over 800 years.

Built in the 13th century in Gothic style and dedicated to the saint from Chiusdino, today it is completely in ruins: only the walls remain standing, with the apse still in evidence, perfectly facing east, while on the upper part of the facade there are two pointed windows. The roof of the Abbey of San Galgano is no longer there today. The "official" version says that it deteriorated and then fell over the centuries, while an alternative version, according to some legend and according to others truth, states that it was originally made of lead, and was sold by Girolamo Vitelli in 1550. Whatever the truth behind the roof of the abbey, after some restoration attempts that went badly, at the end of the 18th century it was deconsecrated and left to the elements until the present day. The ruins of the Abbey of San Galgano, with its profile still intact and immersed in the Tuscan countryside, offer a truly incredible and particular view. In addition to the roof, the floor is also missing, which during the summer turns into a grassy blanket, while you can still see a transept with three naves and 4 chapels with cross vaults. Next to the Abbey of San Galgano there is the cloister, which was rebuilt at the beginning of the last century, using the original materials. Some accessory rooms are also very beautiful, which can also be visited with the entrance ticket to the abbey, including the chapter house, where the monks originally met to deliberate the main rules of the community, and the scriptorium, which was the place where the monks copied the manuscripts.

Small village near Monticiano.