Via Agostino Barazzuoli, Monticiano

The cluster sits in the wooded hills between the upper Merse and Farma valleys, on the western side of the province of Siena. The Val di Merse is the named local landscape here, with mixed forest, cultivated clearings and low hill ridges rather than a broad open plain. The Basso Merse Nature Reserve lies in this area along the Merse river. Within about 15 km are the ruins of the Abbey of San Galgano and the hill of Montesiepi with the sword in the stone chapel. Siena is the nearest city of size, with full services and major historic fabric, but it is outside the immediate landscape radius. The area is known for woodland, hunting country, small farm clearings and the old monastic sites around San Galgano.