Visit on foot the ancient citadel and nature reserve of Castelvecchio, 5km from San Gimignano

In a hidden corner of the Valdelsa region, five kilometres from San Gimignano, visit the unmissable nature reserve and remains of an important medieval settlement, once known as Castrum Vetus, the oldest of 'castles' in our area.

Castelvecchio was a town in the sixth and seventh centuries, following the decline of the Lombards, it became an important centre after the year 1000, having been transformed into 'Castrum' or fortified citadel in a strategic position a short distance from the intersection of the Via Francigena, which brought pilgrims from the north heading down to Rome, and with the Via del Sale (the Salt road) which eversince Etruscan times connected Volterra and the mines of rock salt to the cities of the interior, Chiusi, Arezzo and Cortona.