The Crete Senesi refers to an area of the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

region of

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

immediately to the south of

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...

. It consists of a range of hills and woods among villages and includes the ''

comuni The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' of

Asciano Asciano () is a ''comune'' and hill town in the province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany. It is located at the centre of the Crete senesi between the river Ombrone and the torrent Copra, some southeast of the town of Siena by rail. Hist ...

Buonconvento Buonconvento is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about south of Florence and about southeast of Siena in the area known as the Crete Senesi. History Buonconvento (from the Latin ''bonus ...

Monteroni d'Arbia Monteroni d'Arbia is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about south of Florence and about southeast of Siena in the area known as the Crete Senesi. It takes its names from the Arbia torren ...

Rapolano Terme Rapolano Terme is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence and about east of Siena in the area known as the Crete Senesi. Until 1949 it was known simply as Rapolano. ...

and

San Giovanni d'Asso San Giovanni d’Asso is a frazione of the ''comune'' of Montalcino, province of Siena, Italy. It is located about southeast of Florence and about southeast of Siena in the area known as the Crete Senesi. It was a ''comune'' until 2017. The ha ...

, all within the

province of Siena The province of Siena ( it, provincia di Siena, link=no, ) is a province in Tuscany, Italy. Its capital is the city of Siena. Geography The province is divided into seven historical areas: * Alta Val d'Elsa * Chianti senese * The urban area o ...

. They border to the north with the Chianti Senese area, to the east with

Val di Chiana The Val di Chiana, Valdichiana, or Chiana Valley is an alluvial valley of central Italy, lying on the territories of the provinces of Arezzo and Siena in Tuscany and the provinces of Perugia and Terni in Umbria. Geography The Val di Chiana is ...

and to the south-west with

Val d'Orcia The Val d'Orcia or Valdorcia () is a region of Tuscany, central Italy, which extends from the hills south of Siena to Monte Amiata. Its gentle, cultivated hills are occasionally broken by gullies and by picturesque towns and villages such as Pie ...

. Nearby is also the semi-arid area known as the

Accona Desert Accona desert refers to a hilly area in the Siena province of Italy, within the municipality of Asciano 3°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 ...

. ''Crete Senesi'' are literally the "

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

s of

": 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 The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, m ...

and are typical conformations of the land. Crete Senesi Monte Oliveto

Perhaps the most notable edifice of this area is the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, located 10 km south of

. The region is known for its production of

white truffles A truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, predominantly one of the many species of the genus ''Tuber''. In addition to ''Tuber'', many other genera of fungi are classified as truffles including ''Geopora'', ''Peziz ...

, and hosts a festival and a museum dedicated to the rare fungus (genus Tuber).

Gallery

File:In Val d'Orcia.jpg, Cereal crops are cultivated with the aid of irrigation File:Crete senesi presso asciano, 09.JPG, Crete Senesi in

area File:Cretesenesi panorama.jpg, Panorama with ''fontoni'' File:Crete Senesi Calanchi.jpg, Badlands of

Accona desert Accona desert refers to a hilly area in the Siena province of Italy, within the municipality of Asciano 3°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 ...

File:Crete Senesi Sunset - Saltafabbro, Asciano, Siena, Italy - July 4, 2010 01.jpg, Sunset in Saltafabbro, Asciano

References

External links

Official websiteTerre di Siena: Crete SenesiVideos of the Crete Senesi
Geography of Tuscany Province of Siena {{Siena-geo-stub