This ride starts out from the Romitorio – officially known as the Church of Saint Anthony the Abbot - of Pozzuolo, which already in 1701 was known to the Bishop, as evidenced in the records of his pastoral visits to Città della Pieve. Begin by heading towards Piana, but at the first right turn onto a side road which passes some schools and then cross over to the other side of the main road turning left and then right, after just a few meters, at Murciaie. Cross over to the other side of this small group of houses and continue along the road to the Mulino, or mill. Cross over a rarely used paved road and go towards the Campo della Fiera which you pass leaving it at your right and then at Palazzetta head downwards to the end of the road just before the last farm, where you take a connecting road jon the right which will take you up to Cozzano. Pass through Cozzano and on the right the Chiana Valley, or Val di Chiana, suddenly opens up before you. We are on the border with the provinces of Siena and Arezzo and from above we see the Canale Maestro of the Chiana valley, a trip back in time and through nature. This is the heart of Etruscan civilization, a land of water sculpted by nature and the labour of man. The hydraulic engineers of the Grand duke Leopold of Tuscany transformed this land from a swamp to a vital and fertile agricultural region. Descend along the edge of the vineyard until you reach a dirt road that goes off to the left, it will take you to the Umbrian shoreline of Montepulciano Lake, a nature reserve and WWWF oasis. Continue on and you will arrive at Mugnanese where you and the horses can take a break. Here, they can be watered and enter the lake without any problem. Once rested and back in the saddle, continue the ride along the shore, where you may well spot rare birds who make their nest here, and reach the Madonna del Poplino Sanctuary where there was once a votive chapel known as the Madonna del Cappelletto. The church subsequently built on that spot overwhelmed it and the building became known as the Beata Maria del Popolo, today referred to as the Madonna del Popolino. The faithful wished for this building to be constructed to protect them from the Tuscan peril in an era when that region was little more than a swamp which was eventually turned into two lakes: Chiusi and Montepulciano. Inside the church you will find a fresco featuring the Virgin seated with the Child and saints Rocco and Sebastian. People have been coming here to pray to her since at least 1613, the date of the first documentation. The church has a rectangular layout with a bell-shaped roof, the fresco is behind the altar. After the visit proceed towards Chiusi Lake but, using the sanctuary road leaving it to your left, you will reach a paved road, take it in the direction of Porto and after a few meters get back on the dirt on the right that leads to Poggio Santa Maria. From here go towards Poggio Fattore and then Fratavecchia. Here you will find hothouses, a sign to head in the direction of Macchia Grossa, so-called because it is a large area of Mediterranean brush (macchia, in Italian). A dirt road will lead you to Pozzuoloand from there a series of dirt roads will take you back to the Romitorio. You can’t go wrong, the villages 36m high bell tower can be seen from afar.
Difficulty level: medium
Ride duration: about 4½ hrs
All year round