The Crete Senesi refers to an area of the Italian region of Tuscany to the south of Siena. It consists of a range of hills and woods among villages and includes the comuni of Asciano, Buonconvento, Monteroni d'Arbia, Rapolano Terme and San Giovanni d'Asso.

Crete senesi are literally ‘Siennese clays’ and the distinctive grey colouration of the soil gives the landscape an appearance often described as lunar. This characteristic clay is known as mattaione.

Asciano is a medieval town center and has several interesting churches and museums. Five miles south of Asciano, the atmospheric complex of the Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore, which was founded in 1313 by Giovanni Tolomei, dominates the landscape of the Crete. It is located on a hilltop, immersed in a dark yet beautiful natural landscape, and is marked by a suggestive, mystical history. It is the mother-house of the Olivetans and the monastery later took the name of Monte Oliveto Maggiore (the greater) to distinguish it from successive foundations at Florence, San Gimignano, Naples and elsewhere. The abbey's origins date back to the middle ages.
Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore was founded in 1313 by Bernardo Tolomei. An imposing square tower with a drawbridge that was part of the original defences erected to protect the entire complex stands at the entrance to the Abbey. The courtyard of the abbey opens onto a broad avenue of cypresses. To the left is the botanical garden that supplied medicinal plants for the monks. A little further on is the fish pond designed in 1553 by Pelori and used by the monks to provide fish at those times of year during which the Benedictine rule forbade the consumption of meat. The cypress avenue leads to the impressively austere, late-gothic church of the abbey, built between 1399 and 1417. The interior of the abbey, renovated in Baroque style, houses a number of precious works of art, including an engraved wooden choir. In the magnificent rectangular Chiostro Grande, constructed between 1426 and 1443. It is made up of two passages, one above the other, supported by columns. The portico is decorated with a fresco cycle by Luca Signorelli depicting the life of St Benedict, who began work on its 36 large scenes in 1497. Signorelli painted eight frescoes. The two last frescoes of the Monte Oliveto series indicate that an immense force lay in reserve, waiting an opportunity for some wider and freer field of action, than had hitherto presented itself. That opportunity came, when, at the age of fifty-nine, he was called upon to undertake the vast work of his Orvieto frescoes. [read more]
The cycle was finished in 1508 by Sodoma. Il Sodoma painted in a manner that superimposed the High Renaissance style of early 16th-century Rome onto the traditions of the provincial Sienese school. He spent the bulk of his professional life in Siena, with two periods in Rome.
The Chiostro Centrale is composed of a portico that leads to the magnificent Refectory, decorated with frescoes by Fra’ Paolo Novelli.
The monastery also houses a very rich library and an ancient pharmacy. The transept leads to the Chapel of the Sacrament, whose altar is adorned by an early 14 C wooden Crucifix. In 1772 the church was redecorated in the late-Baroque style by Giovanni Antinori.

Leaving Monte Oliveto Maggiore and passing through San Giovanni d'Asso the route comes to Trequanda. A perfectly preserved 13th-century castle dominates the few houses that there are with its cylindrical crenellated tower. The church in the main Square, dedicated to Saints Peter and Andrew, is also 13th century and has a unique black and white stone checkerboard facade. Inside, there is a wonderful fresco of the Transfiguration by Sodoma.

The festival Accademia delle Crete Senesi was founded on the initiative of artistic director Philippe Herreweghe and some musicians of the Orchestre des Champs Elysées. The Accademia aims to give young talents a chance to play with experienced musicians. The concerts of the Accademia delle Crete take place in small but marvellous churches, chosen because of their adequate acoustics for the repertoire on the program. The Crete Senesi offers splendid locations: Asciano, Castelmuzio, Pienza, Sant’Anna in Camprena, San Quirico d’Orcia...

2010 Edition : August 1-6 | Program