Sentiero della Bonifica, from Arezzo to Chiusi
Along Reclamation Path (Sentiero della Bonifica) we can set out or start our bike ride through the Valdichiana of Arezzo and Siena. Sixty kilometers surrounded by greenery, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, on a route to admire the wonders of nature through cultivated fields and places of great beauty, such as Lake Chiusi or the Nature Reserve of Lake Montepulciano, memories of the ancient marsh and evidence of the reclamation work carried out on the Valdichiana.
The ancient road used for the maintenance of the Canale Maestro della Chiana, the historic waterway that unfolds into the countryside between Arezzo and Chiusi and that transformed this area of Tuscany into an important agricultural stretch, represents in fact a natural track devoid of unevenness and particularly suitable for a family sports tourism, ideal to integrate with the rail transportation serving this area.
There are plenty of access points, with the possibility of leaving your car near the trail. There are handy signs along the way to make pleasant digressions to particular points of interest, or to intersperse the walk with small forays into the various localities that arise in the valley.
Water, sun and land come together along this flat path, where every person is welcome: on foot or by bike, sporty or not, the simplicity of this long country path will help you regain the right rhythm of breath and time.
For runners and cyclists the starting point is in San Leo, the inner suburbs of Arezzo, where the ancient and elegant Chiusa de Monaci del Fossombroni divides the waters of the Chiana before the entry into the Arno river at the Buriano Bridge. The journey through nature allows you to admire bridges, leopoldine (rural houses) and farmhouses in an unusual and unfamiliar view of the Val di Chiana, where the sometimes upright and sometimes curved profiles of these buildings intersect perfectly and in harmony with the surrounding landscape.
Cortona, visible on the hills to the east and a key stop along the "Etruscan" journey, is not really on the Reclamation Trail, but can be reached with a detour of about 12 kilometers thanks to the so-called Sentiero dei Principes Etruschi, with a challenging, final climb.
The real spectacle is what surprises us when we travel the final stretch that takes us first to the Nature Reserve of Lake Montepulciano and then to the beautiful Lake Chiusi, also called Lago della Luna (Lake of the Moon), a protected natural area and WWF Oasis where you can admire many species of protected animals and migratory birds. Myth has it that it was the Lake where the Nymphs of the Woods went to on full moon nights. All around it is the magical atmosphere of a timeless place, to be rediscovered simply by sitting at the end of one of the long piers that penetrate into the Lake, or by walking under the willows and plane trees along the shores, immersed in the silence of nature.
After the lake we come to the two Towers known as "Get this" (built by the people from Siena) and "Get that" (built by the people from Perugia).
One last ride and here we are in Chiusi, where you can take the train back to Arezzo in about an hour. Of course, the route can also be traveled in the opposite direction.
We do not recommend you ride the Reclamation Trail on hot days because long stretches of the route are under the scorching sun. If you do, remember to bring canteens with water because the indicated rest stops are far apart, as well as wearing a hat and goggles to protect you from the sun.