The hamlet of Montorsaio is a small jewel of defensive architecture. With its elongated shape, it is the prototype of a hill town whose ancient houses were arranged in concentric circles and positioned in defense of the town’s cistern and its ancient Sienese cassero, now in ruins. The defensive structures are evidence of the town’s importance. The resilient shrubbery which climbs up to touch the village is called forteto, the name given in the Maremma to Mediterranean scrub.
Mushrooms, chestnuts and game can be found in abundance. There are panoramic points from which you can enjoy the picture-perfect Maremma and its splendid landscape. Feudo dei Salimbeni is still one of the main noble families. For centuries, Montorsaio was an outpost of the Siena republic. They left behind a very refined Madonna and Child by Sano di Pietro, a copy of which is preserved in the church of the Saints Cerbone and Michele. Also, in the Oratory of the Crucifix, a wooden sculpture of the virgin attributed to the school of Mariano d'Agnolo Romanelli can be found. Guests will also delight in seeing the mysterious ruins of the ‘Convento della Nave’. This convent has many legends about licentious friars and terrible murders which make its atmosphere quite unique.
