Activities and Services

Il Poggio and the surrounding area offer many recreational activities for an unforgettable holiday in Tuscany.

Sport

Fisheries: Montedoglio dam is a popular destination for lovers of fishing. It is one of the most important landscape and environmental elements of the valley. The basin of the dam, located about 30 km from the source of the Tiber, was built in 1978 for irrigation and drinking water, and blocks the downstream confluence of the Tiber with the River Singerna. The rivers that feed the dam are Tiber, Singerna and Tignana.
Today in the lake there are several species of fish: perch, pike, catfish, bluegill, largemouth bass and some trout from the River Tiber. For pike fishing Montedoglio is one of the most interesting destinations in central Italy. During the day the fish are usually stationed off the coast. However, in the early morning and evening, it's easy to find pike closer to shore.
Access to the Montedoglio waters is possible only with canoes, sailboats, or row boats. Motor boats are prohibited, as the reservoir is used for drinking water. While you do need a fishing license, given the variety of fish species, you can fish all year round.

Montedoglio Lake in figures:
Height: 64 m
Total volume of the bank: 2.700.000 m³
Maximum volume: about 8 km²
Maximum volume (with the maximum altitude adjustment): about 145 million m³
Currently approved volume: about 120 million m³P

Fly Fishing enthusiasts will appreciate the stretch of the Tiber River north of Sansepolcro which is famous for its crystal clear waters where Fario trout live.
World championships of fly fishing were recently held here.

Hiking and Mountain Biking: starting directly from our farm in the woods you can follow trails that offer stunning views of the lake.
The courses are suitable both for those who already practice hiking and mountain biking and for those who would like to learn. You can go with friends or with local guides.

Horse-riding: You can organize horse-riding courses and horse-riding at the stables in the area.

Golf: A driving range is located just 2 km from the villa (Putting green - driving range with 8 locations, tel. 0575 740 394) and the following golf courses are all easily reached by car:

There are 2 Golf courses of 18 holes:
The Golf & Country Club, Perugia (1 hour)
Antognola, near Umbertide (45 min). It can be accessed as day-members who have the use of all the facilities for a reasonable price.

There is also a Golf course of 9 holes:
Caldese, Città di Castello (15 min).

Tennis: You can play tennis in one of the many sports facilities in the area.

Canoeing and Windsurfing: the waters of Lake Montedoglio are the ideal place for lovers of canoeing and windsurfing.

Culture and Relaxation

For those who prefer a holiday filled with culture and well-being, these are a few suggested itineraries.

Nature - Lake Montedoglio, Alpe della Luna, Head of the River Tevere, Casentino.

Gourmet - Areas located on the borders of different regions are open to various influences. This land as well expresses a very wide range of tastes and culinary traditions. The tradition of eating well and healthfully is still intact and you can find many restaurants that offer food prepared following the antic recipes.
In the Tiber Valley the visitor can taste a wide variety of delicious meals prepared using local ingredients — fresh and genuine products like crostini, salami, pork, grilled meats, the famous Chianina beef and cheeses (pecorino, ricotta, raviggiolo).
Unsurpassed is the homemade pasta (ravioli, tagliatelle, cappelletti, gnocchi, bringoli), served with classic goose sauce and porcini mushrooms or truffles. Among the soups are centopelli and ribollita, a vegetable soup made with red cabbage and stale bread.
Other typical dishes include brustichino, dressed with extra virgin Tuscan olive oil, panzanella and polenta with tomato sauce. A typical specialty of Sansepolcro is ciaccia, bread dough left to rise and then fried.
Among the desserts there are the typical creams, torcolo, baldino, castagnole, pangiallo, ciaramiglia, and cantucci that should be eaten dipped in vin santo, a sweet wine that is still produced in rural households.
Famous are the chestnuts of Caprese Michelangelo, the most popular in Italy.
As for the wine, the hills directly surrounding the property do not offer the best Italy has to offer, but the fine Chianti territory of Colli Aretini, which has already earned a large share of the market, is very close to us — as are the cellars where you can go wine tasting.

Art, Culture and Traditions - A lively trade and business center full of artisans, the Tiber Valley has established itself for many activities developed over time. It is worth mentioning Tombolo, the art of making lace using lace bobbins.
This lace is made following ancient designs handed down from generation to generation by women of the village.
The art of bobbin lace is featured in the Lace Biennale held in Sansepolcro every year in September which has created international interest. You can admire the lace makers at work at the traditional lace makers’ center in Sansepolcro or in fabric stores.
In the textile industry, prestigious fabrics are produced by hand on looms with unique and original designs. Notably, the ancient technique of dyeing fabrics with Guado, a dye obtained from a famous dyeing plant popular in the Renaissance, has been widely used in the valley. It gives the cloth a splendid indigo color.
Goldsmiths here are known for their fine work in metal and precious stones. Exquisite objects are on display at the Biennale of the Art of Jewelry Making in Sansepolcro. In many jewelry shops you can find pieces of jewelry inspired by those appearing in the works of Piero della Francesca.
Other notable craft activities are the production of ceramics, the art of wrought iron, and the art of printing, all important segments of modern life and productivity in our land.

Spirituality and Art - From the Sanctuary of La Verna to Assisi, to Montecasale, Camaldoli, and Pieve della Sovara the visitor will be able to admire incomparable works of religious art.

Artists - Piero della Francesca, the Della Robbia, Giorgio Vasari.
Piero della Francesca, born in Sansepolcro around 1416, is undoubtedly one of the most emblematic figures of the Italian Renaissance.
He was a member of the second generation of humanist painters and his work is an admirable combination of art, geometry and a complex system of multi-level interpretation of complex topical, philosophical and theological issues.
He was able to harmonize, in his works the intellectual and spiritual values of his time, absorbing multiple influences and mediating between tradition and modernity, religion and humanism, rationality and aesthetics.

His work served as a connection between Brunelleschi’s geometric perspective, Masaccio's plasticity, the light, shadows and colors of Fra Angelico and Domenico Veneziano, and the precise and careful description of reality of the Flemings.
Other key features of his poetic expression are simplified geometric compositions, the immobility of the ceremonial gestures, and attention to human truth.
His activity can certainly be characterized as a process that goes from the practice of painting, to mathematics and abstract mathematical speculation.
His artistic production, characterized by an extreme rigor of the research perspective, from plastic monumentality of the figures, depending on the expressive use of light in the deep influence of Northern Renaissance painting and, in particular, the Ferrarese and Venetian schools.

In the Museo Civico in Sansepolcro, which houses the Museum of Piero della Francesca, you can admire the Altarpiece of Mercy, the fresco of the Resurrection and the two fragments of a fresco depicting the young St. Julian and St. Louis.
In nearby Monterchi, Arezzo and Urbino there are other famous works of the painter such as the Madonna del Parto, the Story of the True Cross and the Flagellation of Christ.

Archaeology - The land of the Etruscans around Arezzo, and archaeological excavations of Trebbio.

Spas - The Terme di Bagno di Romagna, and the Terme di Fontecchio.

Antique dealers - The Antique market in Arezzo, and the Memorandia in Anghiari.

Visiting the local markets:
Sansepolcro: every Tuesday and Saturday
Anghiari: every Wednesday
Pieve S. Stefano: every Monday
Città di Castello: every Thursday and Saturday.

Finally, for those in search of total relaxation, the pool of the farm and its extensive gardens are the ideal place to rejuvenate body and mind.

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Meteo