The Nature Train is a classic of the Siena countryside. Old trains that have been dismissed from service and restored for tourist purposes accompany travelers along railroads that are kept open just for these trains. The coaches have been restored with painstaking detail to give the traveler the true feeling of what the past in Tuscany entailed, albeit in a much more romantic version.
Imagine the last night of the year as a train journey full of surprises through the most beautiful landscapes of Tuscany, between the Crete Senesi and the vineyards of the Val d’Orcia. For many years the Nature Train has given the possibility to spend the New Year trip from Siena to Casteldelpiano along the old railway Asciano-Mount Amiata section, which was closed to traffic in 1944 because considered a non productive section.
Today, thanks to the railway in Val d’Orcia, the province of Siena and Trenitalia, this trait is reopened during some holidays as a tourist route. Everyone can now enjoy from the train window the natural beauty that characterize the landscape of these lands. The territory is now famous for being the birthplace of the prized Brunello wine. Here the Nature and Cultural Park of Val d’Orcia was established to preserve this world heritage.
The evening program of December 31 2009 will be as it follows. After departing from Siena at 5,10 pm there will be a special stop to enjoy the fireworks over the Calanchi, the badlands of the Crete Senesi. The lunar landscape and the eroded crests of clay offer a unique spectacle under the light of the fireworks. There will be live music on board by the Trio La Bandaccia to set the right mood up for the festive occasion. The journey will then continue to the station of Cinigiano-Sant’Angelo, around which the village of Sant’Angelo Scalo was built. The arrival here is at 7 pm. From here a bus will drive you to Casteldelpiano in the province of Grosseto on the Mount Amiata. The village is located at more than six hundred feet above sea level. Here you will participate to the New Year’s Eve feast that will start at 8 pm (including the mountain appetizer, three first courses, three second courses, the Morellino of Scansano wine, dessert, champaign and coffee). The evening will continue with music and dances until morning. The return is at 4 am to the Monte Antico station with a private bus. The train to Siena will depart at 5 am to arrive at 5,50 am.
The cost per adult is 115 Euros, while for children under 10 it is 55 Euros. Please get more info or reserve with Ferrovia Valdorcia at www.ferrovieturistiche.it, email: trenonatura@ferrovieturistiche.it, Phone:+390577207413
Fri
4
Dec '09
Start discussion »
Leave a Reply