some Activities to do in Streda
Walks and Trekking
For the tireless there are other routes around Vinci and that go to the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci and then to the highest points of Montalbano (also of this info and maps at the reception).
Golf
In front of Streda Belvedere on the opposite side of the Via Provinciale, for golf lovers there is the Bellosguardo Golf Club.
outdoor activity
Streda is surrounded by nature, in this peaceful place full of peace and harmony it is possible to relax and play outdoors. For children there is a playground.
Places to visit near Streda
Streda Belvedere is immersed in the Tuscan countryside, in the heart of Chianti, on the slopes of the Montalbano hills.
We are in a strategic position to reach famous places all over the world:
Vinci
Your can start going around Streda Belvedere, and see the beautiful medieval village of Vinci. You can go through Piazza Dei Conti Guidi where you will admire the works of the well-known sculptor and architect Mimmo Paladino, the Church of Santa Croce, of thirteenth-century origin, where it is said that Leonardo da Vinci was baptized, the Leonardo Museum housed inside the Castle of the Counts Guidi and the tower where you can enjoy a picturesque Tuscan landscape. Through a green path among the olive trees you can reach the Casa di Leonardo with a good walk of about 30 minutes.
Florence
You can’t miss a visit to the city of Florence, and I remind you that the best way is to leave from Empoli station where you can find a train every 15/30 minutes and be in the center of Florence in half an hour. Near the Empoli station there is a car park and the daily cost is 3 € c.a. The one-way train ticket to Florence also costs approx. 3 €. The train is a regional one and is not so comfortable, but can be the best solution for going to Florence if you take it in the peak hours.
Cerreto Guidi
In the surroundings of Cerreto Guidi, you can visit the hunting residence of the Medici family built during the Renaissance and the famous church of S. Leonardo built on Roman ruins.
Montecatini Terme
You can visit the famous ancient “spa” (terme) of Montecatini, which have been recently renovated and are surrounded by a beautiful park. The entrance is paid for a few hours or all day. It is possible to go up with the funicular up to the suggestive Piazzetta of Montecatini, where there are numerous restaurants and bars. You can spend the day shopping in the various elegant shops which are also open on Sunday.
Siena
From Streda Belvedere it takes c. To. 2 hours by car, but with the train from Empoli (1 hour c.a.) it is the most relaxing way to reach the city. Siena, beautiful ancient tuscan city, is located in the middle of Italy, stands out for its medieval brick buildings. Piazza del Campo, the central square with a characteristic fan shape, is home to the Palazzo Pubblico (the Gothic-style town hall) and the Torre del Mangia, a slender XIV century tower from whose white battlements you can enjoy a wonderful view. The seventeen historic districts (the city districts) extend all around right from the square.
Lucca
Lucca is the city of 100 churches and the largest and most intact Renaissance walls in Europe. Lucca is an Italian city located in the Tuscany region, on the banks of the Serchio river. It is known for the Renaissance city walls that surround the historic center and for the cobbled streets. The wide tree-lined walks on top of these 16th and 17th century ramparts are very popular, on foot and by bicycle. The birthplace of the great composer Giacomo Puccini is now a museum.
Pisa
It needs no introduction. Piazza dei Miracoli and its Tower are easily reachable by train from Empoli station with a direct or by car along the FI PI LI highway.
Pistoia
Pistoia, a crowded and modern city where wonderful ancient buildings are located and surrounded by Roman walls, is 40 minutes from Streda Belvedere beyond the hills of Montalbano. In the center there is one of the most important Gothic example cathedrals in Italy with the Baptistery, the Palazzo dei Vescovi and nearby La Sala, a small square, an ancient Pistoia meeting place where every day there is an interesting fruit and vegetable market. A large market of all kinds of merchandise takes place every Wednesday morning and Saturday morning in July and August and takes place in the center streets and for the rest of the year in the ancient Piazza del Duomo. In Pistoia, it is pleasant to linger even towards the end of the evening because at that time many of the locals in the center come alive with patrons for the tasting of the classic aperitif and that when the weather is nice they linger for dinner on the tables that swarm outside the restaurants in the center of Pistoia.
Viareggio and Forte dei Marmi
It is about 70 km from Streda Belvedere and you can spend a day at the beach in the beautiful Versilia. It is advisable in summer not to go on Saturdays and Sundays, because it is too crowded.
Vinci, birthplace of Leonardo Da Vinci and Leonardian Museum
Streda Belvedere is located a few minutes from Vinci, the birthplace of Leonardo Da Vinci, a man of talent and universal talent of the Renaissance. The city of Vinci is little more than a village developed around the medieval castle of the Counts Guidi and dominated by the tower which constitutes a characterizing element in the hilly landscape. The central core of the fortress, restored in 1940, has housed the rooms of the Leonardian Museum since 1953 which, rearranged in 1986 and 2004, displays a large collection of machine models based on Leonardo’s drawings and sketches. It also preserves a glazed terracotta from the Bottega di Giovanni della Robbia. It is closely connected with the Palazzina Uzielli and with the Leonardian Library, which constitutes an important documentation center for studies on Leonardo. Since 1993, the Ideal Leonardo Da Vinci Museum has been open to the public in the evocative spaces of the underground gallery and in the ancient cellars of the Castello di Vinci.
It is the first museum in the world that deals with the complexity of Leonardo artist, scientist, inventor and designerin relation to his biography, its territories and its relevance, with ancient originals (paintings from Leonardo’s workshop, engravings and finds). Over sixty models recently artfully reconstructed from Leonardo’s projects (some functional, others workable) and wonders of Leonardism (from vintage memorabilia to works by modern artists including Duchamp) …
Visitors to the Ideal Museum will be able to access (from via Collinare to the gates of Vinci) the nascent “Leonardo’s Garden” and enter the “Labirinto dei Vinci”, (1,500 trees and a path of 740 meters) as well as walk the “infinite knot” and the “Path of different trees and flowers”. the garden of the senses, secrets, cosmologies and discovery, as an open-air section of the Ideal Museum and theme park.
Within the castle walls there is the Church of Santa Croce, of medieval origin but restored in the neo-Renaissance style in the first half of the twentieth century, where Leonardo was baptized in April 1452. It contains the “Baptismal Font” recomposed in 1952, the fifth centenary of the artist-scientist’s birth, and some paintings from the 18th and 17th centuries. At the end of the present Via Giovanni XXIII stands the 17th century Sanctuary of SS. Annunziata, with a large altarpiece attributed to Fra ‘Paolino da Pistoia: an “Annunciation” from the early 16th century. On the suggestive hills of Anchiano, two kilometers from Vinci, there is a rural construction (restored in 1952 and 1986) which a tradition identifies with Leonardo’s birthplace. A few kilometers from Vinci, in Sant’Ansano, there is the three-nave Romanesque church of S. Giovanni Battista in Greti, which still preserves the carved medieval capitals and a masterpiece by Rutilio Manetti, one of the masters of Sienese painting of the seventeenth century. Vinci is the ideal place to discover Leonardo’s works, art and spirit, and has become a real point of reference for all fans of the Renaissance genius.
Other places to visit in less than 1 hour from Streda Belvedere are:
- Certaldo, the city of Bocaccio, San Miniato alto, San Gimignano with its famous towers.
- Montelupo Fiorentino with its Renaissance majolica pottery, the production center of Florence Medicea and the Museum of Ceramics, one of the most important in Italy.
- With just over 1 hour from Streda you reach Volterra, the famous Etruscan city.