Discover Santa Fiora: Culture, History and La Peschiera

Santa Fiora brings together a clearly structured historic center, museums, the Pieve delle Sante Flora e Lucilla and the park at La Peschiera. When choosing where to stay, you can easily distinguish the different highlights: the townscape and church offer a glimpse of history and architecture, while the museums explore the themes of local history and mining. An annual patron saint’s festival and a regional food and wine route round out the cultural offering.

Culture in the Center

The historic center sits on a trachyte hill and is divided into the three districts of Castello, Borgo and Montecatino. This three-part layout gives the townscape a clear structure, making it easy to distinguish its different areas. The Pieve delle Sante Flora e Lucilla has been mentioned in written records since 1142 and features Gothic and Renaissance elements. The date and architectural features offer two different perspectives: the church’s long history in written records and its architectural classification.

The Museo della Contea presents the history of Santa Fiora through historic interiors, documents and portraits from the private Sforza Cesarini collection; a multimedia presentation complements the displays. Together with the Pieve, this offers two distinct ways to explore local history: architecture on the one hand, and interiors, collections and multimedia interpretation on the other.

La Peschiera: From Fishpond to Park

La Peschiera offers a different perspective: it began as a medieval pond for breeding trout. In the 15th century, the Sforza family transformed it into an aristocratic garden; in the 19th century, it became an English-style park. La Peschiera is home to trout, mallards and swans. Its vegetation includes firs, cypresses, magnolias, oaks and chestnut trees, among others. The grounds are free of architectural barriers. Here, the history of garden and park design meets a specific, identifiable range of animal and plant life.

Mining History on Monte Amiata

The Museo delle Miniere di Mercurio del Monte Amiata comprises five exhibition rooms exploring the history of mining and the developments that shaped the Monte Amiata area between the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly in the area between Santa Fiora and Castell’Azzara. A reconstructed underground tunnel, built by miners, illustrates the working environment in the mines. The archaeological section complements the exhibition with finds from the 3rd century BC. This brings archaeological evidence and the mining history of the 19th and 20th centuries together as distinct historical layers.

Festivals and Regional Products

The Festa delle Sante Flora e Lucilla, held in honor of the patron saints, takes place every year on July 29. The celebration includes a procession through Santa Fiora with the relics of the two saints. A festival program description updated on August 30, 2024, lists a summer season for Santa Fiora in Musica, running from June to September, with concerts at the Teatro Andrea Camilleri and the Auditorium della Peschiera. Check the latest dates and program for your trip.

The Strada del Vino Montecucco e dai sapori dell’Amiata passes through Santa Fiora and invites visitors to discover regional products such as Montecucco DOC wine and Monte Amiata IGP chestnuts. Wine and chestnuts thus add their own regional perspective to the town’s historic, architectural and landscape highlights.

Discover More Destinations:

Bagnore, Selva, Cinigiano, Salaiola, Diaccialone, Castell'azzara, Sabatina, Casone

For the main travel overview: Grosseto.