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High on a gentle hillock overlooking the peaceful Val d' Orcia and the distant 5,700 ft. summit of Tuscany's highest mountain peak, Mt. Amiata, is the breathtaking site of the newly reconstructed luxury boutique hotel, Castello di Velona. |
 A 10th century fortress and once the villa of famous Sienese families, the Castello di Velona opened its portals to the public in the year 2001 following a $ 16 million renovation project. History blends with art, viniculture and gastronomy at this intimate luxury hotel and the surrounding countryside. |
Views from its many windows across a landscape of olive and poplar trees and vineyards which produce the world-famous Brunello di Montalcino and other outstanding wines are often reminded of the Renaissance paintings of Tiepolo and Botticelli. |
Because of its location, the Castello is an ideal starting point for an exploration of the many mountain towns of the Val d' Orcia region, so-named because of the River Orcia, which winds around the base of Mt. Amiata. |
 A gentle undulating two-lane highway connects the various mountain villages - Montalcino, only 9 km. away, and Montepulciano among the better known for their prized wines - but popular tourist destinations such as Castiglione d'Orcia, Vivo d' Orcia, San Quirico d' Orcia, Monticchiello and Pienza, the latter town commissioned by Pope Pius II Piccolomini to be constructed as an ideal Renaissance city. |
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