Lunar hills of grey clay between Siena and the Val d'Orcia
South east of Siena the landscape changes: the hills become bare and rounded, made of grey-blue clay called crete, with steep eroded gullies, the calanchi, and the occasional isolated farmhouse crowned by a row of cypresses. In summer, after the wheat harvest, it looks almost like a lunar landscape; in spring it turns a brilliant green.
The best way to enjoy it is to drive the Lauretana road (SP 438) between Asciano and Siena, one of the most scenic in Tuscany, or the roads around Asciano, which has a fine museum of Sienese painting. In the middle of the hills, the "Site Transitoire", a small stone window by the artist Jean-Paul Philippe, frames the horizon.
Tip: the photographers' favourite spot is the solitary cypress of Baccoleno; come at dawn, when mist often fills the valleys.
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