On the slopes of Monte Amiata
Once an active volcano, the Amiata, geologically and biologically, is one of the most important massifs in the whole of Italy and undoubtedly, "the green lung" of southern Tuscany.
The area of production of Consorzio di Seggiano extends over the municipalities of Arcidosso, Castel del Piano, Seggiano, Cinigiano, Santa Fiora, Roccalbegna, Semproniano and parts of Castell'Azzara's territory.
The flora and fauna present particular ecotypes which combine to make the territory unique: the mountain's slopes are wreathed with beech, chestnuts and pine forests, home to rare species, such as the short-toe eagle, the Egyptian vulture, the Lanner falcon and the wolf, as well as many other more common mammals and birds of pray. Various protected areas of the local environment have been created, which operate hand in hand with institutions for study and development to research and communicate information about the natural beauty of the territory.
The Amiata also has an enormously rich historical culture: medieval villages clinging to the slopes of the mountain are still proof today that an ancient way of life has been handed down over the centuries, while numerous efforts towards sustainable development are leading to new ways of economically boosting the mountain's riches not only in the regeneration of the cultivation of the Olivastra Seggianese but also in other areas: chestnuts, recently awarded IGP status, wine, the Montecucco DOC, rare breeds, including the reintroduction the Amiata donkey (Miccio Amiatino), instead of increasing winter and thermal tourism.
Once an active volcano, the Amiata, geologically and biologically, is one of the most important massifs in the whole of Italy and undoubtedly, "the green lung" of southern Tuscany.
The area of production of Consorzio di Seggiano extends over the municipalities of Arcidosso, Castel del Piano, Seggiano, Cinigiano, Santa Fiora, Roccalbegna, Semproniano and parts of Castell'Azzara's territory.
The flora and fauna present particular ecotypes which combine to make the territory unique: the mountain's slopes are wreathed with beech, chestnuts and pine forests, home to rare species, such as the short-toe eagle, the Egyptian vulture, the Lanner falcon and the wolf, as well as many other more common mammals and birds of pray. Various protected areas of the local environment have been created, which operate hand in hand with institutions for study and development to research and communicate information about the natural beauty of the territory.
The Amiata also has an enormously rich historical culture: medieval villages clinging to the slopes of the mountain are still proof today that an ancient way of life has been handed down over the centuries, while numerous efforts towards sustainable development are leading to new ways of economically boosting the mountain's riches not only in the regeneration of the cultivation of the Olivastra Seggianese but also in other areas: chestnuts, recently awarded IGP status, wine, the Montecucco DOC, rare breeds, including the reintroduction the Amiata donkey (Miccio Amiatino), instead of increasing winter and thermal tourism.
