Crete Senesi Loop

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Crete Senesi Loop: Clay Hills Around Asciano

Published 17 July 2025 Updated 5 June 2026

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Ranked #626 of 974

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HikeList Score

Crete Senesi Loop scored 78/100 on HikeList's trail-quality metrics.

Very Good

See score breakdownHide breakdown

Ideal length 55
Balanced challenge 100
Scenery & wildness 71
Varied terrain 83
Accommodation 83
Food & support 81
Path quality 80
Season flexibility 76

Computed from length, challenge, scenery & wildness, terrain variety, accommodation, food & support, path quality and season flexibility.

The Crete Senesi Loop is best treated as a 14.5 km DIY circular day walk in the Crete Senesi, south-east of Siena in Tuscany, Italy. It is not a single official waymarked trail, but a realistic combination of marked paths and strade bianche around Asciano, Monte Oliveto Maggiore and Chiusure. Allow 4–5 hours. Difficulty is moderate: the walking is non-technical, but the route is exposed, rolling and unpleasantly sticky after rain.

Route Overview

Start and finish in Asciano, the main hub for this area and reachable by rail via the station signed “Asciano Monte Oliveto Maggiore” on the Siena–Asciano–Monte Antico line. A longer circuit typically heads south through open clay countryside, using white gravel farm roads and field paths towards the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, then climbs to Chiusure, the hilltop high point at about 400 m, before returning to Asciano. Treat it as a composite loop, not a named official route: the Life Park paths are signposted, but some farm-track junctions are sparse. For more Tuscan walking, compare the Chianti Trail; for an Italian coastal option, see the Cinque Terre Coastal Trail.

Crete Senesi history: clay hills, pilgrims and the Olivetans

The Crete Senesi clay, known as mattaione, is the seabed of a Pliocene sea dating back 2.5–4.5 million years. Grazing and grain farming shaped the bare, sculpted hills seen today. The area also sits on historic pilgrim corridors: the Via Lauretana crosses the landscape between Siena and Cortona, and the Via Francigena to Rome passes nearby. In 1313, Bernardo Tolomei founded Monte Oliveto Maggiore here, which became the cradle of the Olivetan Benedictines.

Notable highlights

Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore (273 m): A large Benedictine Olivetan monastery south of Asciano. Its great cloister contains a major fresco cycle on the Life of St Benedict begun by Luca Signorelli and completed by Il Sodoma.
Chiusure (~400 m): A tiny hilltop village above the gullies and the natural turning point of the loop. It is also known for the Carciofo di Chiusure, a local artichoke celebrated in spring.
Biancane and calanchi: The signature Crete Senesi badlands: pale clay-and-sand domes and eroded gullies cut into mattaione clay. They give the walk its stark, open character.
Asciano: The walk’s practical base, with a medieval centre, the Basilica of Sant’Agata and the Museo di Palazzo Corboli. Its railway station makes the loop possible without a car.
Cypress-lined strade bianche: White gravel roads, isolated farms and cypresses thread the rolling clay ridges. These surfaces are easy in dry weather but can become sticky after rain.

Challenges to expect

Expect open, rolling clay hills rather than mountains. The route has no technical sections and only modest ascent, but shade is limited, summer heat can be draining, and clay tracks become slippery and sticky after heavy rain. Waymarking exists on the official Life Park network and wider Crete Senesi paths, yet some farm-road junctions are sparse, so carry a map or GPS.

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Ranked #626 of 974

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