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00 Santa Fiora
Stemma di Santa Fiora

Tuscany · Grosseto

Santa Fiora

An Aldobrandeschi and Sforza mountain borgo on Monte Amiata at 687 meters, holding one of the world's largest collections of Della Robbia terracotta.

Best time
May–Oct
By car
1 h 30 min from Siena
Population
2,490

Known for

  • DELLA ROBBIA

    One of the world's largest collections of Andrea della Robbia glazed terracotta, commissioned by the Sforza counts between 1480 and 1495.

  • PESCHIERA SFORZESCA

    Sixteenth-century walled pool at the source of the Fiora river, built by the Sforza counts as a private fish reserve under a hilltop chapel.

  • MONTE AMIATA

    Extinct volcano of southern Tuscany, beech and chestnut forests on the slopes above Santa Fiora, source of the Fiora and Albegna rivers.

  • TOSCANO

    The commune lies inside the Toscano IGP production zone.

When to visit

Best · May–Oct

  • J8°
  • F10°
  • M11°
  • A14°
  • M19°
  • J24°
  • J29°
  • A28°
  • S22°
  • O18°
  • N12°
  • D9°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

The festa: Flora, Lucilla, Eugenio e compagni, 29 July

Why come

Santa Fiora sits on the wooded southern slope of Monte Amiata, forty kilometers east of Grosseto. The Aldobrandeschi held the hill from the eleventh century, walling the borgo around their castle; through the late Middle Ages and Renaissance the town passed to the Sforza branch that produced the Sforza-Cesarini, Counts of Santa Fiora. The upper part of the borgo keeps the castle and the old walled core, while the parish church and the spring-fed pool sit lower, closer to where the Fiora rises. The Sforza left their mark in both directions: religious patronage in the terracotta commissions for the church, and practical engineering in the walled fish pool built over the river's source, a chapel standing beside it.

The Fiora leaves the town under the counts' pool and runs the rest of its length down through Maremma to the sea. The place reads as a single family's imprint worked into stone, water and clay across five centuries, upper fortress and lower spring both answering to the same patrons.

Our guide

Tuscan Mainland, Tuscany

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Santa Fiora in our articles

How to get there

From Florence / Pisa (PSA), about 2h 51m by car.

Rome (FCO) is about 3 hours away.

By car from the centre of Siena 1h 30m, Perugia 1h 50m or Florence 2h 27m.

Santa Fiora, photo 1
Santa Fiora, photo 2

What to see

  • Pieve delle Sante Flora e Lucilla

    Parish church founded before the year 1000 and rebuilt in the thirteenth century. Inside, Andrea della Robbia's Baptism of Christ, Coronation of the Virgin and a pulpit relief of the Last Supper.

  • Peschiera Sforzesca

    Clear water holding carp and trout inside the walled enclosure, the small Chapel of the Madonna delle Nevi standing alongside.

  • Castello Aldobrandesco

    The original walled core of the borgo, begun in 1082, later serving as residence of the Sforza-Cesarini counts.

  • Chiesa della Santissima Trinità

    Sixteenth-century church on the lower edge of the borgo, a simple stone façade over an interior holding a further terracotta relief.

  • Fiume Fiora

    River rising at the pool below the castle, running 78 kilometers through Maremma to the Tyrrhenian at Montalto di Castro.

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Through the year

What happens here

Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.

  • Festa del Marrone Santafioresefood festival

    usually held in October. TrovaSagre

Living here

  • Population 2,490
  • Remotei
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Nearest airport Florence / Pisa, 2 h 51 min drive
  • Regional capital Firenze, 2 h 27 min drive

Common questions

What is Santa Fiora known for?
Santa Fiora is an Aldobrandeschi and Sforza mountain borgo on Monte Amiata at 687 meters, holding one of the world's largest collections of Della Robbia terracotta.
Where is Santa Fiora?
Santa Fiora is a comune in the province of Grosseto, in Tuscany.
What is the nearest airport to Santa Fiora?
Florence / Pisa (PSA), about 2h 51m by car.
How long is the drive from Siena to Santa Fiora?
About 1h 30m by car.
When is the best time to visit Santa Fiora?
Best in May–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 14 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Santa Fiora?
Yes. Festa del Marrone Santafiorese. October is when the first of them falls.
Which other towns are like Santa Fiora?
Pennabilli, Gavoi and Cascia.
How many people live in Santa Fiora?
2,490 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 687 m
  • Population: 2,490
  • Surface area: 63.45 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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