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 Murlo
- Murlo Municipality extends over 114.79 sq. km. and is located
in the southwest of the province of Siena, among the valleys
of the Merse, Arbia and Ombrone rivers.
This mostly hilly territory reaches, at most, 500 metres
a.s.l., and is covered by the characteristic Mediterranean
scrub. Many brooks and rivers have deeply eroded its soil,
giving it its present configuration and favouring human settlement
in numerous hamlets and villages, preferably located in the
highest areas.
Castello di Murlo, ancient Episcopal See and main administrative
centre of the area, is also located at the top of a 317 metre-high
hill.
The temperature is mild, with an annual average of 13.8°
Centigrade. Today the population amounts to 1980 units, with
a density of 17 inhabitants per sq. km..
Murlo occupies a strategic position with respect to other
places of remarkable historical and artistic importance in
Tuscany. Siena can be reached in only 20 minutes by car, Florence
or the coast in less than one hour, Montalcino, Chianti, Pienza,
S. Antimo, S. Galgano in 30 minutes - considering only a few
of the important tourist places nearby.
Important Etruscan sites can be found all over the territory,
and it is held that the DNA of this ancient population is
to be find in present-day inhabitants, due to the fact that
the area was cut away from trade, invasions and migrations
for many centuries. No remarkable change has taken place in
over 700 years, and the area has a look of ancient times to
the eyes of the contemporary visitor, preserving innumerable
traces of the civilisations who inhabited the territory over
the centuries.
The numerous tracks and roads crossing the area still maintain
their primeval importance, being the only way to reach secluded
places of remarkable historical, artistic and naturalistic
importance.
There are four different areas characterising the territory
of Murlo: woods, pinewood, cultivation and coastal areas.
This environmental heterogeneity - as well as the lack of
disturbances due to human activities - have favoured a high
biodiversity of the fauna. Among the most common mammals there
are: the wild boar, the deer, the fox, the squirrel, the porcupine,
the badger and the marten. Among birds: the wood pigeon, the
turtledove, the hoopoe, the jay, the kestrel, the owlet, the
buzzard, etc..
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Murlo
in the Province of Siena, Tuscany Italy
