8 Days Etruscan Trail Horse Riding Holiday in Tuscany, Italy

Overview

• Main gaits: walk, trot, and canter where possible
• Difficulty: medium
• Riding experience: safe rider
• Terrain: mountain paths, ancient Etruscan roads cut deep into the tuff rock, country roads, and dirt roads
• Altitude: 860 meters (maximum) and 250 meters (minimum) above sea level
• The stages: about five hours shared between the morning (longer ride) and the afternoon

Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive, have dinner and stay in your accommodation at Cornacchino.

Day 2

You will enjoy the first two-hour ride in the woods and hills that surround Cornacchino. The rest of the day is spent at your leisure. You may want to visit the region or simply relax in the garden.

Day 3

On the program is another two-hour ride.

Day 4

There will be another two-hour ride. Il Cornacchino assigns the horse for the trail and prepares the equipment.

Day 5 - 7

On the three-day trail, you will ride through beech woods, Etruscan Necropolis, Etruscan roads - Vie Cave - cut deep in the tuff rock more than 2,000 years ago, Etruscan villages, hills, and beautiful countryside. You sleep in country houses along the road. In the evening of Friday, you will come back to Cornacchino where you will enjoy your final dinner together.

Day 8

You will have breakfast and then depart.

Notes: The program may be modified at any time due to prevailing weather conditions or for technical reasons.

Horses

Cornacchino hosts more than 60 horses which live in small groups outdoor on 100 acres of pasture land, completely according to their natural needs of socialization and movement. All the horses are trained in Western riding and particularly suitable for trails. The experience of many years, the large number of horses at work, and security of the Western riding allow, even to those who are beginners, to begin a journey, starting from the first lessons in a horsemanship and going through walks and the trek’s tasting, to the real trek, the final destination for nature lovers and horses. Everyone is at one‘s own times and needs.

The horse training is personally overseen by Fabio with his the method called natural Western. The initial training consists of teaching the horses to trust humans and subsequently to carry out all the necessary movements in the countryside such as walk, jog, trot, canter, gallop, back, side passes, gallop changes, transitions, jumping, and water crossing. The horses carry out much of their training in the countryside, learning while having fun and at the same time increasing their level of experience.

Western riding

Il Cornacchino considers the Western riding to be the most comfortable and convenient for traveling. With a well-trained and responsible horse, the Western saddle allows you to enjoy yourselves in the countryside and overcome difficult passageways with the utmost security. Riding with a Western saddle requires a minimum physical effort. The horse's gaits are more comfortable and as a result, the rider doesn't feel exhausted at the end of the day, but satisfied and happy. The weight of the rider is distributed over a surface larger than that of the English saddle, and the center of the mass is lower, making it easier both for the horse and the rider.

Transfer

The luggage will be carried by minibus which may also be used for some of the transfers.The belongings together should not be too bulky since there is limited space on the transport vehicle and in the saddlebags. Please avoid suitcases with a hard surface.

During this riding holiday in Italy, you will ride around Il Cornacchino and take a short ride along the Etruscan trail. Il Cornacchino is a wonderful place nestled in a romantic secluded valley, surrounded by woods and meadows. The pasture is surrounded by vast forests of chestnut, oak, beech and pine trees where you can meet roe, wild boar, porcupines, badgers and sometimes even deer. On the surrounding hills, are grazing sheep, Chianina cows, and a herd of wild horses.

Il Cornacchino farm lies three kilometers from the town of Castell'Azzara and partially inside the Monte Penna Natural Reserve at an altitude of 825 meters above sea level. Situated at the intersection of the provinces of Grosseto, Siena, and Viterbo, the farm is in a strategic zone with respect to natural, archeological, thermal, and landscape interests. You can see, on clear days, the sea and the Giglio Island, the Apennines Mountains, Lake Bolsena, and sometimes the Montecristo.

Castell'Azzara and Monte Penna Natural Reserve

In the heart of the reserve, the town dominates a vast horizon. At its feet stands Villa Sforzesca by the architect Fontana, in the deep valley of the Fiora River. On the other side of the mountain, rises the Rocca Silvana, a powerful and complex medieval war machine which Il Cornacchino recommends that you visit. A group of mounds on the southeast foothills of Amiata makes up the reserve. The main ones are Poggio della Vecchia (1,086 meters) and Mount Civitella (107 meters).

This protected area makes the northern border with the Pigelleto Natural Reserve of the county of Piancastagnaio (Siena). The protected territory is over 1000 hectares. From a geological standpoint, it is an area rich with caves (populated by bats) that, although near the volcanic mountain of Mount Amiata, it is completely different. In the watersheds, there are woods of ash, beech, oak, and chestnut.

For a naturalistic interest, there’s the font wood on the Poggio Vecchia, made up of various species of maple trees. The reserve is almost completely woodsy, with the exception of small areas that surround small farmhouses. Near Selvena, you can find chestnut trees of extraordinary sizes. In the reserve, there are bird populations of falcons and owls. The wildlife also includes mammals such as the fox, porcupine, wild boar, roe deer, deer, weasel, skunk, and marten.

Il Cornacchino is an organic farm born in respect of the environment and for love of the region or land. Their philosophy tells their chefs to use vegetables directly from the farm’s garden and high-quality Tuscan products produced in the region. Traditional Tuscan dishes with influences from the cuisines of Umbria and Lazio are prepared with a lot of love by Il Cornacchino's chefs who always find new ways of combining flavors.

The varieties of food served makes a menu list unnecessary and a lot of the products have been grown in their garden. Thus, it's easy to fulfill special wishes of the guests. Special menus for vegetarians, vegans, celiac, and different intolerances are available. During the holiday, you will be provided with picnics, breakfast, and dinners. The picnic is prepared in the morning and is taken to the destination by minibus or carried in the saddlebags. Dinner and breakfast are served in the farmhouse using typical local products. All the meals include wine.

• 3 times 2-hour rides
• 3 days of trail riding (5-6 hours on horseback per day)
• Use of horses trained in Western riding
• Riding-outs at Cornacchino
• Riding through Etruscan Necropoles Vie Cave, and medieval villages
• Delicious typical Tuscan breakfast, picnic, and dinner with wine
• 7 nights' accommodation

• Transfer to Cornacchino
• Personal insurances
• Other beverages