Church of St. Andrew

Also built in 1188, the Church of St. Andrew of Arcidosso was enlarged in 1672 and renovated in 1872 by order of Leonardo Ximenes, who turned it into the headquarters of the Confraternity of Mercy, a Catholic order that cared for the needy.

It is a small but picturesque little church. Its two-pitch cream-colored stone facade is adorned with pots of seasonal flowers, and its white doors open to a humble and charming interior.

Inside on the right wall is a fresco of the “Madonna and Child Enthroned with Two Saints and Angels ” by an anonymous 16th-century Sienese painter. At the heart of the church is a 17th-century altar with a papier-mâché crucifix.

The church is definitely worth a visit if you are looking for something that has all the typical Tuscan finesse without the glitz you find in larger churches. It is also a great place to sit and admire the beauty of the surroundings-I come here to think all the time.