The “chiari” (lakes) of Chiusi and Montepulciano are what remains of the vast swamp that once occupied the Val di Chiana and which has influenced the life of this valley since Etruscan times; today these two basins mark the hilly landscape on the border between Umbria and Tuscany and play an important role from a faunal and naturalistic point of view.
Today the "chiari" are part of a route called the Sentiero della Bonifica which winds along the Canale Maestro della Chiana, from Chiusi to Arezzo.
There are approximately 65 km of plain through cultivated fields and places of great beauty, such as Lake Chiusi, the Natural Reserve of Lake Montepulciano and evidence of the reclamation work carried out on the Valdichiana, in the past a large swamp.
The path originates from the Chiusi railway station, in particular from the point where the embankment built following the agreement between the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the Papal State in 1780 is located. A short distance from here is the imposing Callone Pontificio. Leaving the Chiusi hill behind you you arrive at the Beccati Questo (built by the Sienese) and Beccati Questo (built by the Perugians) towers. Lake Chiusi and Lake Montepulciano, memory of the ancient swamp, offer an atmosphere of great naturalistic value and an ideal stop for birdwatching lovers.
