Riserva naturale Pietraporciana, protected area in Italy (EUAP0400)

Riserva naturale Pietraporciana is a nature reserve situated on a hilltop between Chianciano Terme and Sarteano in Tuscany. The highest point reaches 847 meters, and the area contains an ancient beech forest mixed with oaks, maples, chestnuts, and various shrubs including rare species like belladonna and martagon lilies.

The area was once part of larger forests that covered the landscape thousands of years ago. The reserve was established in 1996 as a protected area and gained significance as a place of resistance during World War II, when partisans used the old farm complex to fight against fascist forces.

The old farmhouse at the centre of the reserve now serves as the visitor reception centre, with an amphitheatre and a bed and breakfast. After the war it became a meeting point for former partisans, who made it a shared place of memory. Plaques inside the building recall the battle of late June 1944.

The reserve is easily reached by dirt roads from Chianciano Terme and Sarteano, with marked trails suitable for walkers, cyclists, and horseback riders. The visitor center in the old farmhouse offers information, rest areas, and simple local food for guests.

The Mencattelli partisan formation chose the farm as its base because of its isolation and its commanding position over two valleys. In late June 1944, German forces tried to take it back; the 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards retook the position at the cost of many lives, and plaques inside the building commemorate them.