The launch site is located a short distance from Siena, one mile south from the city center, outside the gate Porta Tufi. You will get breathtaking views over this perfect ancient city, which rivaled Florence in wealth and international status. The half-finished cathedral with its stark black and white marble construction is not to be missed for its grand tower that towers over the Piazza del Campo and the delicate Torre del Mangia, flanked by a chapel built as thanksgiving after the plague.
A flight over the center of Siena is a rare and wonderful experience. It takes some organization, and flights are subject to suitable weather conditions. From this launch site, you will get spectacular views of the warm glowing rose-colored brick and silver-gray travertine of the Renaissance city. In the distance, you will see Chianti, its castles and vineyards and woods to the North. The soft rolling gray and sienna red hills and the downland of the Crete Senesi with the monumental Monte Amiata are in the distance to the South.
Non-optimal wind and weather conditions may require takeoff from another launch site a few miles away from the city center. We fly in the early morning just after dawn. The inflation takes about 30 minutes, and the flight approximately 1 hour depending on wind and weather conditions. After landing, we load the balloon back onto the retrieving vehicle trailer that follows the balloon throughout the flight. Once the balloon is packed away, we move on to enjoy a marvellous champagne breakfast with local produce. After breakfast, we drive back to the launch field. The whole adventure takes about three and a half hours.
Although we fly all year round, the "ballooning season" is approximately late spring to early autumn with annual variations. Weather in Chianti can be tricky and unpredictable, especially in early spring; but the months of the summer are regularly good for ballooning. Winter flights can be absolutely breathtaking, with sharp clear views and incredible palette of colors of the land; looking directly into the almost leafless forests covered with a veil of white frost. The silver olives and the barren vines look just stunning. In winter, takeoff is a little later in the morning, as the weaker sunshine is not as hot as in spring. As all flights are subject to wind and weather, obviously these winter flights are not as regular as during the ballooning season.
Flights are subject to weather conditions, and for safety, we fly only in the calmest of conditions.
Tel: +39-055-8077940 Email:
338 9077070 Gianna Volpi mobile +39 335 6233934 Stefano Travaglia
Sede Legale STRADA DEL CERRO 3, 50028- TAVARNELLE VAL DI PESA -FIRENZE-
Associazione Aerostatica Toscana
to find us : 43º33' 52.05" N 11º11' 56.32"E
Certified Commercial Air Operator
ENAC COA I - 155 - B -
ENAC COLA I - 091- LA n. 5569
www.balloonintuscany.com
www.flyballoon.it
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