NESTLED AMIDST GENTLY ROLLING HILLS IN
VAL D'ORCIA
If any spot in Tuscany can lay claim to perfection, it’s Val D’Orcia. Lines of cypress trees standing atop low rolling hills; the sun going down turning the sky the color of terracotta; broad expanses of vineyards; yellow fields dotted with cylindrical bales; fields of bright precocious sunflowers.
Lying just south of Reggello, its picturesque views have inspired a whole school of painting, the Sienese School, and have graced a thousand postcards. Recently declared a UNESCO heritage site, this valley has retained its unspoiled beauty for centuries.
5 MINUTES AWAY
MONTEFOLLONICO
Montefollonico is characterized by narrow and winding alleys and short and rustic houses. In ancient times it used to be called Monte a Fullonico (Fullonico Mountain). The Romans called “fullones” people that worked the cloths, meaning that this ancient settlement likely meant “place of cloth workers”, maybe coming from the first human settlement near the Conventaccio (Benedictine Monks Abbey in the VIII century), that worked and dyed the wool. Today it is a small village, known principally for its fantastic restaurant, Osteria La Botte Piena.
10 MINUTES AWAY
MONTEPULCIANO
Montepulciano is one of Tuscany’s most scenic towns, strung along a ridge at 600 meters above sea level near the border with Umbria. A hilltop town, surrounded by walls and fortifications, it is well known for its Renaissance buildings and lovely churches, and for its Montepulciano “Vino Nobile” wines.
The town meanders along the crest, with the Corso (main street) ambling upward, punctuated by the Piazza Grande, the city’s primary gathering spot and its civic and religious center. Along the way, the Corso is outlined by palaces and beautiful buildings, like a runway of architectural designs. Montepulciano is one of the most romantic Renaissance towns, surrounded by idyllic hills.