We were off early on Monday morning, driving up the autostrade toward the Val d’Orcia (UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cultural Landscape), about an hour and a half north. Our first stop was Montepulciano. Just as we parked, we realized we had visited San Biagio church at the bottom of the hill, last summer. People have lived on the hilltop of Montepulciano since the 4th-3rd centuries BC. From the 1300’s to 1600’s, it enjoyed a period of great wealth and architecture, with many large and beautiful palazzos built. Most of the palazzos are now museums, banks, and apartments.
Our next stop was Pienza, another town we visited last summer. It was quite crowded with tourists this time! In the 1400’s, Pienza was the birthplace of Pope Prius II, who had the entire village rebuilt as an ideal Renaissance town, intended as a retreat from Rome. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. We walked from one end of the town to the other, in about 10 minutes, stopped to visit the Duomo, and picked up a picnic lunch to go.
We ate lunch under a tree along the road in the Val d’Orcia, the most beautiful drive in Italy!
We spent some time in San Quirico d’Orcia, visiting the Collegiate Church, the current church built in the 12th century over the foundations of an 8th century church. It is known for its portals with carved lions and crocodiles. We walked inside the Palazzo Vignoni, upstairs and all about, enjoying the magnificent interior frescoes and grand staircases. We went inside San Quirico’s beautiful walled Italian Garden, Horti Leonini.
Our last stop of the day was in Montalcino, best known for its Brunello wine. It is topped by a fortezza built in 1361. We walked up and down the narrow streets, stopping under the clock tower for a gelato. The views of the Val d’Orcia from Montalcino are breathtaking!
