The Orcia Valley, Val d'Orcia or Valdorcia, is one of the most beautiful regions in Tuscany, Italy. The Orcia region, located to the south of Siena (about half an hour away) combines in a small territory a great variety of attractions that have made the area included in the UNESCO World Heritage of Humanity.
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| Val d'Orcia Tuscany Italy |
First of all, we must highlight the particular nature of the Val d'Orcia, relief and landscape inherited from millions of years of geological history and thousands of years of humanization. And yet, despite the fact that other parts of Italy have been battered by ignorant and aimless urbanism, the Val d'Orcia has retained its charm. A charm that mixes that quite preserved nature with a humanization of the relief, of the cultivated fields and the living areas, in a unique landscape that has become an idealized image of Tuscany. Those hills and mountains, those villages perched on the rocky ledges; those palaces and manor houses protected by rows of cypress trees and fields that change color with the season, all this is not by chance. It is not possible that the preservation of this area is due solely to individual actions of a politician or to chance. There must be a greater reason, an explanation that has protected this marvel from the false attacks of modernity.
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| Val d'Orcia Tuscany Italy |
We do not know the cause but we do know the result. And the result is a pleasure for the senses, at any time of the year. Perhaps the best thing is not to go in summer and to head towards the pristine villages and isolated abbeys in spring and autumn when there are fewer tourists and when we can better appropriate the entire Val d'Orcia.
How to get
The Val d'Orcia begins where Siena ends. South of the town of Palio head south and in about half an hour you will be in the center of the valley, in San Quirico d'Orcia and Pienza.
The panoramas to enjoy the scenery and views are innumerable, so the driver must be careful not to lose his head and take his eyes off the roads. These are good and there is always somewhere to stand quietly and take some photos.
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| Val d'Orcia Tuscany Italy |
If you continue south you will reach the Maremma, the Grosseto and Piombino region, with its beaches and Elba Island in the distance.
The obvious beauty and below the volcano
The complicated geology of the Apennines has created over millions of years the hills and mountains, the valleys, the gently jagged reliefs of the Orcia. Today we see the scrubland and scrubland areas, the pine forests, the cultivated valleys of clay soil, the vineyards that cling to the hills and sculpt their fat bunches that will give such pleasant wines, everything is calm and placid.
However, under the mountains and valleys the volcanic nature that feeds the outcrops of hot springs in the region gleams. Thermal establishments and public baths are found throughout the valley, to the south and east the famous Baths of Philippi (Bagni de Filippo); the Bagno Vignoni, the baths of Saturnia, those of San Casciano, those of Rapolano.
The villages of the Orcia
The Romans built a causeway, the Via Cassia, which was one of the main communication routes of the Empire with the capital. Later, already in the Middle Ages, the area rested on the aegis of Siena first and Florence later. Its walled towns will be dedicated to agriculture, oil, wine, cereal, as today. Well-preserved and little modified, they are examples of neat, clean urbanism that mixes new shops and hotel establishments (B&B, agrotourism, charming hotels...) and old hardware stores, bakeries, shops that are no longer found in Europe.
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| Val d'Orcia Tuscany Italy |
Names such as Castiglione d'Orcia, Montalcino, Pienza, Radicofani and San Quirico, are references that or should be forgotten. Pienza is the most visited with its well-kept buildings, its pasegiatta, its churches and museums, but perhaps San Quirico is the best place to sleep. In San Quirico highlights its wall, its church and the lively streets. Montalcino on a ridge, with its castle in the highest part and its stone streets… All the villages must be visited and enjoyed.
But in addition to the five main ones, the Val d'Orcia hides other lesser-known but equally interesting villages such as: Contignano, Monticchiello, Bagno Vignoni, Rocca d'Orcia, Campiglia d'Orcia, Bagni San Filippo, Vivo d'Orcia. In any of them you can find a small bar, a charming restaurant, a B&B where you will live little experiences, where you will enjoy with your children or strengthen a romantic love that you will remember all your life.
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| Val d'Orcia Tuscany Italy |
Very close to the Orcia
In addition to Siena and the area of the Senenses Hills, other areas that can be visited are Montepulciano, the Chianti Valley, Volterra, the Maremma and Arezzo. Florence is not too far either.
Sport, Gastronomy and Culture
In addition to the possibilities for hiking, mountain biking, horse riding etc... the region is ideal for photography lovers, and for those seeking peace and quiet. Once rested or tired depending on whether we are more sporty or prefer to rest in the hot springs or in the sun, the Val d'Orcia offers a gastronomic variety that will delight us. Sheep cheeses from Pienza (pecorino), virgin olive oil from Castiglione, honey, Tuscan pasta ( Pici ), cold cuts, wines (including Brunello from Montalcino), mushrooms and truffles complete the flavors local to taste.
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| Val d'Orcia Tuscany Italy |
To finish we will say that the Val d'Orcia is one of those areas of the world where one could imagine. A place where one could live from the first moment as if it had always been there.