The best of the Val D'Orcia

When, closing your eyes, you image a Tuscan landscape - the classic one, with the blue sky and the rolling hills dotted with cypresses and rows of vines ending in fields of wheat - just that image is the perfect picture of the Val D'Orcia. This is maybe an area just less well known than the famous Chianti area, but it's so extraordinary to have earned the designation of a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2004.

The Val d'Orcia stretches between the provinces of Siena and Grosseto. It is an ideal base for a holiday in Tuscany, full of excellent and typical accommodations. From farms to B&B, from vacation rentals to hotels, here there are many different strucures suitable for different needs. Anyway, a farm is undoubtedly the best solution, because it offers visitors a chance to live in close contact with this extraordinary nature, relaxing by the pool, but also practicing horse riding, enjoying long walks and exploration of the culinary delicacy of this area. During a holiday in Tuscany, and especially in the Val D'Orcia, one should not miss a visit to the small, charming villages surrounding the area: Montepulciano, Pienza and Montalcino.

Moltepulciano is one of the prettiest villages of Tuscany, famous for the production on the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. A walk through the streets of the town, therefore, necessarily ends with a nice wine tasting, perhaps accompanied with cinta senese cold cuts. Do not forget to buy a few bottles of wine to drink back to the farm or at home remembering this amazing holiday.

Another characteristic village of Val D'Orcia known worldwide for his valuable wine is Montalcino, characterized by a fortress dating back to the fourteenth century, from which you can enjoy a breathtaking view over the valley. Here, too, the day ends at a table sipping a nice glass of Brunello, produced in cellars around here.

But now let's move from wine to cheese. Pienza, another of these lovely villages of the Val D'Orcia, in fact, is known for its cheese.Walking along the streets of the town you will find dozens of shops with many different types of cheese, more or less seasoned or flavored with truffle, chilli, herbs, wine, and more. In the main square there is the Piccolomini Palace, one of the first examples of Renaissance architecture, with a lovely little garden which offers a stunning view over the Val d'Orcia.

Among the wonders that this area offers there are also the thermal waters. Do not miss then one last stop at the natural hot springs Bagni San Filippo, natural pools in the open air surrounded by forests and vegetation.