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Val d'Orcia

San Quirico d'Orcia · Italy

Background

World Heritage since
2004
Type of site
Cultural
Landscape laid out
14th–15th c.

The landscape of Val d'Orcia is part of the agricultural hinterland of Siena, redrawn when it joined the city-state in the 14th and 15th centuries to reflect an idealised model of good governance and to create an aesthetically pleasing picture. UNESCO says its flat chalk plains and almost conical hills topped by fortified settlements inspired many artists, and the listing covers farmland, towns, farmhouses and the Via Francigena with its abbeys, inns and bridges.

The valley runs from the hills south of Siena to Monte Amiata, with Pienza, rebuilt as an ideal town under Pope Pius II, Radicofani and Montalcino, home of Brunello. Its hills appear in films from Fellini's 8½ to The English Patient. Wikivoyage says a car is the best option, about an hour from Siena, as most towns have very few buses; a heritage steam railway from Asciano to Monte Antico runs on selected dates.

More on the UNESCO listing More on Wikipedia

  1. 14th–15th c.Siena redraws the valley as a model of good governance
  2. 15th c.Pius II rebuilds Pienza as an ideal town
  3. 1994Regular trains on the valley railway end
  4. 2004Inscribed as World Heritage

Find Your Way Around

The main parts of the site, in the order most visitors see them

  1. 1
    Pienza
    The ideal Renaissance town, a World Heritage site of its own; the GoGo guide starts here.
  2. 2
    Montalcino
    The hill town of Brunello wine.
  3. 3
    Cypress Roads
    The lines of cypresses on the ridges that every photograph shows.
  4. 4
    Radicofani
    The fortress town of the brigand-hero Ghino di Tacco.
  5. 5
    Via Francigena
    The pilgrim road with its abbeys and inns.
  6. 6
    Steam Train
    The Asciano to Monte Antico heritage line on festival dates.

Know Before You Go

From Wikivoyage and the GoGo guides

Drive
Wikivoyage: a car is best; Siena is about an hour, Florence 1 h 50 and Rome 2 h 10, and buses are rare.
A Day from Siena
The GoGo guide gives Pienza two hours and the drive with Montalcino three.
Brunello and Orcia
Montalcino's Brunello is among Italy's most prestigious wines; the Orcia DOC fills the strip between it and Montepulciano.
Light on the Hills
The landscape was shaped to be looked at; go for the long shadows of morning or evening.

Cypresses and Brunello

From the GoGo Siena guide · Open the Siena Guide ›

  1. 09:30
    Pienza2 hrs
    The ideal Renaissance town.
  2. 12:30
    Val d'Orcia Drive and Montalcino3 hrs
    Cypress roads and the Brunello town.
  3. 19:30
    Pici Cacio e Pepe90 min
    Hand-rolled pasta back in Siena.

Best Time to Visit

Best months: Apr–May, Sep–Oct.

Typical highs

Best monthsRain: wettest Nov (103 mm), driest Jul (28 mm)

Climate: NASA POWER

Pair It With

Other World Heritage sites nearby, by distance

WORTH A NIGHTDAY TRIPSAME DAYDistance not to scale · tap a site
Do These Together
Pienza is inside the valley, 11 km from the site's centre point; Siena is 33 km away and San Gimignano 61 km, all World Heritage sites.
Sources
UNESCO World Heritage Centre, listing 1026 · Wikipedia: Val d'Orcia · Wikivoyage: Val d'Orcia (CC BY-SA 4.0) · GoGo Siena guide · UNESCO listing