People & Places We Love in Val d’Orcia

We believe the best way to share Italy is to celebrate the people who make it extraordinary.

Steam rising from the thermal pool at Hotel La Posta, Bagno Vignoni

Hotel La Posta

Three outdoor thermal pools fed by the same volcanic spring that fills the medieval piazza. You'll float in the warm mineral water while looking at the Rocca d'Orcia with Val…

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Guide Debora Bresciani in the medieval streets of Tuscany

Debora Bresciani

You'll love Debora. She's more than a guide — she becomes a member of the group. Born and raised in Arezzo, she brings the history, art and food of Tuscany…

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Panoramic view of the medieval hilltop town of Castiglione d'Orcia

Castiglione d’Orcia

A quiet medieval hill town that most visitors never find. We come here on the final morning of the tour — beautiful views in every direction, and a chance to…

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The Romanesque Abbey of Sant'Antimo set in olive groves near Montalcino

Abbazia di Sant’Antimo

After days of cooking, cheese-making, flower-picking and thermal bathing, this 12th-century abbey in its silent valley is a chance to take a breath. Benedictine monks still chant the hours.

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Panoramic terrace at Azienda Tornesi with vineyards and hills near Montalcino

Azienda Tornesi

This is where we end every Val d'Orcia tour. Four generations of Tornesi, Mamma Renata's cooking, Nonna Renata's eggs, and a farewell lunch on the terrace looking out at Monte…

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Ivy-covered farmhouse of Agriturismo Il Rigo with colorful garden in Val d'Orcia

Agriturismo Il Rigo

The Cipolla family's agriturismo — a working organic farm — is our home base for the Val d'Orcia tour. Luisa cooks a new four-course menu every evening from the garden;…

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Cooking class at Poggio Etrusco, Val d'Orcia

Poggio Etrusco

Pamela Sheldon Johns moved here from California over forty years ago. She chose to make this place her home. You'll pick produce from her organic garden, then cook a full…

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Aerial view of Montepulciano hilltop town

Montepulciano

Tuscan wine is about more than Chianti. Montepulciano, perched on a limestone ridge at 605 meters, has Renaissance palazzi, underground Etruscan cellars, and a main street that climbs to the…

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Panoramic view of Cortona

Cortona

Yes, it's the "Under the Tuscan Sun" town — but Cortona has been drawing visitors for millennia. One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Italy. Etruscan walls from the…

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Hilltop town of Pienza overlooking rolling fields in the Val d'Orcia

Pienza

Pope Pius II's dream of a perfect city is intimate — as you walk its streets, every corner reveals something new and unexpected. Narrow lanes have names like Via dell'Amore.

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The famous sheep flock of Fattoria Bistecca grazing in the Valdichiana

Fattoria Bistecca

You'll make three cheeses with your own hands, then eat them on the terrace looking out toward Cortona. And yes, Lapo, Paola, Ilaria, and Laura's sheep are the famous flock…

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Numenvia guests enjoying lunch under a centuries-old olive tree at Puscina Flower Farm

Puscina Flower Farm

Nobody expects the flower farm to be one of the most moving experiences of the week. Three sisters, 200 species of organic flowers, and a morning in the fields with…

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The thermal pool at the heart of Bagno Vignoni's main square

Bagno Vignoni

The main square is a vast pool of steaming thermal water — 49 metres long, open to the sky. Saints, popes, and Lorenzo de' Medici came for the waters. Tarkovsky…

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