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Published: April 7th 2023
Val d'Orcia I
View towards San Quirico d'Orcia.I love Italy, and when planning a week off in May, the first region that came to my mind was Tuscany in Italy. So, in spite of Corona still being around and regulations changing all the time and airports being reported to be chaotic at times, I booked a trip to Montepulciano in Tuscany.
The entire journey went smoothly: My train arrived at Düsseldorf airport almost on time, check-in and security check were done within not even 15 minutes. I had a short layover in Zürich, just over an hour, but who if not the Swiss can handle punctuality! So, I arrived in Florence on time, my suitcase was the third to arrive on the baggage claim, the shuttle bus to the rental car pick up arrived within minutes, I did not have to queue for picking up my rental car (a brand new Fiat Panda), no traffic jams on my way, and so I arrived at my hotel and could enjoy a glass of wine before going to bed.
I had booked a room at Borgo Tre Rose, beautifully located on a hill just 20 minutes from Montepulciano. From my balcony, I had the view of the city
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Between San Quirico d'Orcia and Bagno Vignoni. and of the beautiful surroundings, and I could watch the sunset every night from there. There was a wonderful garden in which I sat every evening, and a nice refreshing pool in which I went swimming in the mornings. The restaurant offered a wonderful view of the garden and of the surroundings as well. And the staff were incredibly friendly and helpful.
Day 1: Hiking in Val d'Orcia I spent my first day hiking in Val d'Orcia, the valley of the river Orcia. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it is incredibly scenic. For my hike, I drove to San Quirico d'Orcia, a village located on a hill above the valley with beautiful houses built of grey stones, little narrow alleys, lots of flowers and simply a charming atmosphere. At the local tourist office, I bought a hiking map and set off towards Bagno Vignoni, which was supposed to be just a 1.5 hour walk from San Quirico. However, it ended up taking me longer than that because the road signs were not exactly fool proof, and the map was lacking some information. To start with, there was no sign pointing one to the start of
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Between San Quirico d'Orcia and Bagno Vignoni. the trail when leaving San Quirico. I managed to handle this with the help of my map and Google Maps. However, about 45 minutes into the tour, the road made a right turn, with a track going straight but leading into a place that looked like private property. According to the map, I had to go straight, and this was also what the road sign I had passed earlier on had said. I was confused and returned to this road sign and walked the same route again, making sure I had not missed a sign. But I ended up at the same junction. Following the right turn just made no sense, it took me into the wrong direction, I could see that, but apart from the private property, this was the only way to go. Not far away, I saw an elderly man working in his garden and asked him for directions. He was super friendly and relaxed as well. He took his time to finish what he was currently doing, then he explained the way to me twice and even offered me to rest in the shade in front of a little cottage. I thanked him and decided to
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Pond in the centre of Bagno Vignoni. keep going, passing a barrier as the man had advised, and finally got to a road where there were signs towards Bagno Vignoni again. Phew!
The rest of the walk went well. And in any case, it was a beautiful walk. I enjoyed stunning views of hills with green meadows and fields sprinkled with red poppies, surrounded by cypress trees and broom. There were small villages and castles on top of the hills, and farmhouses and wineries scattered across the landscape. I walked across meadows, through vineyards, olive groves, and forests. Finally, I arrived at Bagno Vignoni. There is a thermal spring enriched with sulphur; its use goes back to the time of the Etruscans. The water flows in a little stream, falls down a waterfall over limescale deposits, and forms several basins at the bottom of the hill. The village itself is very scenic and arranged around a pond.
I had a nice pasta lunch and then walked back towards San Quirinco. In the spot where I had struggled with directions before, I found road signs towards San Quirico pointing into different directions and thus decided to take the short cut into town, not the footpath, but
the road. This took me to the village within 15 minutes. I had some yummy ice-cream before heading off to nearby Montalcino.
Montalcino is located on a hill and has a castle. Its origins date back to the Etruscans as well. Between the the 12th and the 16th century, the town was involved in the battles between the city-states of Florence and Siena; both were competing for supremacy in the region. What it is probably best known for is resisting the conquest by the Medici for quite a long time before surrendering eventually. There is a town hall dating from the 13th century, right at the Piazza del Populo.
I was not hungry yet, so I decided to drive back to Montepulciano for dinner. I had a panini there and then returned to my hotel and watched the sunset there with a glass of wine.
Day 2: Siena On my second day, I went to Siena, located about an hour’s drive from where I was staying. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage site as well. With its many gothic buildings, it still has a medieval flair. It is located on a hill as well. I
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Very old walls around a park. parked my car not too far from the city centre, and when getting out of the car park, I had a stunning view of town hall and some of the churches of the city. I walked to Palazzo Pubblico (town hall) first. It is located on one end of a huge square that slopes towards the building. The floor is covered with red bricks with white stripes made of travertine. On the other end of the square, there is a fountain, and the square is surrounded by buildings. Most of them have restaurants or cafés on the ground floor. The Palazzo Pubblico dates from the 13th and 14th century, and it used to be the seat of the city state’s government. Inside, it has various frescoes, however, I decided not to go into the museum.
I proceeded to the dome Santa Maria della Scala. Construction works for this church started in the 12th century with drafts for a huge building, with what is now the dome being envisaged as the transept. However, the city ran out of money, and what is left of the larger building is just one wall that one can climb up to and that offers
Ice-cream in San Quirico d'Orcia
... with one of the churches in the background. a beautiful view of the city. I bought a ticket that allowed me to climb the roof structure of the church. This was amazing because there are several views into the church from above: one from above the choir, one from above the entrance, and one from the side into the nave of the church. The entire building is striped in black and white, both on the inside and on the outside, with beautiful stained-glass windows, frescoes, and statues along all its walls. The floor is a colourful mosaic. It was great to see this all from above. What I found fascinating was to see that the entire roof construction is made of wood. I find it hard to believe that the wood can carry the heavy stone the roof is made of. From the roof, there were also a few nice views of the city of Siena. I really enjoyed the tour and afterwards took some time to explore the dome on the ground floor. It is so rich in decoration, and I am sure you discover something new every time you enter the building.
After my tour, I had lunch in a side street of the Piazza
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The fortress. Pubblico, a lovely Pizza Margherita with fior di latte and fresh basil. After lunch, I took some time to just walk the streets, which I love doing. I made a little stop over for an espresso, just sat and watched people for a bit. My walk then took me past the synagogue. One would not recognise the building as a synagogue; from the outside it looks like an ordinary home. I was welcomed by a super nice guide who took the time to explain the history of the building and of the Jewish living in Italy. Like in many other cities across Europe, the Jewish in Siena also had to live in a ghetto for a long time. And although they had already been living in Italy for generations (the first Jews most likely arrived in Italy in the 2nd century BCE), they did not become Italian citizens until 1860. The reason why the synagogue looks like an ordinary house from the outside was that the pope did not want it to be recognised as a synagogue. The guide also told me that for Jews, no special building or site is required for praying. They can pray at home. But
the pope wanted them to gather in a place for praying, so in the synagogue. I suppose this was because it was easier to monitor the community this way. I always find it very saddening to see how common it was (and still is) that people are disadvantaged and persecuted because of their religion or worldview.
Before leaving the city, I had another ice-cream. Then I spent my evening in my nice hotel again. I was not hungry anymore, so I skipped dinner and watched another beautiful sunset from my balcony with a glass of good wine.
Day 3: Florence When you are in Tuscany, of course Florence is a must see. That is probably also the reason why it is overcrowded with tourists even outside the main holiday season. I bought a ticket for the Uffizi, a huge exhibition of pieces of art, in advance to avoid queuing. However, this also took some of the spontaneity that I usually like when on holiday. I had to reserve a 15-minute slot during which I was going to enter the museum. I chose a slot in the early afternoon so that I would have enough time to arrive
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View of the town. and walk the city a bit.
Getting into the city was not so much fun. I had found a car park not far from the city centre on Google Maps, but it turned out that, in order to get there, I would have to drive a road that is closed to traffic. So, after circling round for a bit, I chose a car park that was a 15-minute walk from the city centre and walked to the dome Santa Maria del Fiore from there. The building is beautiful. Its walls are covered in marble of different colours, with frescoes, statues, and reliefs all around. For getting inside, I had to queue for some ten to 15 minutes. On the inside, the dome looks much more plain than it does from the outside. The walls are white, there are a few reliefs around the pillars and running round the walls, and a few frescoes above the entrance. What stands out is the dome, all covered in frescoes, with a glass window in its middle through which the light comes in. At summer solstice, the light falls down on the circle in the middle of the floor.
Next, I climbed
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Palazzo Pubblico. the campanile, the bell tower. A most exhausting endeavour, I must confess. The stairs are narrow and steep. There are several levels on which one can stop and enjoy the view, and I arrived at each level panting and catching my breath. But it was worth the effort. I enjoyed stunning views into all directions, could see the entire city with its houses arranged close to each other, the river with its bridges, and the surroundings with its small palazzos and parks. Afterwards, I went into a totally different direction, down into the baptistery. There are the old foundations of the building dating from before the 13th century, when the construction works for what is now the cathedral began. There are walls, stairs, and mosaics, and the whole place has an atmosphere of being very ancient and mystical.
I went to a museum afterwards and learned a little more about the history of the cathedral. Of course, it was not built out of piety, but the reason was competition between the city-states in the region. Florence wanted to have a representative church, and they decided to start decorating the outside walls while construction was still ongoing. Then, at some
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The fountain on the square in front of Palazzo Publico. point, they ran out of money, and construction works had to be interrupted. When they were able to continue working on the cathedral, the style in which the walls had been decorated was outdated. So, the statues and other ornaments were removed and replaced by what we can see now. The good thing with the interruption, though, was that it was possible to make detailed drawings of what the entrance area looked like from the outside. These drawings were used to re-construct the original design of the entrance, and this is what one can see in the museum just across from the cathedral.
The museum also has a statue of Mary Magdalene by Donatello, showing her after her exercising asceticism, having lost her beauty. The audio guide said that one could see her resting in peace, but I have to admit that I simply found her ugly. I liked much more an unfished Pietà by Michelangelo, a statue that he carved for himself when he was already in his 80s and that he never finished. He worked on the statue at night, by candlelight, and some of the proportions did not work out. It is said that in the
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The dome Santa Maria della Scala. end he was so frustrated with his work that he wanted to destroy it, but a servant of his prevented this from happening. What a good thing that he intervened!
After leaving the museum, I made my way to the Galleria degli Uffizi. In the building used for both administrative and representative purposes by the Medici, one can view an incredible number of paintings from different centuries. Before starting my tour, I had some coffee and cake in the cafeteria located on the rooftop of one of the wings of the building. Feeling strengthened, I started exploring the exhibition.
The decoration of the building itself is worth a visit. All the ceilings in the alleys are painted with different motifs. Let alone the incredible number of paintings and sculptures from various epochs that are on exhibit. There is a large number of altarpieces. I did not spend a lot of time looking at them because I feel that they belong into the setting of a church, and when I see them in an exhibition, the atmosphere is missing. I dedicated more time to some of the paintings. My personal highlights were: The Birth of Venus by Botticelli; my
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View down into the interior of Santa Maria della Scala from the roof structure. mum used to have a postcard with this picture sitting on her bedside table when I was a child, so in a way I grew up with this painting. There was also Primavera (Spring) by the same artist, another fascinating picture. Moreover, there are a few paintings by Rembrandt, for example a self-portrait and an old man in an armchair. I really like Rembrandt because of his amazing skill of working with light and shade in his paintings. In hindsight I would say it makes sense to plan in advance which works one wants to look at, or which epoch or which category, and then go and see them. Just browsing through the galleries does not do the incredible collection justice.
After my visit, I walked across Ponte Vecchio, a bridge with houses built on both sides. The houses all have shops on their ground floor, and most of these shops are jewellery shops. I had an early dinner on the other side of the river, very tasty pasta, and then walked back to my car. On my way back to Montepulciano, I got stuck in a traffic jam – Friday afternoon, some people were driving home from work,
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Inside Santa Maria della Scala. of course!
Day 4: Arezzo On Saturday, I drove to Arezzo. It was not far, just a little more than 45 minutes. I started my day there with a nice cup of coffee in a café at Piazza Grande, the central square. The city is of Etruscan origin, and one can sense its long history. Piazza Grande is tilted and surrounded by the old town hall, the Romanic church Santa Maria della Pieve, and patrician houses that nowadays mostly have restaurants, cafés, or shops on their ground level.
I love visiting churches because I enjoy the peaceful, quiet and graceful atmosphere in there (at least if the place is not too touristy; once it gets too busy and noisy, the atmosphere is lost). So, the first place I went to visit was the church Santa Maria delle Pieve, the oldest church in the city. The current building was started in the 12th and finished in the 14th century, but before that, in the 11th century, there was a church in the same spot already. Again, there was this sense of being in a very ancient place. Although the church has small windows, there was a lot of
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The roof structure, all supported by wooden beams! light in there. I could see the richly decorated wooden beams and the beautiful altar dating from the 13th century.
After visiting the church, I walked the streets of the city for a bit. It is far less touristy than Florence or Siena, but there were still quite a few tourists there. One can see that the city used to be quite rich. The houses are built of massive stone with big portals. Above the city, there is a fortress, Fortezza Medicea, built in the 16th century by the Medici. I went in and took some time to walk around. It has massive walls, and from the top of these walls I had a beautiful view of the landscape around Arezzo. From the fortress, I walked back into town via Palazzo Communale, dating from the 14th century. It used to be the home to the supreme magistrature of Arezzo and is now the city’s Town Hall.
From there, I went to the church of San Francesco, dating from the 14th century. I had bought a ticket earlier on the day because I wanted to see a fresco cycle by Piero della Francesca from the 16th century. It depicts
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View towards Palazzo Pubblico from Santa Maria della Scala. the legend of Jesus Christ’s cross and is painted in the style of early Renaissance, an interesting combination. I found it a bit hard to follow the story because the frescoes are not arranged in chronological, but in thematic order. I happily restricted myself to just admiring their beauty, even without being able to follow the story line.
I had a late lunch in Osteria L’Agania. They have a sign on their wall labelling them as “Ordine dei cavalieri del tartufo e dei vini aretini” (“Order of the knights of the truffle and of the wines from Arezzo”). As a true truffle lover, this was the place for me to eat! I enjoyed a vegetable entrée and then some home-made gnocchi with truffles. After another cup of coffee at Piazza Grande, I headed back to my hotel to enjoy a calm and relaxing afternoon and evening in its beautiful garden.
Day 5: Abbazia de Sant’Antimo On Sunday, I went to Sant’Antimo, a former Premonstratensian abbey in Castelnuovo dell’Abate, a few kilometres from Montalcino. The place is very ancient. The legend goes that the monastery was founded by Benedictine monks in the 8th century, initiated by Charles the
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Pizza with tomato, mozzarella, and basil. Great, who was grateful of having survived the Plague. The original church was destroyed during a big earthquake in the 12th century, but the crypt remained undamaged and can be visited today. The church was rebuilt in the 12th century. Its design and decoration are simple, but there is a very ancient and almost magical atmosphere to it.
Since it was a Sunday, I wanted to attend the mass. I am Buddhist, but still familiar with the Catholic liturgy, and I thought attending a church service would give me a special impression of the church. The mass was a bit of a disappointment, though. I left when communion started (which I usually never take anyway, it would feel wrong and disrespectful) and took some time to walk Hildegard’s Garden behind the church. There are some medicinal herbs being grown and displayed there, and much of the knowledge around them dates back to Hildegard of Bingen who lived in the 12th century. The garden was peaceful and quiet, and a little further down the hill, there was a bench underneath some old trees where I just sat for a bit and took in the atmosphere.
When I returned to
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The dome Santa Maria del Fiore. the church, the mass had finished and I could take some time to walk around the building and admire the decoration of the pillars and the whole building. I had a look at the Carolingian crypt and took a quick look into the shop next to it where all kinds of herbs, spices, and teas are being sold.
I had lunch in Castelnuovo dell’Abate and then took the road towards Monte Amiata and Poggio Rosa. On the way, I enjoyed some stunningly beautiful views of the landscape, with red poppies and yellow broom, different shades of green, and softly undulating hills. The road went past Castiglione d’Orcia, and I stopped and walked around for a bit. There were no tourists around, which I loved! Castiglione d’Orcia is a very old village, founded in the 11th century, located on a hill. It is surrounded by thick walls and has narrow, winding roads. There is also an old well on a quiet little square. I could see colourful flowers on balconies and terraces and roses growing up the walls. Above the village, there is the ruin of a fortress, Rocca Aldobrandesca, located in a strategically important spot overlooking the surrounding valley.
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One of the portals of Santa Maria del Fiore. When I drove on, I passed Bagno Vignoni again, the village I had hiked to on my first day. I made a stop over to have a look at the sulphur basins at the bottom of the hill. There were quite a few people taking a bath in the warm, sulphury waters. I was happy to just walk past and then continue towards Montepulciano. I spent the rest of the afternoon walking the town’s beautiful streets, and enjoying the stunning view into the surrounding landscape.
Day 6: From Monticchiello to Pienza On my last day, I decided to go on another hike. I drove to Monticchiello, a small village located on a hill, just 15 minutes from Montepulciano. From Monticchiello, I had a nice view of Pienza, which is located on another hill just on the other side of a valley. The hike took about 90 minutes, through a pine tree forest and past a few meadows down into the valley. I crossed a river and walked past fields full of red poppies and up on the other side. I could look back towards Monticchiello, with trees, bushes and meadows in different shades of green, and with
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Another portal of Santa Maria del Fiore. yellow broom along the footpath.
When I arrived in Pienza, I had lunch in a tiny restaurant. I ordered bruschetta and vegetables marinated in olive oil. While I way enjoying my lunch, a group of elderly Italians came in. Within no time, the whole room was full of life and laughter. We started chatting a little bit, and the women in the group ordered what I was eating. I felt almost like part of their group and really enjoyed their company!
After lunch, I walked the roads in the village for a bit. It is very picturesque, with houses built of yellow limestone, some of which have blue window shutters. It is another very old village, founded in the 10th century. There were flowers next to doors and in front of windows. I took a look into the church Santa Maria Assunta and also at the old town hall that has a very pretty, richly decorated courtyard. Before making my way back to Monticchiello, I took an espresso at a café near the city wall from where I could enjoy the view of Val d’Orcia towards San Quirico.
Back at Monticchiello, I took some time to walk
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Inside Santa Maria del Fiore. through the quiet roads of the village and having some ice-cream in a garden just outside the wall. Then I drove back to my hotel. Most of the nights, I had not had dinner because of a late and rich lunch, but Monday was my last day, so I gave myself a little treat and had a three-course dinner at my hotel, sitting on the wonderful terrace and enjoying the view of the valley.
I was very sad I had to leave this beautiful place the next morning. But again, things went smoothly. I made it back to Florence without any delays, fuelled and dropped off my rental car, checked in at the airport. The flight back went via Munich, with a layover of not even two hours, and everything went well.
What a beautiful holiday. I guess I mentioned before that I simply love Italy. The friendly, vivacious people, the emotional language, the super tasty food, coffee, wine, and ice-cream, the beautiful landscapes, the villages and cities so abundant with sights and history, ah, just everything. I found Tuscany to be particularly beautiful. I cannot even remember how many stunningly beautiful views I enjoyed while being there.
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The dome of Santa Maria del Fiore, with very beautiful frescoes. Wow. Wow. Wow.
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RENanDREW
Ren & Andrew
Bella Italia
Oh my goodness... I'm reading this on a rainy grey autumn afternoon in southern Australia and I can't get enough of your stunning blue-sky photos. You are so lucky to have so many travel options on your doorstep! I love Italy and Tuscany too and your adventure sounds so lovely - full of sunshine, beautiful architecture, local life and delicious food :)