Our second foray into the countryside around Florence was a visit to the Val D’Orcia, a region of Tuscany in central
Italy, and the medieval towns of Montalcino, Pienza and Montepulcino. The Val d’Orcia was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2004. Its landscape has been depicted in works of art from Renaissance painting to modern photography, and it has been the setting for a number of movies and books. You will most likely recognize it as the home of Maximus from the first Gladiator movie.
Our first stop was a winery to sample the Brunello, one of the most prestigious Italian wines. It was as delicious as you would expect, but unfortunately way out of our budget. That is one of the benefits of wine tastings when you travel, the chance to enjoy wines you never would otherwise.
Our second stop was the Etruscan hill town of Montalcino. (It was on the way that we stopped to photograph the home used in Gladiator as mentioned above.) The town was first mentioned in historical documents from 814AD which suggests there was a church here in the 9th century, most likely built by monks. The height of the town provides stunning views of the surrounding countryside dotted with olive orchards, vineyards, fields and villages.
From there we made our way to Pienza, best known as the birthplace of Pope Pius II. In 1996, UNESCO declared the town a World Heritage Site before the whole valley was declared in 2004. It is first mentioned in documents from the 9th century as well, giing insight into the length of time this region has been populated. We had more time here to tour their Renaissance designed cathedral and a nearby small museum located in the main piazza, enjoy the sweeping vistas from the high walls, do a little shopping and enjoy a traditional lunch of porchetta (herb stuffed pork loin) on a fresh baked roll.
Our final stop was the lovely Montepulcino, a medieval and Renaissance hill town. According to legend, it was founded by the Etruscan King Lars Porsena of Clusium. Recent findings prove that a settlement was in existence in this location in the 4th-3rd centuries BC. By the time we arrived it was raining so our exploration was limited to shops and a few picturesque side streets.
Since this is a wine producing region, our visit to Montepulcino also included another excellent wine tasting and we did purchase an excellent bottle to bring a bottle home. This winery was located in part of an Etruscan cave that was a natural dark and chilled environment perfect for the aging process.
We found a great deli nearby and added some cheese, fresh pecorino, flavourful sausages and ripe pears for our dinner that night. This type of meal was my favourite part of travelling in Tuscany.
However long you have in this region be sure to explore outside of the main cities and experience the medieval hill towns that surround them.