Pienza
An ideal town.
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The Val d'Orcia is a rural area of Tuscany, central Italy, stretching from the hills south of Siena to Monte Amiata, between the provinces of Siena and Grosseto. The well-known viewpoint near Pienza lies about 39 km southeast of Siena in a straight line. UNESCO added it to the World Heritage list in 2004. Its gentle cultivated hills are broken here and there by gullies and by towns and villages such as Pienza, rebuilt in the 15th century as an «ideal town» under Pope Pius II, and Montalcino, known for its wine. Painters have depicted its landscape from the Renaissance to modern photography. Soft hills roll bright green in spring and gold in summer, crossed by dirt roads lined with rows of pointed cypresses, with lone stone farmhouses on the crests. On autumn mornings mist fills the hollows between the hills. Visitors drive between small towns such as Pienza, Montepulciano and San Quirico, stopping at the famous viewpoints. A night at a country farmhouse is worth it, and spring and autumn are the best seasons for photography.
An ideal town.
Along the roads.
In the hollows.
South of Siena, Tuscany, Italy
By car between the towns.
Spring and autumn.