When you think of Tuscany, in addition to the cities of art, what immediately comes to mind? The typical hilly landscape, with cypresses and hay bales... and the most iconic and unforgettable is certainly that of the Val d'Orcia.
How to reach the Val d'Orcia
The Val d'Orcia is a wide valley located in the south of Tuscany, going there by car is essential to visit this area, and the most panoramic route is that of the SP438 from Siena to Asciano, the area called "Crete Senesi".
The panorama that awaits you has inspired many Renaissance painters and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
To fully enjoy the trip, our advice is to spend a night in some farm in the area, made of pleasant and picturesque villages.
What are our favorite "spots"? Here they are!
Cypresses of San Quirico d'Orcia
Perhaps the most photographed group of trees in the world, it is a grove of cypresses located on top of a hill and was created specifically by hunters to attract birds.
You will find this beauty along the SR3, about 6 km before arriving in San Quirico d'Orcia coming from Siena. To your left and right is a pitch where you can stop to enjoy the iconic setting of Tuscany.
Chapel of Our Lady of Vitaleta
One of the symbols of Tuscany; a charming and solitary chapel built in the place where legend has it that the Virgin Mary appeared to a shepherdess.
The chapel, between San Quirico d'Orcia and Pienza, is easily found along a dirt road, where you can park your car. You have to walk for about 15 minutes to reach it, it is not visitable inside, however it is a wonderful subject for a photo.
The Elysian Fields
These are the Champs Elysees that have become famous in the world, thanks to the film Gladiator, where the protagonist in the finale walks, are located just below Pienza, you can park your car in front of the Pieve di Corsignano and after 5 minutes of walking you will really feel in the paradise of Roman heroes.
San Filippo Baths
The Val d'Orcia is not only hills and cypresses, there are also 2 natural thermal springs, one is Bagno Vignoni and the other is Bagni San Filippo, a village with less than 100 inhabitants.
Bagni San Filippo is famous for its fantastic path in the woods that runs along the river forming many pools with different temperatures where you can sit and relax. In the middle of the trail is a huge soccer formation called "White Whale" so named for its resemblance to the mouth of a whale.
Constantly suggestive, the unforgettable landscape of the Val d'Orcia never leaves indifferent, it is green in spring, golden and ocher in summer and foggy in autumn: an enchantment that has no end.
image sources: siena free, tuscany planet, beni culturali on line, wikipedia