Your property in Val d’Orcia
Large traditional houses with plenty of land set amid rolling countryside are the typical types of property in Val d’Orcia.
The rural location makes for a perfect secluded holiday-home destination, with properties often including swimming pools, outbuildings and fields – sometimes complete with olive groves and vineyards.
Inside Val d’Orcia
The entire Val d’Orcia valley in southern Tuscany has been declared a Unesco World Cultural Landscape thanks to its magnificent beauty and small, traditional communities.
Medieval hilltop towns such as Pienza, Radicofani and Montepulciano are truly captivating, with stunning architectural sites and wondrous vistas across the area’s beautiful countryside.
The area is well-known for its thermal springs, which can be accessed in Bagni San Filippo, while the Via Francigena and floral trail offer remarkable hiking, especially in spring when wild flowers including tulips, orchids, sainfoin and dog rose combine to create a vibrant palette of colour.
Lifestyle
For those seeking a laid-back, traditional way of life, few places offer a more perfect setting to pursue it than Val d’Orcia.
Those who live in this rural idyll are passionate about its produce, with festivals dedicated to wine, olive oil, chestnuts, mushrooms and raviolo to name a few, as well as local trades and traditions, including Il Palio del Boscaiolo, which celebrates ancient lumberjack traditions.
Music forms an important part of the culture in Val d’Orcia too, with the Montalcino Jazz and Wine event and Opera Pienza being highlights of the events calendar, alongside celebrations of sculpture, flowers, and the area’s rich history, such as on Barbarossa’s Day which marks the notorious Duke Frederick I Hohenstaufen’s conquering of San Quirico d’Orcia.
The area is superb for outdoor exploration, with Mount Amiata, Italy’s second highest volcano, roughly an hour away from Val d’Orcia and perfect for running, orienteering and cycling.
Accessibility
Val d’Orcia is roughly equidistant between Florence to the north and Rome to the south, and in spite of being rural, is close to the E35, a highway that traverses the entire country.
The nearest airports are in cities such as Rome, Florence and Pisa, which are between 2 hours – 3 hours away by car, while Perugia airport is roughly 90 minutes away.
In terms of trains, nearby Chiusi has a mainline station, with journeys to Rome (81 miles) taking less than two hours.