Val D'Orcia: Hill Towns of Tuscany

 After leaving Sienna we have spent the last two days exploring the Val d' Orcia with its marvellous hill towns.

The valley was designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site as "an exceptional reflection of the way the landscape was re-written in Renaissance times to reflect the ideals of good governance and to create an aesthetically pleasing picture. In other words it was a landscape manufactured for tourism. Since the Renaissance, it has been a popular subject for painters and travellers. And who are we to disagree. The hill towns in this area are charming and well worth the climb necessary to reach each one. We enjoyed the area so much that we slowed down and did some detours to visit more of the towns. This allowed us to also spend two nights with the same group of walking pilgrims. Now that we are getting closer to Rome there are about a dozen pilgrims at the hostels each night.

Rocca D' Orcia

 

Quirico D'Orcia