Colourful Tuscany: Val d'Orcia, cypresses and mist in the valleys
Rolling hills, lone farmhouses on their tops, avenues of cypresses and morning mist rolling through the valley like a sea. Tuscany is one of the most photogenic landscapes in the world, and for me it's also where I learned what patience means when waiting for the light. Here are the places in Tuscany worth heading for.
- Siena – a Gothic city 43.319° N, 11.331° E
- Asciano – Crete Senesi 43.235° N, 11.562° E
- Pienza – a Renaissance town, with the Vitaleta chapel below 43.077° N, 11.679° E
- Montepulciano – Nobile wine 43.093° N, 11.780° E
- Bagno Vignoni – a square of hot water 43.028° N, 11.619° E
- Saturnia – thermal cascades 42.648° N, 11.512° E
Val d'Orcia
The valley of the Orcia river is a UNESCO-listed cultural landscape. It's the "postcard" picture of Tuscany: green hills in spring, golden in summer, with cypresses and stone farmhouses. The best thing is to drive the small roads between San Quirico d'Orcia, Pienza and Montepulciano and stop wherever something catches your eye.
Cappella della Madonna di Vitaleta
A small chapel surrounded by cypresses between San Quirico and Pienza. One of the most iconic places in Tuscany. It's best photographed in the morning from the road above it, when the valley is in mist.
The cypress road near Monticchiello
A winding little road lined with cypresses, snaking up a hill. It's photographed from the viewpoint above with a telephoto lens. A similar winding avenue is at Agriturismo Baccoleno in the Crete Senesi near Asciano.
Hilltop towns
- Pienza: Pope Pius II's Renaissance "ideal town" and home of pecorino cheese. The view from the walls over the Val d'Orcia is wonderful.
- Montepulciano: a medieval hilltop town and its Vino Nobile.
- San Quirico d'Orcia: a quiet little town with the Renaissance Horti Leonini garden.
- Bagno Vignoni: a village where, instead of a square, there's a pool of thermal water.
Hot springs
Tuscany is full of hot springs. The most famous are the Cascate del Mulino at Saturnia: cascades of blue thermal water where you can bathe for free all year. Others include Bagni San Filippo with its white limestone formations.
Siena and Florence
Tuscany isn't only landscape. Siena, with its shell-shaped Piazza del Campo, and Florence, with the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Ponte Vecchio and the view from Piazzale Michelangelo: ideal for sunset over Florence.
When to go
- April to May: green hills, poppies in flower, morning mists. My favourite time.
- June to August: golden fields, heat and lots of tourists.
- September to October: the grape harvest, mists and soft light.
More Italian adventures are in the articles about the Dolomites.
Faq
Where is the most beautiful landscape in Tuscany?
The Val d'Orcia between San Quirico d'Orcia, Pienza and Montepulciano, and the Crete Senesi near Asciano.
When is the best time to photograph Tuscany?
April and May for green hills and mist, September and October for autumn light and the grape harvest.
Where can you bathe in hot springs for free in Tuscany?
At the Cascate del Mulino at Saturnia and at Bagni San Filippo.
