Tuscany: a slow week in the Val d'Orcia

Florence, then south to Montepulciano

Central Florence (or Florence Airport, FLR) to Montepulciano

• Lunch in Florence and welcome dinner
• Nuit : Montepulciano
• Environ 2 h de route

Matin

We meet at 11 am in central Florence; if you land at Florence Airport (FLR) that morning, a driver brings you in (land by about 9:30 am).

Après-midi

Your See Sight Tours guide walks the group from the Duomo past Piazza della Signoria and over the Ponte Vecchio to a sit-down lunch in the Oltrarno, the quieter bank of the Arno. Mid-afternoon we drive south, about two hours and 125 km on the A1 and then country roads, to Montepulciano, the hill town on the ridge above the Val d'Orcia that is home for the next six nights. You unpack once.

Soir

There is time to settle in and walk the main street, the Corso, before a welcome dinner in town, where the guide runs through the week, the walk on day 4 and the free day. If you want Florence's museums, arrive a day or two early; we can suggest how to book the Uffizi and the Accademia.

Compris

• Meeting in central Florence, or a transfer from Florence Airport (FLR) if you land that morning
• Guided walk from the Duomo over the Ponte Vecchio
• Sit-down lunch in the Oltrarno
• Drive to Montepulciano
• Welcome dinner

Montepulciano's cellars and Pienza at golden hour

Montepulciano, then Pienza and back

• Petit-déjeuner
• Nuit : Montepulciano
• Environ 45 min de route

Matin

A slow first morning on foot from the hotel. With a local guide we walk up to Piazza Grande, the town's high square, with the cathedral, the Palazzo Comunale and the long view south over the valley, then go underground into one of the old wine cellars cut beneath the palazzi for a visit and a tasting of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

Après-midi

Lunch is yours on the Corso. After a rest we drive twenty minutes west to Pienza, the town Pope Pius II had rebuilt around 1459 to 1462 as a model Renaissance centre, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Walk the lane along the southern wall for the classic view over the Val d'Orcia, step into the cathedral on the square, and taste pecorino di Pienza, the sheep's cheese the town is known for.

Soir

We stay into the early evening, when the day visitors have gone and the light turns warm on the hills.

Compris

• Guided walk of Montepulciano with a local guide: the Corso and Piazza Grande
• Wine cellar visit and Vino Nobile tasting
• Pienza: Piazza Pio II, the cathedral and the wall walk
• Pecorino tasting in Pienza

Siena on a weekday

Montepulciano to Siena and back

• Petit-déjeuner
• Nuit : Montepulciano
• Environ 2.5 h de route

Après-midi

After the tour the day is yours: lunch where you like, the climb up the Facciatone for the view, or the Pinacoteca. We drive back in the late afternoon. On the two Palio days, 2 July and 16 August, and the days around them, we move Siena to another weekday.

Compris

• Siena with a local guide: a contrada, Piazza del Campo and the Duomo
• Duomo entry, including the Piccolomini Library

Activités en option

• The Facciatone viewpoint or the Torre del Mangia (pay locally)

A morning walk between villages, then a pasta class

Pienza to Monticchiello on foot, then back to Montepulciano

• Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
• Nuit : Montepulciano
• Environ 1 h de route

Après-midi

Lunch is a sit-down meal in Monticchiello, then the van takes everyone home for a free afternoon: sleep, read, or walk down to the church of San Biagio below Montepulciano.

Soir

In the late afternoon a local cook teaches the group to make pici, the thick hand-rolled pasta of this part of Tuscany, with a sauce or two, and we eat what we made together for dinner with local wine.

Compris

• Guided walk from Pienza to Monticchiello
• Sit-down lunch in Monticchiello
• Pasta class with a local cook, with dinner and wine

Montalcino, a Brunello lunch and the hot springs

Montepulciano to Montalcino, Sant'Antimo and Bagno Vignoni, then back

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Montepulciano
• Environ 3 h de route

Après-midi

Walk up to the 14th-century fortress and its view over the vineyards, then go down to a family wine estate for a cellar visit and a long sit-down lunch with Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino. On the way back we stop at the Abbey of Sant'Antimo, a Romanesque church in a valley of olive trees ten minutes south of Montalcino. The afternoon ends at Bagno Vignoni, where a medieval square holds a large pool of hot spring water instead of a piazza; you cannot bathe in it. Below it, the Parco dei Mulini, where the hot water runs down the cliff past old mills, is free to walk, and your entry to a thermal pool in the village that is open to visitors is included. Soak until late afternoon, then it is 35 to 40 minutes home. About 140 km of driving in all.

Compris

• Photo stop at the Vitaleta chapel
• Montalcino and the fortress viewpoint
• Wine estate visit and Brunello lunch
• Abbey of Sant'Antimo
• Bagno Vignoni and entry to a thermal pool

A free day in the Val d'Orcia

Montepulciano, at your own pace

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du soir
• Nuit : Montepulciano

Après-midi

Sleep late, have a long breakfast and spend the day as you like: a weekly market in one of the nearby towns, a long lunch in a trattoria, a bike ride, or just a chair and a book. Your guide is around in the morning to help you book anything, from a horse ride to a second winery or a massage. For anyone who wants one more hill town, the guide and van go to San Gimignano for the day, about an hour and three quarters each way, for its medieval towers, the Collegiata frescoes and the view from the Rocca; it costs nothing extra, and you can choose that morning.

Soir

Everyone meets again in the evening for a farewell dinner in Montepulciano, the last night in the hotel you have stayed in all week.

Compris

• Farewell dinner in Montepulciano

Activités en option

• Day out to San Gimignano with the guide and van (about 3.5 hours of driving in total, no extra charge)
• E-bike hire, horse riding, a second winery or a spa treatment (pay locally)

Back to Florence

Montepulciano to Florence (Santa Maria Novella station or Florence Airport, FLR)

• Petit-déjeuner
• Environ 2 h de route

Matin

A last breakfast in Montepulciano, then we leave at about 9:30 am for the two-hour drive back north to Florence, 125 km on country roads and the A1, with a coffee stop on the way.

Après-midi

We drop off at Santa Maria Novella station in the city centre, which has trains to Rome, Venice and Milan, by about midday, and at Florence Airport (FLR) about twenty minutes later. Book a flight leaving after about 3 pm, or stay on in Florence; we can suggest a central hotel if you want a few more nights. If you are flying from Pisa or Rome instead, the fast trains from Santa Maria Novella take about an hour to Pisa and about an hour and a half to Rome. Your guide sees the group to the station and the airport before saying goodbye.

Compris

• Drive to Florence
• Drop-off at Santa Maria Novella station or Florence Airport (FLR)