# Val d'Orcia

A valley south of Siena of cultivated hills, cypresses and Renaissance villages, a World Heritage Site since 2004. Brunello di Montalcino and Pienza pecorino are produced here.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/tuscany/val-d-orcia · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## How do you get there from Spain?

Fly to Florence, Pisa or Rome and hire a car. The valley lies south of Siena, halfway between Florence and Rome, and the villages (Pienza, Montalcino, San Quirico, Bagno Vignoni, Castiglione d'Orcia) are spread across hills with no convenient public transport between them.

## How do you get around the valley?

By car, from village to village, with short distances but winding roads. A base in San Quirico d'Orcia or Pienza leaves almost everything within half an hour. If you walk or cycle, the Via Francigena crosses the valley along tracks and minor roads from San Quirico to Radicofani.

## What do you need to book in advance?

Visits to Montalcino wineries, such as Castello Banfi's, and the Via della Luce tour at Sant'Antimo are booked. The free hot springs at Bagni San Filippo and the Parco dei Mulini aren't booked or paid for. In spring, September and October, rural accommodation fills up early.

## Where to sleep and eat?

In Bagno Vignoni, the Albergo Le Terme occupies a 15th-century palace above the water square and has a thermal spa. In Pienza, the Hotel Corsignano lets you park for free a few steps from the centre. In the countryside between San Quirico and Pienza, the Agriturismo Il Rigo is an organic estate with dinner at the house.

For eating, the Osteria La Porta, in Monticchiello, has a terrace over the valley and pici all'aglione; the Osteria del Leone, in Bagno Vignoni, is good for dinner after the water, and the Caseificio Cugusi, between Pienza and Montepulciano, does pecorino picnics from spring to autumn.

## Plans and getaways

From Rome you have a Sunday of free hot springs and Monticchiello, Montalcino with Banfi and Sant'Antimo and two nights with hot springs, pecorino and Brunello.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: Film locations
- Cerca: Orvieto (a 53.3 km), Lake Bolsena and Tuscania (a 61.2 km), Civita di Bagnoregio (a 61.4 km), Assisi (a 76.0 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Free hot springs of Bagni San Filippo and the White Whale** (2 h 30 · All ages with water shoes · Independent · free): It is the opposite of a spa: nobody charges, there are no changing rooms and the water comes out as it pleases. That is why people like it, and why you should go carefully: slippery stone and pools that change with the rain.
What it is
Bagni San Filippo is a hamlet of Castiglione d'Orcia, at about 520 metres altitude, on the slope of Monte Amiata. Its name comes from the little church dedicated to St Philip Benizi, who according to tradition stopped here in 1269. Next to the village sulphurous hot springs well up and flow down a ravine in the woods, the Fosso Bianco, and as they run they leave calcium carbonate. Over the centuries that lime has formed waterfalls, stepped pools and a great white mass that people call the Balena Bianca, the white whale.
There is a spa hotel in the village, but what attracts almost everyone is the free part: the pools in the woods, where anyone can bathe without paying.
Who it suits and who it doesn't
It suits those looking for a hot bath in the open air, with no hours or tickets, who don't need facilities. Families love it, with children who move well and water shoes: the walk is short and the lower pools are shallow.
It doesn't suit those who want comfort: there are no changing rooms, showers or bar in the ravine, and you change among the trees. Nor those looking for solitude on an August Saturday. With a pushchair you cannot reach the pools: the path is earth, roots and stone.
Getting there
The practical way is to go by car: Bagni San Filippo is a short distance from the Via Cassia, between San Quirico d'Orcia and Radicofani, in the southern part of the Val d'Orcia. Public transport in this area is scarce. If you walk the Via Francigena, stage 36, from San Quirico d'Orcia to Radicofani, it allows a detour here.
When to go
You can go all year, and winter has its charm: the hot water steams in the cold air and there are far fewer people. In spring and autumn the temperatures are ideal for changing outdoors. July, August and weekends are the times with the most visitors. To be quiet, go first thing in the morning or on a weekday.
What it costs
Nothing. The pools in the woods are free and open to all. The cost is petrol and whatever you have afterwards in the village.
How to bathe without spoiling it
The lime concretions are fragile and take years to form. Don't climb on the thin edges of the pools or break off pieces of lime. Don't use soap or shampoo in the water and take all your rubbish with you. These are common-sense rules that keep the place as it is.
If it rains
In heavy rain, the ravine carries more water, the pools change and the stone is even more slippery: better to leave it for another day. As an alternative, Bagno Vignoni, in the same Val d'Orcia, has its famous square occupied by a pool of hot spring water, which looks good even in bad weather.
- **Sant'Antimo Abbey and its Via della Luce tour** (1 h · All ages): Sant'Antimo is worth visiting for the setting as much as for the church: a Benedictine abbey in the countryside, next to the hamlet of Castelnuovo dell'Abate. The free visit to the church is complemented by a video guide that you rent at the entrance.
What it is
Tradition attributes the founding of the abbey to Charlemagne, in the 9th century. The Carolingian chapel survives from that time, and is now the sacristy. The church you see was begun in the 12th century: on the steps of the high altar an inscription, the Charta Lapidaria, records the donation by the Ardengheschi family in 1118, which made Sant'Antimo one of the richest monasteries in the region, with parishes, castles and lands.
For centuries it was inhabited by Benedictine monks. Today a community of nuns lives there, the Missionaries of St John the Baptist, a congregation founded in Mexico in 1945, which keeps its daily prayer open to anyone who wants to attend.
Why go and who it suits
For the image: a Romanesque church of pale stone at the bottom of a valley, surrounded by olive trees and cypresses, with no village on top of it and no traffic around. And for the interior, sober and bright, which is better understood in silence.
It suits those travelling for Romanesque art or rural Tuscany, and those looking for a pause between Brunello wineries. It is a short, quiet visit, suitable for families: the video guide, with images and music, helps children follow it, and outside there are tables for eating something. If you are looking for great frescoes or a museum, you won't find them: here the star is the architecture.
Getting there
The abbey is in Castelnuovo dell'Abate, in the municipality of Montalcino, south of the village. You get there by car along a hill road among vineyards. Without a car it is complicated: public transport in the area is scarce.
Hours and when to go
From 1 November to 31 March it opens every day from 10:30 to 17:00; on Sundays and holidays, from 11:00, after Mass. From April to September it opens from 10:00 to 18:30, and in October, from 10:00 to 18:00. The abbey warns that hours may change because of liturgical activities, sometimes without notice.
Mass on Sundays and holidays is at 10:00. Lauds are prayed at 8:00 and vespers at 17:30, followed by the rosary. If you want to hear the church alive, plan your visit to finish with vespers.
In spring and autumn the surrounding landscape of vines and olive trees is at its best, and in winter there are the fewest visitors.
What it costs
The abbey does not publish prices for the video guide or the high-level tour: ask when booking. If you only want to see the church, the free visit is simple and needs no booking.
If it rains
It is a good visit for a rainy day: almost everything is indoors. Combine it with Montalcino and its fortress, a few kilometres away, or with a winery in the area.
- **Bagno Vignoni and the Parco dei Mulini** (1 h · All ages · Independent · free): What it is
Bagno Vignoni is a hamlet of San Quirico d'Orcia, at 306 m, in the middle of the valley and beside the Via Francigena. Instead of a square it has a large rectangular pool of Renaissance origin, the Piazza delle Sorgenti, full of hot spring water that emerges at about 49 °C and steams on cold days. The houses, the loggia and the church are reflected in it. It is a short, free visit and one of the images of the valley.
The water comes from an aquifer of volcanic origin and has been used since Etruscan and Roman times. In the Middle Ages the village was known throughout Tuscany: Pope Pius II, Catherine of Siena and Lorenzo de' Medici passed through. Andrei Tarkovsky filmed a good part of Nostalghia in the square in 1982.
What to see

The Piazza delle Sorgenti. Walk all the way round the edge. You can no longer bathe in the pool: bathing in the village centre is prohibited and the water is enjoyed in the thermal hotels.
The Parco dei Mulini. The water leaves the pool and falls down the slope towards the Orcia valley, among channels, small white limestone waterfalls and four medieval mills carved into the rock, already mentioned in 1207. As the spring never dries up, the mills ground in summer, when the area's rivers ran dry. A path goes down between them towards the valley.
The pools below. At the foot of the park the water pools in small basins, already much cooler than in the square. For years people have taken their shoes off here, but access has changed with municipal regulations: respect the signs and fences you find.

Bathing properly
To get into thermal water in the village you have to go to one of its paid establishments: Visit Tuscany lists the Terme Spa & Resort, which overlooks the central pool, the Terme Hotel La Posta, with indoor and outdoor pools over the valley, and the Terme Hotel Adler. Check their websites for day passes and whether they admit non-guests.
If you are looking for free hot springs in the wild, go to Bagni San Filippo, on the slope of the Amiata and on the same stage of the Francigena, with the great limestone waterfall of the Balena Bianca: there you do bathe without paying.
Getting there and parking
Bagno Vignoni is south of San Quirico d'Orcia, next to the Via Cassia. The centre is pedestrian: leave the car in the car park on the outskirts and walk in; don't leave anything visible inside. From the square, the park can be walked down in a few minutes.
On foot, the Via Francigena from San Quirico to Radicofani passes through Vignoni Alto and comes down to the square: it is the first stop with water on the stage.
How long it takes and when to go
An hour is enough for the square and the park. Go first thing or at the end of the afternoon: at midday at weekends it fills up, and in the cold or as the sun goes down the steam over the pool looks much better. In winter there are fewer people and the temperature contrast is greater. A good thermal day in the valley links Bagno Vignoni in the morning and Bagni San Filippo in the afternoon, or the other way round.
With children and reduced mobility
The square is flat and can be done with a pushchair. The Parco dei Mulini goes down a sloping earth path with slippery stone beside the water: hold little ones by the hand and wear shoes with grip. The water in the pool is too hot to touch with confidence.
- **Via Francigena from San Quirico d'Orcia to Radicofani** (7 h 15 · 33 km · Experienced walkers or cyclists · Independent · free): The stage in numbers
It is stage 36 of the Via Francigena in Tuscany, the one that crosses the Val d'Orcia from north to south. According to the official Tuscan Via Francigena website:

Distance: 33 km.
Ascent: 908 m up and 532 m down.
Walking time: 7 h 15 min without stops.
Difficulty: very demanding.
Surface: 44% tarmac and 56% dirt tracks and cart roads; no stretch of mountain path.
Cyclable: 99%, by mountain bike or gravel bike.

It is a linear stage, long and with a steep climb at the end, when you already have the day in your legs. Do it only if you are used to walking more than 30 km.
The route, step by step

San Quirico d'Orcia. You leave the village heading south among fields and cypresses.
Vignoni Alto. The first landmark is this small fortified village on the hill, with a view of the valley.
Bagno Vignoni. You go down to the thermal square, with its pool of hot water; you can no longer bathe in it. There is water and bars: it is the stop for filling bottles.
Castiglione d'Orcia and the Rocca di Tentennano. An optional short detour that the official guide recommends, with a view of the fortress.
The Orcia and Paglia valleys. The central stretch, long and open, passes the old abandoned hospital of Le Briccole and crosses several fords.
The Amiata lands. The path passes near Bagni San Filippo, the free hot springs in the woods, which you can visit with a detour.
The climb to Radicofani. A long, hard climb to the village and its fortress, on top of a hill that you see from afar all day.

Water, food and services
There are few water points and they are unevenly spread. The official guide lists three: Bagno Vignoni, a bar in Gallina, about 500 m from the path along the Via Cassia, and the Podere San Giorgio agriturismo. Set off with at least two litres per person in spring and autumn and more in summer, and carry food for the whole day. Shade is scarce on the central stretch.
Fords and bad weather
The guide warns that some fords must be crossed with caution. The one before Le Briccole can be difficult after heavy rain, as can that of the Formone stream, near the junction towards Radicofani; the latter is avoided by the provincial road, rejoining the path after a bridge. If it has rained a lot in the preceding days, expect to get wet or to take detours by road. In a storm, do not stay on the open hills of the valley.
When to do it
Spring and autumn. In summer the valley is very hot and there is almost no shade: if you have no other date, set off at dawn. In winter the days are short for 33 km and the fords carry more water.
How to organise it

Split it in two. If you don't want to do 33 km in one go, stop halfway, for example at Bagno Vignoni or Castiglione d'Orcia, and finish the next day.
By bike. As it is almost all track and tarmac, it can be done in a relaxed day by mountain bike or gravel bike; watch the fords and the traffic where the path touches the Cassia.
The return. It is linear: sort out beforehand how to get back from Radicofani to San Quirico, with a second car or a booked taxi, because don't count on finding transport when you arrive.
Waymarking. It is the official Via Francigena route, marked with its pilgrim logo. Carry the track from the official website on your phone anyway.

With a dog it is possible, but consider the heat, the tarmac and the lack of water. With children, better to do only a short section, such as San Quirico – Bagno Vignoni.
- **Castello Banfi cellar and vineyards in Montalcino** (1 h 30 · Adults · Public tour with tasting €60): What it is
Castello Banfi is one of the great wineries of Montalcino, based at the Poggio alle Mura castle, in the countryside south of the village. The castle is of early medieval origin, was completely rebuilt in 1438 and lost a wing, mined at the end of the Second World War, which was later rebuilt. The Banfi wine house was founded by John F. Mariani. Today the castle brings together the cellar, an enoteca, two restaurants, a hotel and a small glass museum.
For anyone arriving in the Val d'Orcia without knowing much about wine, it is a good first contact: the visit explains vineyard, fermentation and ageing of Brunello in an industrial-scale cellar, and afterwards you have better judgement for visiting the small wineries of Montalcino.
The visits
All must be booked in advance, and booking is compulsory. Banfi publishes these options:

Public tour with tasting: group visit of the estate and the cellar, of about an hour, followed by a tasting in the enoteca. €60 per person.
Public tour with lunch: the same visit, followed by lunch at La Taverna with a menu paired with the house wines. €125 or €140 per person, depending on the menu.
Discovering Excellence Tour: private visit to the Balsameria, a vineyard and the cellar, guided tasting of five wines, extra virgin olive oils and the Condimento Balsamico Etrusco, and a four-course lunch with four wines at La Taverna. It leaves at 11:00, lasts about 2 h 30 plus lunch and costs €300 per person.
Discovering Excellence Tour Plus: the same private tour, from 16:30, with dinner at the Michelin-starred restaurant La Sala dei Grappoli; €450 (five courses) or €500 (seven) per person.

In addition, the enoteca holds guided tastings of the house range (Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti, Bolgheri, Super Tuscans, whites and sparkling wines), requested through the contact form, and has a wine bar with charcuterie and cheese boards.
What the public visit is like
You meet the guide at the castle's enoteca and wine bar 15 minutes before the time. The cellar is about 4 km from there and you go in your own car behind the guide, so you need a vehicle. Private visits include a shuttle for groups of up to five people.
The website does not publish the days or times of public visits, or the languages: you see them when booking on its online system (SevenRooms), linked from Banfi's tours and tastings page. For questions, Banfi can be reached on +39 0577 840111 and at banfi@banfi.it.
What else there is in the castle

Museo della Bottiglia e del Vetro, dedicated to glass and the bottle, named after John F. Mariani.
La Balsameria, under the north wing of the castle, where the Condimento Balsamico Etrusco is made.
La Taverna, with traditional Tuscan cooking, and La Sala dei Grappoli, with tasting menus; both with online booking.

Getting there
The castle is at Poggio alle Mura, municipality of Montalcino (53024), in the countryside south of the village. Go by car: there is no convenient public transport and the public visit requires your own car. From Montalcino or from Sant'Antimo they are winding roads among vines.
Things to bear in mind
It is an activity for adults: the tasting is the centre of the visit and Banfi does not publish a minimum age or an option for children. If you are going to drink, have someone else drive or book the lunch and give yourself time before getting back behind the wheel. In September and October, with the harvest, the valley is very busy: book well ahead.
- **Fiera del Cacio al Fuso, the Pienza pecorino festival** (All ages · Free entry): What it is and what you see
The Fiera del Cacio is the festival of Pienza pecorino, the sheep's cheese that makes this Renaissance town in the Val d'Orcia famous. It lasts a week, in late August or early September, and has three stars: Piazza Pio II, which Pope Pius II inaugurated in 1462; the cheese, which is tasted and sold at stalls throughout the centre; and the cacio al fuso game. It began in the 1960s, when Dario Formichi, then president of the Pro Loco, made the game, which had been played on farms for centuries, the centrepiece of the fair. It is organised by the Pro Loco and the contrade, with the support of the Comune. In 2026 the 64th edition was held.
The game is simple to watch and hard to play. The six contrade of Pienza, Casello, Mura, Prato, Gozzante, Case Nuove and San Piero, roll a whole wheel of pecorino so that it runs and stops as close as possible to a wooden spindle, the fuso, set in the centre of the square. The winning contrada takes the palio, a cloth painted by an artist. In 2026 Le Mura won, with 76 points, after two tie-break rounds against Casello.
When
In 2026 the fair ran from 31 August to 6 September, with the big game on Sunday. The 2027 dates have not yet been announced: they are published by the Pro Loco and the Comune's tourist portal.
Programme and must-sees
Using the 2026 edition as a guide:

Tuesday and Wednesday, at 17:30: rehearsals of the contrade and of Pienza's musicians and flag-bearers in Piazza Pio II.
Thursday: at 18:00, Caci&Calici, a tasting of Pienza pecorino with Orcia wine in the square; at 21:30, selection and marking of the game's cheeses by the contrada captains and presentation of the palio.
Friday: contrade dinner in the square at 20:00.
Saturday: cheese tasting and sales stalls through the streets all day; at 15:30, children's procession and children's cacio al fuso game; at 21:00, serenade by Pienza's choir in the cloister of the Palazzo Piccolomini.
Sunday: stalls all day; at 10:30, the Contesa delle Pecore, from Piazza Dante to Piazza Pio II; at 15:30, procession, musicians and flag-bearers, the Trescone dance and the cacio al fuso game, with the awarding of the palio; at 21:30, dancing in the square.

Throughout the 2026 week there was also a photo exhibition on the history of the festival in the loggias of the Palazzo Comunale.
Getting there and where to park
Pienza is in the Val d'Orcia, south of Siena. The practical way is to arrive by car: the villages of the valley are close, but with no convenient public transport between them. Neither the Pro Loco nor the tourist portal publishes traffic closures or special car parks for the fair: park outside the centre and walk up, and ask at the tourist office (0578 810 214, info.turismo@comune.pienza.si.it) whether there are changes that weekend.
Tickets and price
The festival is free: the programmes list no admission for the events in the square. You pay for what you eat and buy, such as cheese from the stalls or the contrade dinner.
Practical tips
Sunday afternoon is the busiest time: arrive at Piazza Pio II with time to spare before 15:30 to see the game up close. If you prefer calm, on Saturday morning the stalls are already open and the square has room. With children, on Saturday at 15:30 the youngsters of the contrade play, and it is the best moment to understand the rules before Sunday.
Take advantage of the trip for the rest of the valley: Bagno Vignoni and its pools, the free hot springs of Bagni San Filippo or Sant'Antimo Abbey.
- **La Posta thermal pools in Bagno Vignoni** (4 h · From age 14 · Half day €40 · full day €55): What it is
In the square of Bagno Vignoni the thermal water steams in a Renaissance basin, but you cannot bathe in it. To get into hot water in the village, the hotel La Posta, the former Posta Marcucci, opens its three open-air thermal pools to day visitors, in a garden with views of the Val d'Orcia. Each pool is at a different temperature: the first between 35 and 38 °C; the last between 28 and 32 °C.
Tickets and hours

Giornata alle terme, full day: €55, from 9:30 to 18:00.
Mattino alle terme, morning: €40, from 9:30 to 13:30.
Pomeriggio alle terme, afternoon: €40, from 14:00 to 18:00.
Le ore più belle: €40, from 11:00 to 15:00, the middle hours of the day.

All include a towel and bathrobe. There are packages with a massage (Ritrovarsi, €130, and Dolce vita, €215) and with a day room, from €199. On Thursdays one of the three pools closes for maintenance.
Rules and booking

From age 14. There is no children's area: this is not a plan for families with children.
Swimming cap compulsory. If you do not bring one, the hotel sells them for €5, as it does flip-flops.
Book on their website by choosing a date. Come with your booking made, especially at weekends.

Fitting it in
Bagno Vignoni is in the middle of the valley, a few minutes from San Quirico d'Orcia. A relaxed day is the basin and the Parco dei Mulini in the morning, lunch in the village and the afternoon slot at the pools. If you prefer free thermal water and do not mind the mud and the walk, the pools of Bagni San Filippo are half an hour away towards Monte Amiata.
- **The Gladiator fields, from the Pieve di Corsignano to Terrapille** (1 h 30 · All ages who can walk for an hour at a stretch; no shade · Free): The Elysian Fields of Gladiator, the wheat field with a dirt track winding between the ears, were filmed on the outskirts of Pienza. The dirt track starts at the Pieve di Corsignano, the Romanesque church below the village, and runs down between cereal fields to the Terrapille farm stay. You do it on foot, free and without a ticket: it is a country lane, not an enclosure.
What was filmed and what you see today
The wheat in the film is that of these hills, and the dirt track that crosses the Terrapille estate is the one you will walk. There are no signs or anything to recall the shoot, and the look changes with the year: green in spring, golden before the harvest, ploughed earth afterwards. Maximus's house is another place: it was filmed at the Poggio Manzuoli estate, beside the SP146 road between San Quirico d'Orcia and Pienza. It is private and cannot be visited, but from the gate you can see the double row of cypresses along the entrance drive.
Pienza also has its earlier film. In The English Patient, Piazza Pio II, the square of the Duomo, is the setting of the party for the end of the war, and the monastery of Sant'Anna in Camprena, on the outskirts, is the refuge where the protagonists hide.
The walk

The Pieve di Corsignano. Park in Pienza, not on the verge, and walk down to the church, on the outskirts of the village.
The track towards Terrapille. From the pieve, the dirt track heads away between the fields towards Terrapille. Walk as much of it as you like: you have the film's landscape from the start. Allow for some uphill on the way back and no shade.
The return. By the same route. Do not go into the fields or the farm stay's courtyard: the photo is taken from the track.

By car, complete the morning with the Poggio Manzuoli gate on the SP146. About 150 metres on, the dirt road to the chapel of the Madonna di Vitaleta leaves the road; it did not appear in the film but is one of the best-known images of the valley.

## Dónde comer
- **Osteria La Porta** (Restaurant, Monticchiello). Qué pedir: pici all'aglione della Val d'Orcia on the terrace, and the cheek braised in Vino Nobile
- **Osteria del Leone** (Restaurant, Bagno Vignoni, €€€). Qué pedir: hand-made pici with piennolo tomato and pecorino, and the Cinta Senese shoulder with saba
- **Caseificio Cugusi** (Market, Montepulciano, €). Qué pedir: a picnic with several of the house's pecorinos, Tuscan cured meats and a Rosso di Montepulciano

## By car: By car around the valley
The Val d'Orcia is explored by car: villages a few kilometres from one another, minor roads between cypresses and wineries in the countryside. The centres of Pienza, Montalcino and San Quirico are visited on foot, parking outside the walls.
Presupuesto orientativo: 90–220 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Albergo Le Terme** (Spa hotel): A palace of Pope Pius II above the water square
The Albergo Le Terme is at Piazza delle Sorgenti, 13, in Bagno Vignoni, the hamlet of San Quirico d'Orcia whose main square is a pool of thermal water. The hotel occupies a 15th-century palace designed by Rossellino, the architect of Pienza, which Pope Pius II Piccolomini used as a summer residence. It has been run by the Banchetti family since 1977.
Sleeping here means having the Val d'Orcia in the centre: San Quirico and Pienza are a few minutes by car, Montalcino and Sant'Antimo a little further, and the pools of the Parco dei Mulini begin round the corner. At night, when the visitors leave, the village is very quiet.
The rooms
There are 36, in four types. The Economy rooms are smaller. The Classic face the Val d'Orcia or the village. The Superior are larger or face the water square, and the suites have their own sitting room and face the square of the fountains or the garden; in these, breakfast in the room is included. All have air conditioning and wifi. Breakfast is Tuscan, with home-made tarts, organic products, oil, cured meats and local pecorino.
The hotel has its own restaurant, Tramanda', serving simple cooking with local produce. It also organises cooking classes.
The thermal water spa
The water of Bagno Vignoni comes out at 49 °C. In the spa there is a thermal pool with waterfalls, at 37–39 °C, where massages are given under the jet; a hydromassage pool at about 32 °C to cool off; a Roman sauna at about 40 °C with an immersion pool, and an infusion room. It is open from Monday to Thursday from 9:00 to 23:00 and from Friday to Sunday until 23:45. Hotel guests can use it with the house bathrobe. For non-guests, the evening entry, from 19:30, costs €44, and the day one with a 50-minute massage, €138; you book beforehand, for about four hours, and it includes bathrobe, towel, slippers, cap and locker.
Getting there and parking
The hotel car park is free. Bagno Vignoni is to one side of the Cassia road, between San Quirico and Radicofani. From Rome you arrive by the A1 motorway or the Cassia; from Florence, via Siena and the Cassia southwards.
- **Hotel Corsignano** (Hotel): Sleeping in Pienza with the car at the door
The Hotel Corsignano is a four-star hotel at Via della Madonnina, 11, a few steps from the historic centre of Pienza, the ideal Renaissance city that Pope Pius II had rebuilt on his native village, Corsignano, from which the hotel takes its name. It is a practical base for exploring the Val d'Orcia by car: you park free at the hotel itself and walk into the centre, where cars do not go.
From here you have Monticchiello, San Quirico d'Orcia and Bagno Vignoni a few kilometres away, Montepulciano on the other side of the valley and, a little further, Montalcino and the abbey of Sant'Antimo. Pienza at night is left to those who sleep in it: the walls with views of the valley and the cathedral square without groups.
Rooms and services
There are three types of room: Classic, Superior and Junior Suite. The website does not publish how many there are or their prices: you see them in its booking system. Breakfast is made with local products. It has a restaurant and bar, reception open 24 hours, free wifi and a terrace with hydromassage tubs.
For those travelling in an electric car, it has a charging point. The car park takes cars and coaches and is free. The hotel has ISO 14001 environmental certification.
The website does not publish check-in and check-out times, rules on animals or whether there is a lift; ask when you book if it matters to you.
What to do on foot from the hotel
Walk into the centre and follow Corso Rossellino to Piazza Pio II, with the cathedral and the Piccolomini palace. From the walls you see the Orcia valley and, in the distance, Monte Amiata. At the end of August or early September, the Fiera del Cacio al Fuso fills Pienza with pecorino stalls.
- **Agriturismo Il Rigo** (Country house): A family estate between San Quirico and Pienza
Il Rigo is an organic farm stay in the municipality of San Quirico d'Orcia, in the countryside, along the Strada Comunale di Casabianca, in the area between San Quirico and Pienza. The same family has lived and worked this farmhouse for nine generations, and the estate has had organic certification for thirty years. They collect rainwater and reduce plastic; in the shop they sell what they produce.
It is for those who want to sleep in the landscape of the Val d'Orcia, the one of bare hills with cypresses, and get around the valley by car. Pienza is close, and San Quirico and Bagno Vignoni too.
Two houses: Casabianca and Poggio Bacoca
The rooms are spread over two farmhouses. Casabianca is the main one: here are the kitchen, the pergola, the courtyard and the dining room where breakfast and dinner are served. Poggio Bacoca is a smaller annexe on top of a hill, facing Pienza, more intimate and quiet. The rooms are furnished like a home, with old farm furniture, and all have views of the hills.
The website does not publish how many rooms there are, nor prices, nor check-in and check-out times, nor rules on children or animals: you see it in their booking system (Wubook) or by asking.
Breakfast and dinner
Breakfast is home-made, with organic produce from the farm and the area, in the dining room or under the pergola when the weather is good. In the evening you dine in the dining room at Casabianca: hand-made cooking with vegetables, meat and oil from the farm or from small neighbouring producers. The house insists that it serves only what it cooks itself, with nothing industrial. The website does not publish hours or price for dinner: ask when you book.
Il Rigo also holds weddings on the estate: in high season a celebration may coincide with your stay.

## By plane: Fly to Florence, Pisa or Rome and drive
The Val d'Orcia lies between Florence and Rome, and you reach it by flying to Rome Fiumicino, Florence or Pisa, all three with flights from Spain. From any of the three you need a hire car: the villages are spread over hills and there is almost no public transport between them. From Rome it is about two and a half hours of driving; from Florence, a little less, and from Pisa, a little more.
### Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Albergo Le Terme** (Spa hotel): A palace of Pope Pius II above the water square
The Albergo Le Terme is at Piazza delle Sorgenti, 13, in Bagno Vignoni, the hamlet of San Quirico d'Orcia whose main square is a pool of thermal water. The hotel occupies a 15th-century palace designed by Rossellino, the architect of Pienza, which Pope Pius II Piccolomini used as a summer residence. It has been run by the Banchetti family since 1977.
Sleeping here means having the Val d'Orcia in the centre: San Quirico and Pienza are a few minutes by car, Montalcino and Sant'Antimo a little further, and the pools of the Parco dei Mulini begin round the corner. At night, when the visitors leave, the village is very quiet.
The rooms
There are 36, in four types. The Economy rooms are smaller. The Classic face the Val d'Orcia or the village. The Superior are larger or face the water square, and the suites have their own sitting room and face the square of the fountains or the garden; in these, breakfast in the room is included. All have air conditioning and wifi. Breakfast is Tuscan, with home-made tarts, organic products, oil, cured meats and local pecorino.
The hotel has its own restaurant, Tramanda', serving simple cooking with local produce. It also organises cooking classes.
The thermal water spa
The water of Bagno Vignoni comes out at 49 °C. In the spa there is a thermal pool with waterfalls, at 37–39 °C, where massages are given under the jet; a hydromassage pool at about 32 °C to cool off; a Roman sauna at about 40 °C with an immersion pool, and an infusion room. It is open from Monday to Thursday from 9:00 to 23:00 and from Friday to Sunday until 23:45. Hotel guests can use it with the house bathrobe. For non-guests, the evening entry, from 19:30, costs €44, and the day one with a 50-minute massage, €138; you book beforehand, for about four hours, and it includes bathrobe, towel, slippers, cap and locker.
Getting there and parking
The hotel car park is free. Bagno Vignoni is to one side of the Cassia road, between San Quirico and Radicofani. From Rome you arrive by the A1 motorway or the Cassia; from Florence, via Siena and the Cassia southwards.
- **Hotel Corsignano** (Hotel): Sleeping in Pienza with the car at the door
The Hotel Corsignano is a four-star hotel at Via della Madonnina, 11, a few steps from the historic centre of Pienza, the ideal Renaissance city that Pope Pius II had rebuilt on his native village, Corsignano, from which the hotel takes its name. It is a practical base for exploring the Val d'Orcia by car: you park free at the hotel itself and walk into the centre, where cars do not go.
From here you have Monticchiello, San Quirico d'Orcia and Bagno Vignoni a few kilometres away, Montepulciano on the other side of the valley and, a little further, Montalcino and the abbey of Sant'Antimo. Pienza at night is left to those who sleep in it: the walls with views of the valley and the cathedral square without groups.
Rooms and services
There are three types of room: Classic, Superior and Junior Suite. The website does not publish how many there are or their prices: you see them in its booking system. Breakfast is made with local products. It has a restaurant and bar, reception open 24 hours, free wifi and a terrace with hydromassage tubs.
For those travelling in an electric car, it has a charging point. The car park takes cars and coaches and is free. The hotel has ISO 14001 environmental certification.
The website does not publish check-in and check-out times, rules on animals or whether there is a lift; ask when you book if it matters to you.
What to do on foot from the hotel
Walk into the centre and follow Corso Rossellino to Piazza Pio II, with the cathedral and the Piccolomini palace. From the walls you see the Orcia valley and, in the distance, Monte Amiata. At the end of August or early September, the Fiera del Cacio al Fuso fills Pienza with pecorino stalls.
- **Agriturismo Il Rigo** (Country house): A family estate between San Quirico and Pienza
Il Rigo is an organic farm stay in the municipality of San Quirico d'Orcia, in the countryside, along the Strada Comunale di Casabianca, in the area between San Quirico and Pienza. The same family has lived and worked this farmhouse for nine generations, and the estate has had organic certification for thirty years. They collect rainwater and reduce plastic; in the shop they sell what they produce.
It is for those who want to sleep in the landscape of the Val d'Orcia, the one of bare hills with cypresses, and get around the valley by car. Pienza is close, and San Quirico and Bagno Vignoni too.
Two houses: Casabianca and Poggio Bacoca
The rooms are spread over two farmhouses. Casabianca is the main one: here are the kitchen, the pergola, the courtyard and the dining room where breakfast and dinner are served. Poggio Bacoca is a smaller annexe on top of a hill, facing Pienza, more intimate and quiet. The rooms are furnished like a home, with old farm furniture, and all have views of the hills.
The website does not publish how many rooms there are, nor prices, nor check-in and check-out times, nor rules on children or animals: you see it in their booking system (Wubook) or by asking.
Breakfast and dinner
Breakfast is home-made, with organic produce from the farm and the area, in the dining room or under the pergola when the weather is good. In the evening you dine in the dining room at Casabianca: hand-made cooking with vegetables, meat and oil from the farm or from small neighbouring producers. The house insists that it serves only what it cooks itself, with nothing industrial. The website does not publish hours or price for dinner: ask when you book.
Il Rigo also holds weddings on the estate: in high season a celebration may coincide with your stay.

## As a family: Hot pools and small villages

The Val d'Orcia with children works with water: free thermal pools, short walks and villages that can be seen in an hour. Leave the wineries for when there is a plan for the children nearby.

### What works best
The lukewarm pools of the Parco dei Mulini, below Bagno Vignoni

Bagni San Filippo and the Balena Bianca, with water shoes

The Fiera del Cacio al Fuso in Pienza, at the end of summer

Sant'Antimo with the video guide

### Where to sleep
Agriturismos with a pool and space around

San Quirico d'Orcia or Pienza, in the middle of the valley

### Where to eat
Pienza pecorino and bread for a picnic

Pici, the thick local pasta, in any trattoria

### Keep in mind
There are no facilities at the free hot springs: bring water, towels and bags

Stone with lime is slippery: water shoes for everyone

In summer the heat bites at midday: hot springs first thing

### Qué hacer as a family
- Free hot springs of Bagni San Filippo and the White Whale
- Sant'Antimo Abbey and its Via della Luce tour
- Bagno Vignoni and the Parco dei Mulini
- Fiera del Cacio al Fuso, the Pienza pecorino festival
- The Gladiator fields, from the Pieve di Corsignano to Terrapille

## Consejos

### Wild water and tamed water
Do Bagno Vignoni and Bagni San Filippo on the same day: both are on stage 36 of the Francigena.

### Brunello with common sense
If you're going tasting in Montalcino, have someone who doesn't drink do the driving. The roads are winding.

### Sant'Antimo at the end of the day
From November to March it's open until 17:00; in spring and summer, until 18:30.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How many days do I need?
Three nights: one day for Pienza and San Quirico, another for Montalcino and Sant'Antimo, and another for the hot springs at Bagno Vignoni and Bagni San Filippo.

### Are there free hot springs?
Yes. Bagni San Filippo are free hot springs in the woods, and in the Parco dei Mulini at Bagno Vignoni there are pools of warm water.

### Is it a good destination with children?
Yes: the thermal pools, village festivals such as Pienza's cacio al fuso and Sant'Antimo abbey with a video guide work well.

### Can you walk it?
Yes, along the Via Francigena. The stage from San Quirico to Radicofani is 33 km with 908 m of ascent: very demanding.

### When is the Pienza cheese festival?
The Fiera del Cacio al Fuso is held at the end of summer, with a week of tastings and the cheese-rolling game in the square.