Montepulciano, Pienza, and the Essence of Val d'Orcia

About this tour

A 10–11 hour private tour through Val d'Orcia's most compelling corners, departing from Florence or elsewhere in Tuscany. You'll visit Montepulciano's wine cellars to taste Vino Nobile, walk Pienza's Renaissance streets (a UNESCO site) famous for Pecorino, admire the Vitaleta Chapel's hillside setting, and explore thermal pools at Bagno Vignoni. A driver navigates you between villages whilst lunch and wine tasting happen in a historic cellar, leaving space to absorb the landscape rather than rush between stops.

Highlights

• Vino Nobile tasting in Montepulciano's underground cellars
• Pecorino cheese and Renaissance architecture in Pienza
• Vitaleta Chapel framed against rolling countryside
• Val d'Orcia's iconic hills and cypress-lined roads
• Thermal hot springs and bathing pools at Bagno Vignoni
• Lunch with four wines in a stone cellar
• Air-conditioned private transport throughout

What to expect

Your driver collects you and heads south into the Val d'Orcia valley, stopping first at Montepulciano to descend into age-old wine caves. You'll taste at least four expressions of the region's signature red—Vino Nobile—paired with lunch in the cool stone depths. Afterwards, drive to Pienza, where Renaissance town planning and views across the valley reward a gentle wander; the Pecorino here is worth sampling. The tour includes the photogenic Vitaleta Chapel set alone in farmland, and Bagno Vignoni's steaming pools and Renaissance loggia. Timing is flexible and customised to your pace; you're not herded but guided.

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