Trekking & Bike

Val d’Orcia is not a place to be crossed in a hurry.

Lanes, cart-tracks and pathways invite the visitor to move slowly, to savour what he sees, to stop and enjoy views and monuments but also details of the landscape: hamlets, isolated cypresses, erosion furrows.

Whether you are travelling on foot, on horseback or by bike, with a group of friends or a specialised agency, the ancient roads of Val d’Orcia offer a great variety of itineraries. You needn’t be a great rambler or tour cyclist. And those visiting Sienese territory by car can park for a few hours and go walking along one of the many routes indicated: all you need is a knapsack, a stout pair of shoes, a waterproof jacket in case it rains and a sunhat.

Wine lovers can go up to Montalcino through the Brunello vineyards. Those who prefer panoramic views can follow the ridge between Radicofani and Contignano, opposite Amiata. The pathway of the Orcia gorges offers Mediterranean atmospheres and flora. The one that passes through the Orcia gorges from Bagno Vignoni leads to Ripa d’Orcia, a 20th century reconstruction of a fort that belonged to the Salimbeni and Piccolomini families. Ripa and its view of Amiata can also be reached from San Quirico by a dirt road that passes by the village and the tower of Vignoni.

Going up from Castiglione d’Orcia to the Vivo you are immersed in the volcano forests. Between Monticchiello and Pienza, or around Sant’Anna in Camprena, you can enjoy the undulating outlines of hills that seem to pile up into infinity.