Revised and Expanded for 2018 / 2019

Where do you find some of the best scenery and hill towns in Tuscany?

The latest version of this guidebook on the Le Crete and Val d'Orcia regions in central Tuscany is the fifth book in the series of books on south central Tuscany.

Here I take you to the area of Tuscany that provides many of the pictures in calendars, coffee table books, movies, and postcards — the cypress lined drives and roads going over hills with small towns and solitary farms. Val d’Orcia towns stand high on hills with their roccas visible for miles. Different areas produce a variety of world class wines and foods, especially the pecorino cheese from the Pienza region.

This, one of the most comprehensive books in English,  will help you . . . .

• Learn about the art, history, and sites in several Val d'Orcia towns.
• Set up a base in one of the larger towins like Montalcino, Montepulciano, or Pienza.
• Assess mobility accessibility of tourist sites and towns.
• Use decimal GPS coordinates for navigating.
• Cook from Italian recipes, many from my Italian family.

Visit some of the most important areas of Le Crete and the Val d'Orcia:

• Drive through the badlands and eerily magnificent landscapes of Le Crete with its fields of grain, pastures, ponds, and sheep spread out on the clay hills and crests.
• After Le Crete stop at the Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore and wrap yourself in its reverent solitude deep in the forest.
• Climb the ramparts of the fortezza of Montalcino for a view of the Val d’Orcia all the way to Monte Amiata. Taste the prized Brunello di Montalcino and admire the churches and Museo Civico e Diocesano.
• Stop at the “Stone that Sings,” the Abbazia di Sant’Antimo a few kilometers from Montalcino.
• Stand in Piazza Pio II in the “Ideal humanist” city of Pienza to admire its unique architecture. Have a lunch taking an option for each course that uses Pienza's great pecorino cheese.
• Surprise yourself by the beauty and treasures in the tiny hill town of Monticchiello.
•  Explore deceptively quiet San Quirico d’Orcia, famous for its gardens: the Horti Leoni and the Rose Garden.
• Bathe in the “tame” spas of Bagno Vignoni or hike through the woods to the “wild” hot pools of Fosso Bianco.
• Take in the panorama of the whole Val d’Orcia from the towering Rocca of Radicofani.
• Spend a day or two in exciting Montepulciano, the largest town in the area. Appreciate the panoramas from its walls. Taste the excellent Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and eat lunch at the Ristorante Enoteca la Corte Medicea.

Praise from Reader

— We used this book recently in Val d'Orcia and found it very helpful even though we'd been to the area several times before. He includes some really interesting info. For first timers to the area, it would REALLY be helpful. I loved that he included satellite codes for the GPS. Unfortunately, our stupid GPS failed to work. Also, sometimes the GPS just won't work in this area according to other people staying at the same place we did. I love that the author took the time to give readers an exhaustive explanation of my favorite spot in Italy (ever). I lived in Italy for 13 years, and I always go back to Val d'Orcia. —

Bonus information:

• Recipes from my Foiano based Italian family.
• Navigate with GPS coordinates.
• Descriptions of restaurants.
• Information on how to decode religious art.