Val d'Orcia

Spanning 2,000 square kilometers of protected farmland, medieval towns, and cypress-lined roads, Val d'Orcia offers a serene alternative to the crowded Cinque Terre. This UNESCO cultural landscape was deliberately designed during the Renaissance with a network of straight roads and symmetrical hilltop villages, such as Pienza and Montalcino. Its iconic image—a single cypress tree against rolling wheat fields—has been photographed millions of times. The Val d'Orcia is also a wine powerhouse, producing Brunello di Montalcino, which sells for an average of €60 per bottle—40% more than the typical Tuscan red. Visitors can walk the Via Francigena pilgrimage route, which sees 10 times fewer tourists than Cinque Terre's coastal path.