Val d'Orcia
A valley of gentle, cultivated hills south of Siena, running towards Monte Amiata and dotted with towns such as Pienza and Montalcino. Its lines of cypresses and lone farmhouses have been painted since the Renaissance, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape.
- Where
- Pienza, Tuscany, Italy
- Grade
- UNESCO heritage
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 8 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 43.0667, 11.5500
Get the Val d'Orcia stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Val d'Orcia. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Tuscany volume with your photos and a note.
Near Val d'Orcia
Piazza del Campo 33 km
The shell-shaped main square of Siena, sloping down to the Palazzo Pubblico and its tall Torre del Mangia, and one of Europe's great medieval squares. Twice each summer it becomes the track for the Palio, a bareback horse race between the city's districts.
Siena Cathedral 33 km
A medieval cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, striped inside and out in bands of white and dark green marble. Its floor is a vast series of pictures inlaid in coloured marble, and its library is frescoed in bright colours by Pinturicchio.
Orvieto Cathedral 60 km
A large 14th-century cathedral dedicated to the Assumption, its striped front covered in gold mosaics and carved reliefs. Inside, the Chapel of San Brizio holds Luca Signorelli's frescoes of the Last Judgement.
San Gimignano 61 km
A small walled hill town in the province of Siena that still keeps about a dozen of its medieval tower houses, giving it one of the most recognisable skylines in Tuscany. Its churches and town hall hold 14th and 15th century frescoes, and its historic centre is a UNESCO site.
Civita di Bagnoregio 67 km
A tiny medieval village perched on a crumbling pinnacle of volcanic rock, about 120 km north of Rome. The only way in is a long footbridge from Bagnoregio across the valley, and the slow erosion of its cliffs earned it the name of the dying town.
Piazzale Michelangelo 81 km
A broad terrace on the hill in the Oltrarno with the most famous view of Florence, across the river to the cathedral dome and the towers. A bronze copy of Michelangelo's David stands in the middle, and the parapet is crowded at sunset.
Boboli Gardens 81 km
A large hillside park laid out in the mid-16th century as the garden of the Medici's Pitti Palace, and a model for princely gardens across Europe. Its paths lead past statues, fountains and artificial grottoes up to views over the city.
Palazzo Pitti 81 km
A vast Renaissance palace south of the Arno, begun in 1458 for the banker Luca Pitti and later the main home of the Medici grand dukes. It now holds several museums of paintings, costume and decorative art, and opens at the back onto the Boboli Gardens.
More UNESCO World Heritage sites in Tuscany
Questions
Where is Val d'Orcia?
Val d'Orcia is in Pienza, Tuscany, Italy. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Piazza del Campo (33 km), Siena Cathedral (33 km), Orvieto Cathedral (60 km).
How do I get the Val d'Orcia stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Val d'Orcia and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Tuscany volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Val d'Orcia before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Tuscany volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.