San Quirico d'Orcia is a ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' (municipality) of about 2,500 inhabitants in the

Province of Siena The province of Siena (, ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Siena. It has 259,826 inhabitants. Geography The province is divided into seven historical areas: * Alta Val d'Elsa * Chian ...

in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

region

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, located about southeast of

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

and about southeast of

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

inside the Valdorcia landscape. It is named in honor of Saint Quiricus. Located on the

Via Francigena The Via Francigena (), also known as Francisca or Romea, is an ancient road and Christian pilgrimage, pilgrimage route running from the City status in the United Kingdom#Cathedral towns, cathedral city of Canterbury in England, through France and ...

, San Quirico d'Orcia borders the municipalities of

Castiglione d'Orcia Castiglione d'Orcia is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italian region of Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence and about southeast of Siena, in the Val d'Orcia, not far from the Via Cassia. Castiglione d'Orci ...

Montalcino Montalcino is a hill town and ''comune'' in the province of Siena, Tuscany, central Italy. The town is located to the west of Pienza, close to the Crete Senesi in Val d'Orcia. It is from Siena, from Florence and from Pisa. Monte Amiata is l ...

and Pienza.

Main sights

The ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'' of Vignoni houses a castle, a residence of the Salimbeni family in the 12th century. It includes a top-less tower and a Romanesque church, once housing a crufix by Giambologna, now in the Museum of

. Annexed is also the (rebuilt) 15th century ''Palazzo degli Amerighi'', where a plot was set against the Spanish who menaced

in 1558–59. San Quirico is home to the following churches: * Collegiate church of ''San Quirico''. Once a rural ''

pieve In Italy in the Middle Ages, a ''pieve'' (, ; ; : ''pievi'') was a rural church with a baptistery, upon which other churches without baptisteries depended. ''Pieve'' is also an Italian and Corsican term signifying the medieval ecclesiastical/a ...

'' (pleban church) from the 8th century, with a baptismal font, it was rebuilt into the current structure in the 12th century. The rear section was altered in 1663 to add the choir. It is on the Latin cross plan, with a single nave and side chapels. Notable is the main portal, in Lombard style, consisting in a decorated protiro in

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

, with columns supported by lions. The arch includes ten columns, whose capitals are decorated with animals and vegetable figures, while the

architrave In classical architecture, an architrave (; , also called an epistyle; ) is the lintel or beam, typically made of wood or stone, that rests on the capitals of columns. The term can also apply to all sides, including the vertical members, ...

features two crocodiles facing each other. The lunette has a high-relief sculpture allegedly portraying St. Damasus, though likely to be identified with St. Quiricus. A side portal, added in the 13th century, has been attributed to

Giovanni Pisano Giovanni Pisano () was an Italian sculptor, painter and architect, who worked in the cities of Pisa, Siena and Pistoia. He is best known for his sculpture which shows the influence of both the French Gothic and the Ancient Roman art. Henry Mo ...

, who was in Siena at the time. Most of the interior decoration date to the 17th century, while the bell tower was rebuilt in 1798–1806. * Romanesque church of ''San Biagio a Vignoni'' * Church of ''Santa Maria Assunta'' (late 11th century) * Church of ''Madonna di Vitaleta'', housing a "Madonna" attributed to Andrea della Robbia * Church of ''San Giovanni Battista'', at Bagno Vignoni * Horti Leonini (1561), an example of

Italian garden Italian garden (or giardino all'italiana, ) typically refers to a style of gardens, wherever located, reflecting a number of large Italian Renaissance gardens which have survived in something like their original form. In the history of gardenin ...

References

External links

Official website

Cities and towns in Tuscany Val d'Orcia {{Siena-geo-stub