The Val d'Orcia or Valdorcia () is a region of

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 ...

, central Italy, which extends from the hills south 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 ...

to Monte Amiata. Its gentle, cultivated hills are occasionally broken by gullies and by towns and villages such as Pienza (rebuilt as an " ideal town" in the 15th century under the patronage of

Pope Pius II Pope Pius II (, ), born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini (; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 August 1458 to his death in 1464. Aeneas Silvius was an author, diplomat, ...

), Radicofani (home to the notorious brigand-hero Ghino di Tacco) and

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 ...

(the Brunello di Montalcino is counted among the most prestigious of Italian wines). Its landscape has been depicted in works of art from

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

painting to modern photography.

World Heritage

The Val d'Orcia was added to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

list of

World Heritage Sites World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

in 2004.

Orcia DOC

Within the Val d'Orcia is a strip of land following the Orcia river between the DOCG zones of Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Here Sangiovese and Trebbiano-based wines are produced under the Orcia ''

Denominazione di origine controllata The following four classification of wine, classifications of wine constitute the Italy, Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine: * ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; 'designation of origin'); * ''Indicazione ...

'' (DOC) status. The DOC red wine is composed of at least 60 per cent Sangiovese with other local varieties, such as Abrusco, permitted to fill in the remainder of the blend. The dry white wine and '' Vin Santo'' style DOC wines are composed of at least 50 per cent Trebbiano filled out with other local varieties. All grapes destined for DOC wine production are limited to a maximum

harvest Harvesting is the process of collecting plants, animals, or fish (as well as fungi) as food, especially the process of gathering mature crops, and "the harvest" also refers to the collected crops. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulses fo ...

yield of 10

tonnes The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton in the United States to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the s ...

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...

, with the finished wines required to have a minimum alcohol level of at least 12 per cent.

Historic railways heritage site

Val d'Orcia is crossed by a 19th-century railway, whose tracks, stations and tunnels are continually maintained in working order, the normal railway service provided by the state having been discontinued in 1994. The scenic line connects the small town of

Asciano Asciano () is a ''comune'' and hill town in the province of Siena in the Italy, Italian region Tuscany. It is located at the centre of the Crete senesi between the river Ombrone and the torrent Copra, some southeast of the town of Siena by rail. ...

with Monte Antico using historic steam engines and carriages on selected dates throughout the year, to serve visitors to local festivals.

Film locations

Val d'Orcia has been a location for many well-known films, including: *''

8½ ''8½'' ( ) is a 1963 Italian avant-garde arthouse comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Federico Fellini. The metafictional narrative centers on famous Italian film director Guido Anselmi ( Marcello Mastroianni) who suffers from writer ...

'' by

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He is known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and ...

(1963) *'' Brother Sun, Sister Moon'' by Franco Zeffirelli (1972) *'' Nostalghia'' by

Andrei Tarkovsky Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky (, ; 4 April 1932 – 29 December 1986) was a Soviet film director and screenwriter of Russian origin. He is widely considered one of the greatest directors in cinema history. Works by Andrei Tarkovsky, His films e ...

(1983) * ''The English Patient'' by

Anthony Minghella Anthony Minghella (6 January 195418 March 2008) was a British film director, playwright, and screenwriter. He was chairman of the board of Governors at the British Film Institute between 2003 and 2007. He directed ''Truly, Madly, Deeply (film), ...

(1996) *'' Stealing Beauty'' by Bernardo Bertolucci (1996) *''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'' by Michael Hoffman (1999) *''

Gladiator A gladiator ( , ) was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their ...

'' by

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...

(2000)

In literature

The book '' War in Val d'Orcia'' by Iris Origo (1902–1988) is a detailed, first-hand account of the World War II events of 1943–1944 in the region, written as a diary in English.Iris Margaret Origo, Marchioness: ''War in Val d'Orcia. A Diary'' (London: Jonathan Cape, 1947 (British Library details).

Gallery

File:Val D Orcia Sunrise (151505625).jpeg File:Siena Hills - Montalcino, Siena, Italy - june 23, 2018.jpg File:Castiglione-Scenery-2012.JPG File:Castiglione d'Orcia, Province of Siena, Tuscany, Italy - panoramio.jpg File:Orcia cipressi 001.jpg File:San Quirico d'Orcia - lo.tangelini.jpg File:Toscana - Val d'Orcia - dalla Via della Foce - Flickr - Oishi Kuranosuke.jpg File:Dry and Desolate (Unsplash).jpg File:Cypress (257433311).jpeg

References

External links

Val d'Orcia Natural Park (Official page)UNESCO World Heritage Centre :: Val d’OrciaHeritage railways in Val d'Orcia. The Asciano-Monte Antico line
{{Authority control Romanesque architecture in Tuscany Hilltowns in Tuscany Valleys of Tuscany World Heritage Sites in Italy