Tuscany & Montepulciano Day Trip from Rome with Estate Lunch

Montepulciano, Tuscany's Renaissance Hill Town

Perched on a limestone ridge at about 600 metres, Montepulciano is one of the highest and most elegant hill towns in southern Tuscany. Its main street, the Corso, climbs steeply past Renaissance palaces designed by architects such as Antonio da Sangallo and Michelozzo, towards the Piazza Grande at the top of the town.

The square is framed by the Palazzo Comunale, with a tower that echoes the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, and the unfinished brick façade of the cathedral. From the town walls the views stretch across the Val di Chiana and the Val d'Orcia. A Montepulciano day trip from Rome usually gives you around two hours here with your guide and on your own.

The Church of San Biagio

Just below the walls of Montepulciano, at the end of an avenue of cypress trees, stands the Church of San Biagio, built between 1518 and 1545 by Antonio da Sangallo the Elder. Made of warm travertine stone on a Greek-cross plan with a central dome, it is considered one of the masterpieces of High Renaissance architecture in Italy.

The church sits alone in a green meadow, with the hill town above and open countryside below, and it is one of the most photographed buildings in Tuscany. Your coach stops here so you can see its harmonious proportions up close. Early morning or late afternoon light shows the golden stone at its best.

Pienza, the Ideal Renaissance Town

Pienza was a small village called Corsignano until one of its sons became Pope Pius II. Between 1459 and 1462 he had the architect Bernardo Rossellino rebuild its centre as an ideal Renaissance town, the first example of Renaissance town planning. The cathedral, the Palazzo Piccolomini and the town hall frame a perfectly proportioned square.

Behind the Palazzo Piccolomini, the walk along the town walls offers one of the finest panoramas over the Val d'Orcia, and the narrow lanes carry charming names such as Via dell'Amore. Pienza is also famous for its pecorino cheese, sold in small shops throughout the town. Its historic centre has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996.

The Val d'Orcia and Lunch at a Farm Estate

Between Pienza and Montepulciano lies the Val d'Orcia, the landscape of soft hills, lines of cypresses, farmhouses and winding white roads that many people picture when they think of Tuscany. Shaped by Renaissance landowners as an ideal countryside, it was listed by UNESCO in 2004, and the views from the coach are part of the pleasure of this Tuscany tour from Rome.

In the middle of the day you stop at a working Tuscan farm estate for a three-course lunch based on local produce, including a demonstration of how fresh pasta is rolled and cut by hand. It is a relaxed break in the countryside before the afternoon visit and the drive back to Rome.