The landscapes of the Val d’Orcia bear witness to time and history. Here nature has seen the centuries flow by and civilizations alternate; each has left something behind, each in its own way has contributed to the appearance that today presents itself to the eye and is difficult to forget.
In its inherently naturalistic nature, this land is diverse and heterogeneous: almost wild forests populated by chestnut groves and monumental trees alternate with landscapes with an unusual, sometimes foreign and fascinating appearance-almost lunar-where the rock formations called calanchi and biancane show a different face of the land, far from the imaginary one of tall cypresses and verdant slopes.
In the gentler part of the Val d’Orcia, these very iconic trees with foliage that rises skyward line romantic white roads that invite you to take it easy, gliding through the curves on the two wheels of a bicycle or walking along ancient historic roads that pilgrims used to travel.
But this land is also linked to the fire of volcanoes-such as that of Mount Amiata-and to the streams of water that from time to time refresh or warm: springs and springs of fresh water flow through the dense woods, while the sulfurous smell of thermal waters reveals the presence of natural pools, before flowing away again, between the green and the earth.
The more docile face of the Val d’Orcia, shaped by man to be not only elegant but also peaceful and protective, is shown in the gardens or “museum” forests where artists have scattered contemporary, sometimes philosophical and mysterious works. Villas with historic charm house green areas within them where each plant finds its place in a larger design of geometry and color, where one can also find the signature of a great master like Michelangelo.
In Val d’Orcia, nature is more than just a succession of landscapes: it is the active protagonist of this place, narrator of the stories that have been unfolding here since before the Etruscans populated the area. A World Heritage landscape to be lived intensely and protected with care.
