San Quirico d'Orcia

Traveling doesn't mean only taking planes and going to far away places, traveling is a way of living, a way of exepriencing any kind of situation and that's what I've been doing lately. Italy is probably one of the nicest country in the world (talking about beauties to see) and Tuscany is hands down the region which has the most to offer.
This post is about the part of Tuscany I like the most (and I know Tuscany very well since I spend more time there then in my hometown Rome): the Orcia valley (Val d'Orcia in Italian).
In one of my older posts you might have read about Pienza, or you might have run into a post about a trekking I did in this area...well, this time I'm gonna talk about San Quirico d'Orcia and again I'm gonna give you some great tips on how to explore the surroundings being sure not to miss the best part of it.
Starting from the accomodation, my lovely girlfriend invited me to stay over a fabulous Relais called Palazzo del Capitano. The hotel is in an ancient building perfectly restored just behind the majestic Palazzo Chigi (the city hall bulding), and here you can be sure to spend a delightfull vacation either enjoying the wellness center after a long day out or just chilling out on the marvelous terrace on a shiny sunny day. The restaurant, then, is just supreme. The Trattoria il Vecchio Forno is one of those few things in life you can count on, from the menu, to the wines, to the great service you get in a cozy location (during winter time is jsut sweet to have dinner in front of their powerful fire place) everything is just perfect and the only thing you can do once you're finished eating is to wait for the next culinary experience you'll have there.
And what's better then a nice walk after such a great meal?! You're only few steps away from the main square and the astonishing Horti Leonini from the 15th century; here you'll be able to walk through history deeped into a blinding green (check my pics in the post) surrounded by the powerful walls of the town and a sense of peace. But this amazing mediaval center has much more to offer: the "Collegiata" is another thing you can't miss visiting, because here is where you reach the highest level of beauty. I was speachless the first time I faced such a masterpiece and if you're so lucky (like I was) you might have the chance to attend a classical night concert in it depending on the events the town organize every once in a while.

But San Quirico is not only what's inside the walls. Even better is the outside, with its worldwide famouse surroundings and the many path leading you to hidden castles or colourful vineyards. What I did was to buy a detailed map of the many trails and start walking from early in the morning till down and get "lost" with my heart into such amazing locations and colors.
The first day my girlfriend and I had a 16 kilometers walk follwing the "Bagno Vignoni ring", an easy walk going through dirt roads, woods and follwing for a short time the river giving the name to the valley (the Orcia river indeed).
The following day, to rest from the great effort, we enjoyed the day visiting the many wine producers tasting and buying fresh squeezed olive oil and above the average wines (Poggio Grande is defenatly worth a visit especially for their Sesterzo wine).
The third day we totally challenged ourself and had a 30 kilometers trek starting from San Quirico to the Sant'Antimo abbey and back to Castello di Ripa d'Orcia getting lost few times but happy for that beacuse we saw things otherwise we would have never.
It's quite useless to speak to much about what we experienced during these walks and what we saw, it's better to let the pictures speak, and if you have any questions I will be more then happy to reply as fast as I can and in an accurate way.
Hope you enjoyed the post but above all I hope you'll visit these places.