Pienza and Montepulciano from Siena: a small-group tour with lunch and tasting of traditional produce

If looking at images of Tuscany you have always dreamed of enjoying a life-time trip through its fantastic sceneries, our 'Tour from Siena to Pienza and Montepulciano with lunch and cheese and Montepulciano wine tasting’ is the perfect opportunity to turn your dream into reality. As part of a small group and on a minibus equipped with every comfort, you will be escorted from Siena to Pienza along one of the most beautiful and scenic roads of the whole region. During the journey you will in fact be able to admire the unique and fascinating Crete Senesi landscape and relish the opportunity to take postcard-like snaps.

You will then continue and enter another sublime Tuscan area: Val d’Orcia, a Unesco site amongst the most renowned in the regiom. This, in turn, contains that precious gem that is the city of Pienza, famous for its beautiful Renaissance architecture but also for the scrumptious Tuscan seasoned goat cheese. After visiting the charming town and a Pienza dairy farm, during lunch you will taste the flavoursome Pienza cheese and other Tuscan delicacies washed down with some good wine. Speaking of excellent Tuscan wine, after your senses have been delighted by the top quality of the lunch, you will leave for Montepulciano, Tuscany, Italy, one of the most famous places for the production of wine. Here, too, you will have time to visit the village, its marvellous square and its quaint streets jam-packed with tempting small shops. But this is not the end of it... we will add something else to your dream to make it come true: a delicious tasting of the famous Montepulciano red wine. Just make sure you take it easy with it, otherwise ... no more dreaming! 

Are you still day-dreaming about the hills, the castles, the wine and the villages? Well, then let us give you the chance to dream some more by telling you in detail how your fantastic day between Siena and Montepulciano passing through Pienza in Val D'Orcia will unfold. After this, no more dreaming though, instead book our tour and treat yourself to this unforgettable experience!

The first leg of your adventure to discover the surroundings of Siena, will take you on a short tour of the Crete Senesi landscape. The scenic road on your journey from Siena to Pienza will cross an area of Tuscany that, due to its geological structure, highly resembles a moon-like landscape. The rolling Tuscan hills here are in fact subjected to erosive phenomena that give rise to incredible natural features, with calanchi and biancane being the most striking ones. Be it during the verdant springtime, the sun-dappled days of summer or the gloomy winter ones, these landscapes have always attracted hordes of photographers striving to shoot the perfect photo among the Crete Senesi. You too can indulge in this fascinating activity! During the journey there will be many stops when, mesmerized by the surrounding beauty, you will be able to give free rein to your creative side whilst grappling with the choices for the framing, exposure and colors of your photos. So, your daydream experience will be imbued not just with enduring emotions, but also with fantastic photos of the Crete Senesi landscape.

After the magical trip through the hills and calanchi, you will reach the Unesco Val D'Orcia. This is another area sporting spectacular landscapes: rolling hills dotted with ancient parishes, castles and quaint historic towns. Pienza is one of the many gems to be treasured in this area and it could not have been otherwise, since it was built with the intention of making it an example of architectural and artistic beauty. It was in fact Pope Pius II, born Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who, with the help of the architect Bernard known as ‘il Rosellino’, transformed the simple town of Corsigliano into Pienza: 'the ideal Renaissance city'. Interesting, don’t you think? Make sure you wander through the streets of this delightful ancient town and let yourself be captivated by its by-gone charm, you will have plenty of time to see the Cathedral, the papal residence or Palazzo Piccolomini, the Town Hall and the enchanting Piazza Centrale. I know what you're thinking: ‘isn’t Pienza known for the Tuscan famous cheese’?' Yes, you are definitely right, that's spot on! In fact, we will give you the opportunity to visit a traditional Pienza dairy farm where you will discover all the secrets behind the Pienza cheese production. At this point it will be the right time to have lunch that you will enjoy on the terrace of the farm or in a typical restaurant. In both cases you will not fail to appreciate the many appetizing and mouth-watering Tuscan delicacies ...!

You will continue your tour of Val D'Orcia heading to another one amongst the most beautiful towns in Tuscany: Montepulciano, Italy. Due to its striking beauty, it is often chosen as a film set for important national and international productions. It is here in Montepulciano (Siena) where some scenes of 'New Moon', a chapter of the 'Twilight' saga, were shot, as well as the last part of the TV series 'I Medici'. As in Pienza, you will have free time to decide, with no rushing, what to see in Montepulciano. Some advice? Stroll along the Corso, the elegant sixteenth-century street that leads to the wonderful Piazza Grande, a collection of beautiful buildings such as Palazzo Comunale, Palazzo Contucci and Palazzo Nobili-Tratugi. Take a walk outside the walls, for the chance to see the Church of Sant'Agnese, the Medici Fortress and the Gracciano Gate. That said, Montepulciano is famous all over the world for something else and we are sure that you know it too: you will surely be aware that in this area one of the three most famous and delicious Tuscan wines is produced: the Montepulciano Nobile wine. Anyway, if your knowledge was deficient in this respect, with our tour we will help you to make up for it. If instead you are already an expert, you will find a way to further deepen your knowledge on the subject. How? In the best possible way: visiting one of the wineries in Montepulciano, Italy, where the delicious vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG is produced. Here you will be told intriguing secrets, interesting anecdotes and fascinating facts about the delicious nectar. And to cap it all off, we will not deny you the chance to gain a bit of first-hand experience and please your taste buds: when it comes to wine, more than the theory, what counts is tasting it! Our wine tasting in Montepulciano, Italy, of Rosso di Montepulciano wine will be the icing on the cake of a truly unforgettable day: breath-taking sceneries, the treasures of Montepulciano and Pienza and finally all the flavours of Tuscany thanks to the two tastings of good Montepulciano wines and traditional produce.

Sounds like a dream? Do you want to make it real? No need for a magic wand, fairies or wizardry, just click on 'book' and you will finally discover Tuscany the way you have always dreamed about... what are you waiting for?