After two days of exploring northern Tuscany and visiting Florence, Lucca, and Pisa, we headed further south into the countryside. For me, that's the most beautiful and authentic part of Tuscany. Driving through the Tuscan hills, surrounded by olive trees, vineyards, and cypress trees, is when you get to experience one of Italy's most stunning and iconic landscapes. The rolling Tuscan hills create picturesque views and idyllic scenes that have inspired countless artists, photographers, and filmmakers. Four days felt almost too short to explore the countryside, with stops in towns surrounded by stone walls and shades of brick, each one charming us all over again.
We parked in the campervan lot and entered the town through the city gates, then climbed the steep steps up to Volterra. It is a beautiful gem in Tuscany, rich in Etruscan, Roman, and medieval heritage. At Piazza dei Priori, we had a coffee, stopped by the tourist information centre to grab a map, and then set off for a stroll through the medieval streets. The narrow streets and pathways took us to great viewpoints over the Tuscan hills. We walked past the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and headed to Piazzetta dei Fornelli, another perfect spot for taking photos, where we enjoyed amazing views of the area. From Via Lungo le Mura del Mandorlo, we admired the remains of a Roman theatre from the 1st century AD, which was only discovered in 1950 during archaeological excavations.
The local road from Volterra to San Gimignano gave us an authentic Tuscan experience—driving through hills, vineyards, and olive groves with stunning views all around. We spotted San Gimignano from a distance, as its iconic towers quickly catch the eye anyone visting. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, surrounded by 13th-century city walls, and you can get in through one of the five gates. We parked in the car park and entered the city through the Porte San Giovani gate.
We strolled through the town and then went for some Tuscan pizza. We didn't get the ice cream at the well-known gelateria Dondoli, which is said to be one of the best and has won loads of awards. The line was just too long, stretching all the way across the square! As we passed by Piazza del Duomo, we saw the police telling two street performers to stop, and the crowd on the steps of the church seemed to enjoy that even more than the performance itself. We then made our way up to the park and the medieval ruins. There, we stumbled upon another fantastic spot for taking photos with a view of the magnificent towers and vineyards in the background.
In the dusk, just before sunset, we arrived at the medieval village of Monteriggioni, which feels untouched by time—as if it has never changed, even though it was built by the Sienese in the 13th century. The town is said to have been named by the poet Dante Alighieri in his Divine Comedy. We parked in the lower car park and walked along the winding road to the city walls. We missed our chance to stroll along the city walls for a few minutes, so we decided to explore two parallel little streets in this charming village and grabbed a drink at a café by the town gate.
We visited Siena in the morning. We wandered through the streets of the town, which has preserved the unchanging shine of its golden age from the 13th century. The architecture of the city is wonderful, as it adapts to the landscape and follows its winds and slopes. We went up the steep streets, admiring the arched walkways between the buildings and the boutique shops on the ground floors. We passed the cathedral and the Baptistery of San Giovanni Battista, then climbed the white marble steps up to the square with the Duomo. We visited the Duomo and were amazed by the library with its incredible Pinturicchio frescoes and ceiling paintings.
While enjoying our coffee in the square, we couldn't help but admire the towering 120-metre high Torre del Mangia. We went to see the underground passageways and accidentally discovered beautiful little corners of the city, where cafés, fountains, and memorial plaques dedicated to important residents of Siena can be found. This led us to the main square, Piazza del Campo, which is huge and breathtaking. It's got a fountain, the Gothic town hall, and the famous bell tower all around it. The square slopes gently and is surrounded by buildings that come together, with cafés and little shops on the ground floor.
Next, we enjoyed the most beautiful panoramic drive through the Val d'Orcia valley, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is famous for its picturesque landscapes with hills, vineyards, cypress trees, and charming villages. We caught many stunning views, searched for the scene from the Gladiator film, and admired the most common images of Tuscany, like the winding roads lined with cypress trees. We stopped between Pienza and San Quirico d'Orcia and took a walk along a dirt road to the Vitaleta chapel with its bell tower. The sacred site in the middle of the Tuscan countryside now has a restaurant next to it and was a popular spot for many other tourists as well.
Pienza is a small but very charming Renaissance town. When we entered through the city gate (Porta al Murello), we didn't even know how much we would be impressed by the city. We quickly swapped the main street leading to Piazza Pio II for a panoramic road along the city walls, where the views were fantastic. In this area, you'll find the streets Via dell'Amore (Street of Love) and Via del Bacio (Street of Kisses). Since we were right in the heart of Tuscany, we picked up some pici pasta and corino cheese, as Pienza is known as the "capital" of this cheese. We turned off the square into another lovely street lined with flowers, then found a restaurant where we ordered red wine and pici pasta.
Despite the morning rain, we headed for the city of Montepulciano. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, there was also a fair happening in the town during our visit. Because of that, the crowds were much bigger, water was dripping from the tent wings, and we had to slow down our walking to keep up with all the people around us. But we definitely got a sense of genuine local life. Luckily, the stalls in front of the city walls came to an end, and it stopped raining just as we started exploring the town. We visited a wine shop where you can taste different Tuscan wines for four euros per decilitre. We didn't do any tasting, but we did buy a few bottles. Then we entered the fortress (Fortezza) through the park, where a German artist named Carin Grudda was having an exhibition. We kept coming across her bronze sculptures while walking around the town. We took a peek at the Ricci Palace and discovered a beautiful panoramic point on the surrounding green hills. It was time for a dose of caffeine, and of course, I couldn't resist the chocolate shop along the way, where I bought us some chocolate cones.
On the last day, we finally caught up with the "Italian" pace of eating. When our stomachs were ready for lunch, it was time for a panini, while the Italians only started opening their kitchens for dinner and the smell of pasta filled the air. We chose our bread and then picked from a variety of fillings, vegetables, cheeses, and cold cuts. My panini with truffle spread, arugula, and corino cheese was absolutely delicious. It started raining heavily, so Arezzo didn't impress us too much. We probably would have experienced a different side of the city in sunny weather, where art, history, and culture mark every corner of this historic centre. With our stop in Arezzo, we actually said goodbye to our six-day adventure in Italy and bid farewell to Tuscany (until next time).
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