Val d’Orcia, Civita di Bagnoregio

A 4-day roadtrip to Val d’Orcia, Civita di Bagnoregio

A lot of people who never visited Tuscany ask me « how come so many tourists from all over the World decide to spend their holidays in this countryside ? ». This is a question that can find an answer only once you visited the region. The tuscanian countryside is one of a kind, and the beuty and feeling of happiness you get while driving, riding or walking through the golden wheat fields cannot be described in a conversation.

Of course there are many tours you can follow in Tuscany, but I decided to organize something special for my brother and sister-in-law. As per usual, we started our roadtrip in Bologna, my hometown (go to this page to see the dedicated section), and we stopped for lunch in San Gimignano (150km-2h). This cute village is famous for its towers and its cistern. We walked through the mistic streets and we then drove to our destination, Montepulciano (100 km-1h30). I personally chose this village as base for the roadtrip in Val d’Orcia because of the wine quality. We stayed in an amazing Agriturismo, Agriturismo Godiolo, where you have an amazing glaze of the countryside. We relaxed a little bit at the pool and then we went to have dinner at Podere il Casale (11 km-20min), from which you have a pictoresque view on the Val d’Orcia.

The following day we visited Montepulciano and we had lunch in Cantina Gattavecchi, then we drove to Montalcino to have a tasting at Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona (47 km-50 min). The road to get there was mesmerizing, the wine was delicious and the personnel really kind. On the way back, we stopped at Terrapille to see where the famous scene from « The Gladiator » was filmed, and to Cappella della Madonna di Vitaleta. We drove back to Montepulciano and we stopped to visit il Tempio di San Biagio. That night we had a delicious dinner at our Agriturismo.

The next day we drove to Montepulciano to have breakfast at Caffè Poliziano, an old and exquisite bar with a balcony from which you can see the entire valley. After this quick stop, we drove towards Bagni San Filippo (30 km-35 min), where we enjoyed the free hotsprings for half a day. You can follow a fun and easy path that relies the different basins to the final waterfall, the White Whale. Just so you can get an idea, water goshes out at 48°C. Just keep in mind, you can park on the side of the street in Via Fosso Bianco (you need to pay), but the spots are limited. If needed, you can buy good sandwiches, water and else at Bar la Cascata.

After this quick and fun stop, we drove to our destination, Civita di Bagnoregio (64 km-1h10). You need to leave the car in a parking and walk to the bridge by either taking the steps or the long route. When passing by the steps, you can get the view of Civita from a panoramic viewpoint. Once at the beginning of the bridge, if you have luggages you can pay 5€ to have them delivered to your hotel, and one person can go with the driver, otherwise you can take the incredible walk over the bridge to get to the village. We slept at Vinto House Civita and we really loved the bedrooms. The village itself is magic but really small, so in one hour you are able to walk through every street. If you are sleeping there, reserve a table for dinner.

The next morning was our last day in Tuscany, and we drove to Florence (182 km-2h30) where we said goodbye to my brother and sister in-law, and then back to Bologna (110 km-1h30)! In Florence, you need to experience buying a glass of wine from a Buchetta del Vino!