8 notable places within an hour's drive.
cathedral
Abbey of Sant'Antimo
Luminous Romanesque abbey of pale travertine and alabaster standing alone among olive groves below Montalcino, founded: legend says, by Charlemagne. Time a visit for the canonical hours when chant fills the 12th-century nave.
14 km · about 25 min drive
scenic viewpoint
Val d'Orcia
A UNESCO-listed Tuscan valley of rolling hills, cypress-lined roads, and golden wheat fields that define the Italian countryside.
21 km · about 25 min drive
waterfall
Cascate del Mulino, Saturnia
Free natural thermal terraces of warm turquoise water cascade beside an old mill in Tuscany's Maremma.
25 km · about 30 min drive
landmark
Pienza
A tiny Tuscan town redesigned in the 15th century as an ideal Renaissance city and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
26 km · about 30 min drive
landmark
Pitigliano
Tufa-rock town rising sheer from the Maremma canyons, riddled with Etruscan cave cellars and the sunken 'vie cave' walkways carved into the cliffs. Known as 'Little Jerusalem' for its historic Jewish quarter and synagogue.
29 km · about 35 min drive
landmark
Montepulciano
A Renaissance hilltop town in southern Tuscany celebrated for its Vino Nobile wine and elegant Piazza Grande.
32 km · about 35 min drive
ancient ruins
Abbey of San Galgano
Roofless 13th-century Gothic abbey open to the sky in a Tuscan field, beside the Montesiepi chapel where Galgano's sword remains thrust into the rock: a genuine 'sword in the stone'. Grass floor, intact walls, no crowds at dusk.
44 km · about 50 min drive
cathedral
Orvieto
A dramatic Umbrian hill town perched atop volcanic tufa cliffs, crowned by one of Italy's most ornate Gothic cathedrals.
50 km · about 60 min drive