We are spending 3 nights in the Montalcino area. The first day enroute from San Gim. we will visit the Abbey at Sant' Atimo and arrive late Afternoon. Day two San Quirino, Pienza and Montipulciano. Would it be a wasted day to visit Cortona on day three or should we spend the last day wandering around the Val D'Orcia. I have heard really mixed reviews on Cortona...some are underwhelmed and others love the town.

Depends on whether you're a Frances Mayes fan or not. We visited Cortona before it was a "must see" because of her publications. Nice town and I know why others have enjoyed it, but wouldn't have put it on my "love it so much I would want everyone else to make a stop" list.

Have you been/are you going to Orvieto? That would be my choice if you don't want to stay close within Val D'Orcia.

A "must see" that I would recommned is the abbey at Monte Oliveto Maggiore to see the frescoes depicting the life of Saint Benedict by Signorelli and Sodoma and to make a stop at the abbey's local herbal store. Very close by is Sant'Anna in Camprena, with more frescoes by Sodoma (scenes from the English Patient were filmed here).

I agree with so many on this board, the Val D'Orcia area is superb. We took a different drive from Sant'Antimo. We were lucky enough to attend services at the abbey on a Sunday morning, drove above the town for a terrace lunch in Castelnuovo dell'Abate, and then descended down into the valley to travel south to see Monte Amiata. The slopes are covered with a beautiful pine forrest (also covered with families searching for mushrooms on this lovely September afternoon.) Just a thought if you enjoy the countryside and are driving.

Thank you for the information. We are spending our first night in Orvieto on our way to Siena and San Gim. We are worried about trying to cram too much into the itinerary and not truly enjoying the adventure. It is hard to strike a balance between wanting to see it all and knowing that you can't possibly do that without putting your trip in jeopardy of spending most of your time rushing to your next stop. I understand that it takes longer to get from town to town in Tuscany on the secondary road.

Hi!

I clicked on your name, and see your original travel post with itinerary. It looks like you are planning a fantastic trip. I remember reading your original post and thinking that one thing I would change would be to drop Cortona. Especially now that I see you will be seeing some great towns in Umbria, I would stay in Val D'Orcia.

I found the SlowTrav web site helpful for drives in this area. Here's two detailed ones:

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/tuscany/cypress_roads.htm

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/tuscan...ng_tuscany.htm

This second one is written by Stu Dudley, who posts frequently here on Val D'Orcia. We took most of the drive and it was as beautiful as he described. It does take a little longer to drive the secondary roads. We loved that - just enjoying the scenery and beautiful towns. I found the scenery, especially near the Lazio border, to be much more dramatic that the area around Florence/Chianti.

Have fun - such great choices.

While my husband & I loved Pienza, Montapulciano, San Quirico, Montalcino, we were underwhelmed with Cortona. Hope you have a wonderful trip...

If you go to Cortona you will find posters for "Under the Tuscan Sun"...you will not,however find the fountain...it was a set for the movie!

We liked Cortona...to each his own!

TXEER (AKA Uncle Sam)

I think you can find a lot to do by staying close to your base, but I would like to add a suggestion as an alternative to Cortona: Arezzo.

After last year, it is my new favorite and we are going for at least a day trip again this year.

Go Crazy. We stayed in Cortona just before Hurricane Frances hit and loved it...but it really doesn't compare to the Val D'Orcia IMO.

Thank you for your feedback...I think we will leave that day open to explore. SusanEva...thank you for the links...I will have a look to get some suggestions on lovely drives in the region we are staying. We are seeing some nice hilltowns already so we should not spoil our trip by trying to see too much. I confess I rented Under a Tuscan Sun again on Saturday night to get a feel for Cortona. I watched the special features which did show that the fountain was added to the set for the movie. Although Cortona looks charming and the drive from Montipulciano is supposed to be very scenic, I think our day may be better spent in the Val D'Orcia.

>>SusanEva...thank you for the links...I will have a look to get some suggestions on lovely drives in the region we are staying. We are seeing some nice hilltowns already so we should not spoil our trip by trying to see too much.<<<<

E-mail me at [email protected] if you want my Italy itinerary, which includes the drive on SlowTrav and a few other drives in the area

>>I confess I rented Under a Tuscan Sun again on Saturday night to get a feel for Cortona. I watched the special features which did show that the fountain was added to the set for the movie. Although Cortona looks charming and the drive from Montipulciano is supposed to be very scenic<<

It is scenic close to Montepulciano, but once you get past Torrita & the freeway, it's not as scenic.

Many of those pretty countryside scenes from the movie were not shot near Cortone - they are in the Val d'Orcia. That litle church on a hilltop with cypress trees around it is just a few Ks east of San Quirico - you will see it when you drive on the N146. It looks different with various sun exposures on it. It's perhaps best in the late afternoon. That double row of cypress trees "dancing" up a hill are near La Foce, just south of Montepulciano.

>>I think our day may be better spent in the Val D'Orcia.<<

If you like to hike, get a detailed map at a bookstore, drive the car down one of the dirt roads, and follow one of the walking paths shown on the map. We like the one from San Quirico to Pienza.

Stu Dudley

I am extremely biased, because I spent my honeymoon in Montepulciano, but I would suggest you consider an overnight there. It is one of the larger hilltowns, and has a few excellent restaurants (particularly Acquacheta). It sounds as though you could be arriving late afternoon, after visiting San Q. and Pienza. I would suggest having a leisurely dinner and walk in Montepulciano, and leaving the following morning open for exploring the various cantinas- and wine tasting! Follow that up with lunch and you're good to go!