Oh my gosh, where to even begin here?! Do whatever you have to do to get yourself to Pienza! This gorgeous little place is an ancient walled city that overlooks the Val d’Orcia. The Val d’Orcia is the area of Tuscany that you think of when you think of Tuscany. This is the area that you see in all the great Tuscany movies. The Val d’Orcia is more gorgeous than it even comes across in pictures, and is an UNESCO World Heritage site. The area is just filled with rolling gold and green plains for as far as the eye can see. The town of Pienza itself is also an UNESCO World Heritage site. Pienza is filled pecorino cheese shops and houses that are just dripping with flowers. It is beyond beautiful and is everything that you wish an Italian Tuscan village would be. I would definitely recommend that you spend some time in the Val d’Orcia and visit Pienza. This area is a MUST-SEE. Pienza is known for being the “capital” of Pecorino cheese. The cheese is supposed to be some of the highest quality and most flavorful in the entire world because of the surplus of sheep farms in the area. And if you possibly needed another reason to visit this incredible place, the street names are all romantically themed- Via dell Amore (love street) and Via del Bacio (kiss street)- how adorable is that?! Pienza is also positioned between Montalcino and Montepulciano. We visited Montalcino and thought it was beautiful and the wine was amazing but it was nothing compared to Pienza. Pienza is just really something special. I would love to go back and stay a little longer in this area at some point.
If you are looking for a place to stay in the town of Pienza, I have heard that La Bandita is supposed to be wonderful. I peaked in its doors when we walked by and it looked beautiful. I also have heard wonderful things about L’Olmo, which is located in the Val d’Orcia a little bit outside of Pienza. L’Olmo also has a beautiful pool which is a definite plus during those hot Tuscan summer days.
