En
San Quirico d'Orcia
San Quirico d’Orcia, a small but charming town, is located in the Val d’Orcia, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This element alone is an additional reason to visit the beautiful village of Etruscan origins. Nestled in the picturesque scenery of the Sienese hills, the country lies along the ancient Via Francigena and will charm you with its atmosphere, picturesque landscapes, and ancient traditions.
Discover
San Quirico D’Orcia is a small but charming village located in the heart of the Val D’Orcia, a place of extreme charm. The landscapes, with cypresses, sunflowers, soft hills are already a work of art worth photographing in your mind. Strolling through the village, the most significant religious monument we encounter is the Collegiate Church, a magnificent example of a Romanesque building with three portals in three different styles, together with the Church of St. Francis, called “of the Madonna” by the inhabitants because the Madonna of Vitaleta preserved in the chapel of the same name is kept here. The enchanting gardens known as Horti Leonini are named after their owner and have kept their original structure to this day, representing a perfect example of a classic Italian garden. The lower rhombus-shaped area consists of triangular flowerbeds bordered by a double box hedge, and has a statue of Cosimo III dei Medici, sculpted by Bartolomeo Mazzuoli in 1688, in the center. The long avenue, leads to a staircase that connects the garden to a grassy forecourt in the middle of a forest of centuries-old holm oaks crisscrossed by winding paths. Impossible not to be enchanted by it. Not far from the historic center of San Quirico d’Orcia, in the heart of the hills of the Val D’Orcia, is Cappella di Vitaleta, framed between two rows of cypress trees.The church, probably of late Renaissance origin, is first mentioned in a document from 1590. The religious building was later redesigned both externally and internally by architect Giuseppe Partini in 1884, who was inspired by 16th-century models.
The statue of the Madonna attributed to Andrea della Robbia comes from Cappella di Vitaleta, which has been preserved inside the church of the Madonna di Vitaleta in the historic center of San Quirico d’Orcia since 1870.
Historical events
Orcia Wine Festival
In April, conceived by the City of San Quirico d'Orcia in the wonderful 17th-century rooms of Palazzo Chigi. Within the exhibition space is given to guided technical tastings, tasting of wines and typical products, as well as the opportunity for wine tourists to visit wineries directly. The Orcia Wine Festival is an event that enhances the value of the product of excellence by linking it inextricably to the territory of origin, a concrete way to give wineries the opportunity to promote their wines, getting in touch with insiders, operators and enthusiasts.
Tuscan Musical Landscapes
Type: classical music review
Paesaggi Musicali Toscani, nothing more than a classical music review featuring great artists of international renown each year, offers concerts of the highest quality in the Val d'Orcia venues that have been called among the most beautiful in the world.
il Festival
Type: Festival of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Since 1993 San Quirico d'Orcia has dedicated the days near the Feast of the Immaculate Conception to promoting the fine new oil produced from the area's olive trees. It is a real Festival of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, with a rich program of events such as conferences, award ceremonies, shows, walks in the beautiful Val d'Orcia. Throughout the duration of the Festival there will be various food stands in the historic center of the town where it will be possible to taste typical products and dishes of Valdorcian cuisine. There will certainly be no shortage of bruschetta with olio novo.
Barbarossa Festival (third weekend of June)
Since 1962, on the third weekend in June, San Quirico d'Orcia has celebrated the passing of Frederick I Hohenstaufen with the Festa del Barbarossa. The historic center was divided into four Districts originated from the logic of medieval toponymy: the Borgo District, black and white; the Canneti District, white and blue; the Castello District, white and red; and the Prato District, white and green. Evocative and symbolic is the reenactment,during which the protagonists reenact the meeting between Emperor Barbarossa and the Cardinals, the civil and religious authorities of San Quirico at the time, the nobles, the people and the armies. The four neighborhoods for the Feast of Barbarossa, compete in spectacular challenges between archers and bishops to win the Emperor's Pitchers.
How to get to San Quirico d'Orcia
San Quirico d’Orcia is 27 km from Chianciano Terme and can be reached either by car or by suburban bus connections available on weekdays.