Toscana: San Quirico d'Orcia

My parents flew into Florence to visit for a week and a half. I have been looking forward to this visit for many months as I had so many things to share with them and I was looking forward to discovering more of the countryside with them. We rented a car and drove around the hill towns of Tuscany and Umbria, then returned to Florence to spend a few more days in the 'cradle of the renaissance'.

The week was an aesthetic, cultural and culinary feast. I'd like to post each town we visited as its own unique story, beginning with San Quirico d'Orcia.

San Quirico is a magical town, quiet and immaculate, nestled in the Val d'Orcia, with views of Monte Amiata. We stayed in a small inn, Casa Lemmi, which I would highly recommend to anyone looking to spend time in the area around Montalcino and Montepulciano. Upon driving into the city walls we found the inn with a short note posted on the door. It greeted and instructed us to call Antonio, the proprietor. He would arrive subito (right away). In the meantime we enjoyed the view of the warm sunlight shining on the church from the piazza with a well in the center. And the chihuahua of San Quirico kept us company. Sweet little dog.



Our room was a suite on the second (European) floor with a view of the 12th century Collegiata church. We dined in a warm and welcoming restaurant full of families and had some of the best dishes I've tasted while here. We ordered crostini, pici (short, thick noodles), ravioli and something similar to beef stew which was so savory.

The following morning we met a nun in front of the Collegiata who was originally from the Philippines, then Roma, she just moved to San Quirico. She invited us to view the wooden chorale behind the altarpiece, regularly closed to the public. We entered the church and she turned on the lights specifically to view the brilliantly-crafted marquetry of the chorale. Mom and Dad lit candles before we left the church.




San Quirico is quite small, but in a limited space contains marvelous buildings, churches, gardens, shops and restaurants. It also exhibits its Etruscan, Norman and Roman histories.



Our visit to San Quirico d'Orcia was shorter than we would have liked. But we still had more to see. On the road to Pienza, this is the poetic landscape of the Val d'Orcia...



Related links:
> Val d'Orcia
> San Quirico d'Orcia
> Casa Lemmi