The best hiking trails around the Chapel of the Madonna di Vitaleta, exploring the Val d'Orcia between Pienza and San Quirico d'Orcia, only an hour drive north of Podere Santa Pia.
Podere Santa Pia is an authentic holiday home in one of the most beautiful regions of Tuscany, the Maremma. Hikers have long been familiar with the house and its pristine environment. Maps and guides are widely available and guarantee comfort and a deeper insight into the Tuscan landscape.
We searched for the seven most beautiful walks in the surroundings of the Capella di Vitaleta.
The Val d'Orcia is located north of Podere Santa Pia and is easily accessible either from the abbey of Sant'Antimo and Montalcino or along the western flank of Monte Amiata, crossing communities of Seggiano, Castiglione d'Orcia and Pienza.
|
|
The Vitaleta Chapel on the way from San Quirico d'Orcia to Pienza [1]
|
The best hiking trails around the Chapel of the Madonna di Vitaleta
One of the most photographed churches in Tuscany, this mystical building used to be the home of a Renaissance statue of the Madonna, a sculpture by Andrea della Robbia in 1590, now housed in a church in San Quirico d'Orcia. The small chapel lies in the rolling hills between Pienza and San Quirico d'Orcia. We selected the best hikes towards the chapel, starting either from Pienza or San Quirico d'Orcia and propose some good restaurants both in Pienza and in San Quirico d'Orcia.
Immerse yourself in the beauty of the Val d'Orcia. Follow one of these easy trails and take your own pictures of the stunning Vitaleta Chapel!
|
|
7 exeptional hikes to the Vitaleta chapel
|
Isolated on the rolling hills between Pienza and San Quirico d'Orcia, the Vitaleta chapel and the adjacent farmhouse are easy to miss, even if they are among the most famous icons of Tuscany, as they are standing away from the main road. Make a walk from Pienza to the Capella di Vitaleta. It is a beautiful way to immerse yourselve in this rolling land of the Val d'Orcia.
The views and landscape are breathtaking, especially during spring.
We start this walk with a brief exploration of the alleys of Pienza, starting at Largo Roma and entering Pienza along the Via dell'Apertura.
Walk into Via dell'Apertura and almost immediately turn left onto Via Case Nuove and enter a pleasant square. There is a good ice cream parlor, Buon Gusto Gelateria (Via delle Case Nuove, 26), and at number 7 Caffè della Volpe.
|
1 - Annello Pienza - Capella di Vitaleta | Pienza, along the Gladiator road to the Vitaleta Chapel | 11,25 km
|
|
Map anello Pienza - Vitaleta Chapel | Enlarge map
|
The Capella della Madonna di Vitaleta, with its cypresses and old podere, is one of the most photographed places in Tuscany. The walk from Pienza to the chapel runs through a beautiful part of the Val d'Orcia.
On the way back you walk along Podere Terrapille and the famous road with cypress trees where some of Gladiator's scenes were recorded, and further along the Pieve di Corsignano, a jewel of Romanesque architecture.
Pienza, along the Gladiator road to the Vitaleta Chapel | Anello, 11,25 km | gpx
Nice walk in the breathtaking panoramic countryside setting of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator. You walk in the footsteps of Russell Crowe returning home.
A similar trail, with a different and shorter stretch in Pienza is the walk, Annello Pienza - Capella di Vitaleta | 10,26 km.
Anello Pienza |10,26 km | 2 hours
Download gpx tracks here
We can park our car in the surroundings of Piazza Dante Alighieri.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anello Pienza
|
|
|
|
|
|
San Quirico d'Orcia, Cappella della Madonna di Vitaleta
|
|
Cappella della Madonna di Vitaleta, nei pressi di San Quirico d'Orcia
|
|
Cipressi e la Cappella della Madonna di Vitaleta, tra Pienza and San Quirico d'Orcia
|
|
Panoramic walkway along the Gladiator Road in Pienza, Tuscany [4]
|
|
2 - In the footsteps of Russell Crowe. Walk from Pienza, along the famous strada Gladiator to Villa Poggio Manzuoli in San Quirico d'Orcia | 8,43 km | two hours
|
|
Map of Pienza Along the Gladiator Road to the Vitaleta Chapel | Enlarge map
|
This is a similar trail, but once you have reached the Capella di Vitaleta, we continue to San Quirico d'Orcia, to explore the secend Tuscan scenery of Gladiator, the cypress lane in front of Villa Poggio Manzuolo, near San Quirico dOrcia.
The small chapel, framed by two rows of cypress trees was built in the spot where legend says the Virgin Mary appeared to a shepherdess. In 1533, a statue of the Virgin Mary by Andrea della Robbia was installed in the church, today conserved in the Chiesa di San Francesco (also called Church of Madonna di Vitaleta) in San Quirico.
But even without Mary, this chapel remains one of the most beautiful places in Tuscany.
Beyond the chapel, you follow this path towards San Quirico d'Orcia. After two kilometers, turn into a path on the right until you reach the SP 46, an asphalt road that connects San Quirico d'Orcia with Pienza. Cross the road diagonally to the right and turn into the dirt road to Villa Poggio Manzuoli.
Standing before the Villa, you immediately recognize the memorable decor from Gladiator.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Capella Vitaleta, San Quirico d'Orcia, Toscana
|
|
Villa Poggio Manzuoli |
|
Villa Poggio Manzuoli, former entrancde gate |
3 - Circular walk Pienza (Porta al Prato) - Spedaletto - La Cappella Vitaleta | 21,74 km
|
|
Circular walk Pienza - Spedaletto - Cappella Vitaleta | Enlarge map
|
This is an extended version of the previous walk. This itinerary can start by entering the historical center of Pienza through the gateway called the Porta al Prato.
After an brief exploratory tour through Pienza (starting at the Porta al Prato), enjoying the unchanged medieval centre, we leave Pienza through the Porta del Santo (on the left of the Duomo) and walk down, in the direction of Bandita Selvoli, a strongly eroded piece of land near Podere Selvoli. These are the biancane that are so characteristic of the Crete Senesi, but which occur throughout the Val d'Orcia as well. Halfway we walk over the Strada Provinciale della Val d'Orcia, the river is on your left. After about 1.5 kilometers you turn right into a strada bianca or dirt road, and immediately left again, and walk in the direction of Podere Commenda and on to the Capella Vitaleta.
Anello Pienza (Porta al Prato) - Spedaletto - La Cappella Vitaleta | 21,86 km| 4 hours 20 minutes
We can park our car in the surroundings of Piazza Dante Alighieri, and enter Pienza through Porta al Prato.
Download gpx tracks here.
A variation of this track is the 1 - Anello Pienza - Cappella della Madonna di Vitaleta - Podere Selvoli | 18,61 km | gpx
|
|
Circular walk Pienza (Porta al Prato) - Spedaletto - La Cappella Vitaleta
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pienza, Via del Casello |
|
Cypress trees in the Val d'Orcia |
|
Pienza, Chiesa di Santa Caterina
|
4 - Circular walk Pienza, Cappella Vitaleta to the spa town of Bagno Vignoni | 27 km
|
|
Map Pienza (Porta al Prato) - Spedaletto - Vitaleta Chapel | Enlarge map
|
A beautiful, but a long walk in the overwhelming landscape of the Val d'Orcia. Halfway you suddenly come face to face with the Cappella di Vitaleta. This small chapel with a few cypresses is one of the iconic images of Tuscany. Furthermore you walk along the banks of the Orcia to Bagno Vignoni, a spa with thermal baths that have Roman origins.
On the way back we also walk along the biancane Bandite Selvio, a striking piece of nature characterized by biancane and calanchi.
Anello Pienza, Cappella Vitaleta and Bagno Vignoni | 27 km | 5,5 hours
Download gpx tracks here
|
|
Anello Pienza - Bagno Vignoni
|
|
|
|
|
|
Castiglione d'Orcia e Rocca d'Orcia visti dalla Via Cassia
|
|
Bagno Vignoni, Piazza dei Sorgenti
|
|
Bagno Vignoni, Parco dei Mulini |
5 - San Quirico d'Orcia - Pienza | 7,84 km
|
|
|
|
Map of Pienza Along the Gladiator Road to the Vitaleta Chapel | Enlarge map
|
A nice walk that runs from San Quirico d'Orcia to Pienza. Be sure to take a moment to explore San Quirico d'Orcia. This is one of the most beautiful towns in the Val d'Orcia.There are two churches and Renaissance gardens that you can not post. The main street of San Quirico d'Orcia, Via Dante Alighieri runs from Piazza IV Novembre to the Duomo, the Collegiata dei Santi Quirico e Giulitta. Halfway is at the Piazza della Libertà, the Chiesa di San Francesco. This church, built on the old San Francesco monastery, is also called the Chiesa della Madonna di Vitaleta, because here the Madonna of Andrea Della Robbia is kept. The image in glazed porcelain is on the main altar. Halfway through our walk to Pienza, the Capella Vialeta is a nice stop for a photo session. Here used to be the statue of Andrea della Robbia's Madonna, a glazed terracotta sculpture.
San Quirico d'Orcia - Pienza | km | 1,5 uur
Download gpx tracks here
|
|
San Quirico d'Orcia - Pienza
|
|
|
|
|
|
Horti Leonini, San Quirico d'Orcia
|
|
Straatbeeld San Quirico d'Orcia |
|
Chiesa Santa Maria Assunta, San Quirico d'Orcia, e l'ingresso del Giardino delle Rose
|
6 - Anello San Quirico d'Orcia Vitaleta Chapel | 8, 65 km
|
|
|
|
Map Anello San Quirico d'Orcia | Enlarge Map |
This itinerary starts at a small dirt road on the Via Cerrecchio in San Quirico d'Orcia. After about 2,5 kilometer, you reach the Capella di Vitaleta. This small chapel, surrounded by cypress trees, has become a real symbol of Tuscany. The chapel was recorded for the first time in a document dated 1590 and used to house a statue of the Madonna attributed to Andrea della Robbia. This statue is now housed in the Church of San Francesco in San Quirico d'Orcia which, precisely because of this statue, is more known as the Church of our Lady of Vitaleta.
From San Quirico d’Orcia and Osteria Il Garibaldi, walk south along the via Cassia (Strada Regionale 2), turn left at Via Cerrecchio and then, immediately beyond a farm, take the dirt road to the left. Now we proceed for about 2,5 kilometer and reach the Cappella di Vitaleta.
Hotel Ristorante Il Garibaldi is a good place for a lunch. There is a good and friendly service, the food is of good quality (also fish dishes). The road restaurant is somewhat hidden behind a petrol station, but once inside you have a beautiful view over the Tuscan hills.
Length: 8.65 km
Elevation gain: 240 m
Starting Point: Via Cerrecchio in San Quirico d'Orcia.
Ristorante Il Garibaldi is a traditional restaurant.
Parking near the hotel is free.
|
|
Rolling hills and clouds near San Quirico d'Orcia, Val d'Orcia, Tuscany
An amazing sunrise in Vitaleta, Val d'Orcia, Tuscany
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
De Collegiata kerk in San Quirico d'Orcia
|
|
Panorama San Quirico d'Orcia |
|
Horti Leonini, San Quirico d'Orcia |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7 - Anello San Quirico d'Orcia - Capella di Vitaleta - Bagno Vignoni | 21.0 km
|
|
Map of Pienza Along the Gladiator Road to the Vitaleta Chapel | Enlarge map
|
A beautiful ring walk in the Valdorcia, with its meadows, cypresses and ancient villages. The ring does not have a great total height difference but is long in kilometres with continuous ups and downs. It is recommended in spring for the panorama is to be almost all in the sun. There is no water along the route except in the villages. We started out from San Quirico d'Orcia, and following white roads we reached the scenic village of Vignoni and the more touristy Bagno Vignoni.
The section along the river can be the most challenging to follow as the path becomes little trodden and enters a reed bed along the river.
You never have to cross the river. Follow the path between the fields, climbing up the hills, coming into sight of Pienza.
Anello San Quirico d'Orcia - Capella di Vitaleta - Bagno Vignoni | 21.0 km | gpx
Distance: 21.0 km
Duration: 7 hours, 9 minutes
Average speed: 2.9 km/h
Minimum altitude: 269 m
Maximum altitude: 508 m
Total ascent: 519 m
Total descent: 492 m
San Quirico d'Orcia - Pienza | km | 1,5 hours
Download gpx tracks here.
|
|
Val d'Orcia, vicinanze di San Quirico d'Orcia
|
|
|
|
|
|
Terme e Benessere in Toscana, Albergo Le Terme, Bagno Vignoni |
|
Bagno Vignoni, la Piazza delle sorgenti visto da sotto la loggia di santa Caterina |
|
Bagno Vignoni, Ristorante La Terrazza, Palazzo del Rossellino (Albergo Le Terme)
|