Seeing Val d'Orcia

[stellabella]

What is best way to visit Val D’Orcia area? Will be flying from USA to Florence in the fall.

Saw a you tube video of someone explaining Val D’Orcia and I seem to be obsessed with visiting now.
Not sure if I should book a day trip or two or take the train from Florence to Siena to get closer.

Thinking of renting car or just storing luggage and taking backpacks and renting Vespa and spending a night or two in the area at the end of our trip.

We have two full days in Florence, and then meet with the tour group Go Collette to visit Pisa, Florence, San Gimignano, Siena and Lucca, based in Montecatini.

Heard Montalcino, Pienza and Montepulciano are beautiful and not sure if one area is better than the other to be based if staying overnight.

Is it possible to see the 3 areas without a vehicle and taking a bus or cab?

Not sure what we want to do, but just enjoy the beautiful screenary of the roaming hills, and I know people will say, that is too much to do in 18 days, but YOLO!

Grazie!

 

[Lourdes]

Ciao Stella, welcome to the forum!

The Val d'Orcia is a UNESCO heritage site, there aren't trains that cross it, the closest station is at Buonconvento or Rapolano Terme, then Montepulciano Stazione.... all are on the perimeter of the area, not making it easy to use to see the area itself.
Cabs would be really expensive, essentially it would be better to hire a car with driver and be done that way.
Buses, unfortunately, also don't have regular schedules that accommodate travelers... they are made for locals who travel in mornings and evenings for work, that's when most buses are scheduled around. So sometimes that means one bus in the morning, one in the evening.

So the best way is to rent either a car or the vespa, as you have already surmised. All 3 are beautiful, I personally love Pienza and San Quirico d'Orcia which is near Pienza. They are small and very charming.
It would be best to stay at least overnight, so that you aren't in a hurry, and you can definitely tag it at the end with most luggage left behind at a locker somewhere, depends whether you have the car. Then you could just take your things along.

When in the fall are you coming? If you are a walker, the walk/hike between between San Quirico and Pienza is easy and highly recommended. There is no path per se, just follow white roads that connect the farms/houses in the area.

If you're not keen on driving, you can do day tours from Florence and Siena to the area to get to see it. It would be a long day, but it is also a possibility. Take a look https://tours-visitflorence.partner.viator.com/Montepulciano/d27742-ttd (affiliate link).