What to eat in Val d'Orcia
Pici are hand-rolled, egg-free pasta, fiorentina is priced by weight, and pecorino from Pienza is a souvenir you eat.
- Pici cacio e pepe
- €15
- Chianina fiorentina
- €6/100 g
- Pecorino di Pienza
- €36 (~1.3 kg wheel)
Pici are thick, hand-rolled pasta made without egg, traditional in this part of Tuscany — at La Piazzetta in Pienza, with pecorino, pepper and truffle, €15. At the same restaurant a Chianina fiorentina runs €6/100 g and is charged by weight.
Pici cacio e pepe: the valley's pasta
Thick, hand-rolled strands of dough, made without egg, tossed in pecorino and pepper, topped with fresh truffle. At La Piazzetta in Pienza it runs €15, as a first course.
Priced by weight
A T-bone steak from the Chianina, Tuscany's own beef breed, is charged by weight: €6/100 g. Split it between two or three.
A souvenir you eat
A semi-aged sheep's-milk cheese. A wheel of about 1.3 kilograms at Caseificio Di Mario runs €36 (~1.3 kg wheel), and smaller wheels exist at a lower price, easier to carry home.
Brunello and Vino Nobile: where to drink them
Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano are the two wines the valley is known for. Brunello is poured at the enoteca in the Montalcino fortress, and Vino Nobile is tasted in Montepulciano's cellars, where a tasting is charged separately. For comparison, a main course at a regular place, no drink included, runs €15 (pici cacio e pepe).
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
What is pici?
Thick, hand-rolled pasta made without egg, traditional in this part of Tuscany, €15 with pecorino and pepper.
How much does fiorentina cost?
€6/100 g, by weight.
Where can you drink Brunello?
At the enoteca in the Montalcino fortress; Vino Nobile is tasted in Montepulciano's cellars, with a tasting charged separately.
Ready for Val d'Orcia?
Where to next
The best time to visit Val d'Orcia
→The same hills look different in two periods: green in spring, golden after the harvest — and between them…
Siena · 37 km
→A shell-shaped square where horses race twice a year
How well does Val d'Orcia suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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