Val d'Orcia Day Trip: Brunello, Vino Nobile & Pecorino

Two wine cellars, two tastings, three hilltop towns in one day

A full-day tour from Florence through Val d'Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape, visits three of Tuscany's most celebrated wine towns: Montalcino (Brunello), Pienza (Pecorino cheese), and Montepulciano (Vino Nobile). You taste Brunello in a Montalcino cellar, explore each town's Renaissance streets and views, and finish with Vino Nobile and Pecorino inside a historic underground cellar in Montepulciano before returning to Florence.

Step-by-step itinerary

Full-day tour of Val d’Orcia towns

• Meet tour leader in Florence
• Travel through Val d’Orcia countryside
• Visit Montalcino hilltop town
• Tour wine cellar and taste Brunello
• Explore Pienza and taste Pecorino cheese
• Visit Montepulciano and explore streets
• Taste Vino Nobile wine and Pecorino cheese
• Optional: View Gladiator’s Walk for photos
• Return to Florence and relax

Stops and time spent at each 8 stops

1. Val D'Orcia passing by
2. Montalcino 1h 30m
3. Montalcino 1h 30m
4. Pienza 1h 30m
5. Montepulciano 1h 30m
6. Montepulciano 1h 30m
7. Val D'Orcia 30m
8. Florence 1h 30m

What’s included

• Round-trip transportation from Florence by air-conditioned tour vehicle.
• expert multilingual tour leader.
• Brunello wine tasting in a Montalcino cellar.
• visit to a wine cellar in Montalcino.
• free time in Montalcino, Pienza, and Montepulciano.
• Pecorino cheese tasting in Pienza.
• Vino Nobile wine tasting in a historic underground cellar in Montepulciano.
• Pecorino cheese tasting in Montepulciano.
• opportunity to visit or retrace the Gladiator's Walk.
• possibility to purchase wine and cheese at competitive prices.

Times

Looking for another day or time? ›

• Every day 07:45

Information

Full-day Val d'Orcia tour from Florence visiting Montalcino, Pienza, and Montepulciano with Brunello wine tasting in a cellar, Pecorino cheese tasting.

Group Up to 22 · max 8 per booking 2 similar private tours ›

Live guide English and Spanish Another language? ›

Audio guide English and Spanish

Meeting point and pickup No hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point. 3 similar tours with pickup › See the exact address

Book up to 9h before

Ages Adult (9 and older) · Child (3 to 8 years) · Infant (under 3): free

Cancellation and refunds Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Good to know

Low physical effort Infant seats available Public transport nearby

More information The exact meeting point address, the operator’s instructions and every other detail are in the full listing. See the full listing

The experience

The tour departs from Piazzale Montelungo Bus Terminal, about 5–10 minutes on foot from Santa Maria Novella Train Station, where you'll meet your guide wearing a fuchsia jacket. From there, the route cuts through Val d'Orcia's rolling hills, vineyards, olive groves, and cypress-lined roads: the landscape that defines postcard Tuscany. The drive itself is part of the experience: you see the countryside before you step into the towns.

Montalcino comes first, a hilltop town built on Brunello wine's reputation. You visit a wine cellar and taste Brunello while learning what makes the region's most celebrated wine distinct, then have free time to walk the town's streets and take in the views over vineyards and countryside. Pienza follows: the Renaissance "ideal city" designed in the 15th century for Pope Pius II. Its Duomo and Palazzo Piccolomini anchor the architecture, but the draw for most is the Pecorino cheese tasting and the panoramic views back across Val d'Orcia. Montepulciano, the final stop, is where the day ends with substance: you explore its Renaissance streets and cinematic charm, then descend into a historic underground cellar to taste Vino Nobile and Pecorino surrounded by the stone and tradition of one of Tuscany's oldest wine towns.

If the route includes it, you'll pass or walk the Gladiator's Walk, the iconic Val d'Orcia countryside scene famous from film. The return to Florence is a quiet drive after a full day of cellars, tastings, and three towns. An expert multilingual guide leads the group throughout, and the air-conditioned vehicle handles all transport. You can buy wine and cheese at competitive prices if you want to take bottles or wheels home.

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 8 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What's the difference between Brunello and Vino Nobile, and why do both come from Tuscany?

Brunello and Vino Nobile are both Tuscan red wines made from the Sangiovese grape, but they come from different regions with distinct terroirs. Brunello is produced in Montalcino and aged for a minimum of five years, giving it structure and depth. Vino Nobile comes from Montepulciano and has its own aging requirements and flavor profile shaped by that town's altitude and soil. The tour tastings in each town's cellar show you how the same grape expresses itself differently across the Val d'Orcia landscape.

How much free time do you get to walk around Montalcino, Pienza, and Montepulciano?

Each town includes free time to explore on your own: enough to wander the streets, visit the main landmarks like Pienza's Duomo, and soak in the atmosphere without feeling rushed. The exact duration varies depending on the day's flow, but the itinerary is built so you're not confined to a single spot or a guided walk through each place.

Is the Pecorino cheese tasting in Pienza different from the one in Montepulciano?

Pienza is famous for Pecorino cheese, so the tasting there focuses on the cheese itself and its role in the town's food culture. The Montepulciano tasting pairs Pecorino with Vino Nobile inside the historic underground cellar, so you're tasting the cheese alongside the wine in that atmospheric setting. Both tastings are included, so you experience Pecorino in two different contexts across the day.

What does the underground cellar in Montepulciano look like?

Montepulciano's cellars are carved into the hillside and date back centuries, built into the stone beneath the town's streets. The one where you taste Vino Nobile and Pecorino is a historic cellar that gives you a sense of how wine has been stored and aged in this region for generations. It's cool, atmospheric, and a genuine part of Montepulciano's wine-making heritage rather than a modern tasting room.

Do you need to arrange your own way to the meeting point, or is hotel pickup included?

You arrange your own transport to Piazzale Montelungo Bus Terminal near Santa Maria Novella Train Station, where the tour departs. Hotel pickup is not included, but the terminal is easy to reach on foot or by local transit from most Florence hotels. Once you meet the guide there, all transport for the rest of the day is by air-conditioned tour vehicle.

Operated by Italy Adventures. Explorevia does not run this tour: we compare it with similar options, and you book it with our booking partner.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago