This blog will look at some of the villages that we visited in the Val d'Orcia region of Tuscany.

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Bagno Vignoni was the nearby village of our air BnB, Santa Caterina.

It is unigue because this is the village square, a large thermal pool.

But it is a pool in which no one is allowed to bathe.

T_24_1265 From our lodgings we could see the village of Rocca d'Orcia with its castle ruins.

T_24_1370 This hilltop village is Pienza.

T_24_1302 T_24_1305 These are a couple street scenes in Pienza.

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The duomo on the Piazza Pio II, Pienza.

Pope Pius II was born in Pienza, thus this famous duomo.

T_24_1238 Interior of a shop in Pienza.

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Flower pots in Monticchiello.

T_24_1407 T_24_1415 T_24_1411 Street scenes in Montefioralle.

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Wine merchant in Montalcino, the region of Brunello wines.

His wife was Canadian.

T_24_1289 We took in a wine tasting of Brunello wines at Banfi Winery, the largest winery in Tuscany.

T_24_1256Palazzo Comunale Another village that we visited was Montepulciano, where high-end wines are produced.

This photo is the Palazzo Comunale, or old town hall, in Piazza Grande. 

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T_24_1247 These two shops were along the Corso in Montepulciano.

T_24_1258 A tourist posed for a photo for her friends, so I also photographed her.

T_24_1354 This is the old section of Cianciano Terme, a spa village of thermal baths.

We did not indulge.