Beauty meets history in Italy's Val d'Orcia

The torrents of tourists who wash over Tuscany's towns often miss the Val d'Orcia, a valley of pastoral treasures.

Vineyards undulate across the valley south of Siena, producing some of Italy's most prized red wines. Medieval monasteries and churches bask in tawny sunlight along what was an ancient pilgrim route. Walled towns huddle on hilltops, their cobblestone streets twisting among hand-hewn stone buildings. It's a landscape so historic and lovely that it's been designated a United Nations world heritage site.

The Val d'Orcia is tranquil now, but for centuries medieval and Renaissance powerhouse families feuded for control of the fertile valley, and World War II brought fear and chaos. Nazi troops swept through the valley, forcing farmers and villagers to flee to the forests and hills. The 1940s memoir of Iris Origo, "War in Val d'Orcia," chronicles her flight with dozens of refugee children that she and her nobleman husband had sheltered at their valley estate.

Rent a car and roam the country roads. Stop at a restaurant or "enoteca" for a glass of the local Brunello di Montalcino. Drink in the history and beauty of the Val d'Orcia.

Kristin R. Jackson is a Seattle Times travel writer and editor. Contact her at kjackson@seattletimes.com.