The Val d’Orcia stretch of the Via Francigena

The Radicofani stage deserves a special mention. Perched on a dominant hill, with its imposing fortress, it was one of the key locations for monitoring the passage of pilgrims. Spirituality, power and hospitality are intertwined here. Radicofani offered hospitality, but also rules and protection along one of the most challenging stretches of the path. The Radicofani Fortress, perched on the top of an ancient volcano, is still a powerful visual landmark and can be seen from much of the Val d’Orcia.

Radicofani and Ghino di Tacco

The fortress’s fame is also linked to the figure of Ghino di Tacco, who lived between the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Ghino was a Ghibelline nobleman of Sienese origin and he transformed the fortress into a base from which he monitored and sometimes attacked travellers and the powerful, often sparing the poor and pilgrims, based on his own code of justice. This fame earned him the nickname “gentleman brigand”.

His adventures are narrated by Dante Alighieri and Giovanni Boccaccio. According to tradition, his parable ended in a reconciliation with the ecclesiastical authorities: he obtained papal pardon and was named knight and prior of the hospital of Santo Spirito in Sassia in Rome.

In contemporary times, politician Bettino Craxi adopted the nickname Ghino di Tacco, attributed to him by journalist Eugenio Scalfari, using it in an editorial in the newspaper “Avanti!” and establishing a special relationship with the village of Radicofani.

The Medici Villa of Radicofani: a haven for pilgrims

In Radicofani, located along one of the most challenging stretches of the Via Francigena, the Medici Villa testifies to the village’s central role not only as a place of military control, but also as a place for assisting and sheltering pilgrims. Commissioned by the Medici family between the 16th and 17th centuries, the building was part of the grand ducal policy of protecting the routes of communication, providing safety for travellers and organising hospitality. Currently privately owned, it is being renovated and repurposed as a hospitality venue. A precious Medici fountain is also located in front of the villa.

Bosco Isabella (Radicofani): symbolism and contemplation

Bosco Isabella, one of the most evocative historical gardens in the Val d’Orcia, extends along the ancient route of the Via Francigena. Strictly speaking, it is not a natural forest, but a romantic 19th-century park, conceived as a place for walking, meditation and rest. This park was created in the second half of the 19th century by Odoardo Luchini, who dedicated it to his wife Isabella, and combines nature, architecture and imagination, emerging as a true “traveller’s garden”.

The unique spa town of Bagno Vignoni, characterised by its large central baths, has been frequented since ancient times. Its waters are believed to have healing properties and it was an essential stopping place for wayfarers, allowing them to recover their physical strength. The church of San Giovanni Battista was another place of prayer and quiet reflection along the way.

San Quirico d’Orcia was an important hub along the Via Francigena and was equipped with parish churches, hostels for pilgrims and accommodation facilities. The Collegiate Church of Santi Quirico e Giulitta bears witness to the village’s religious and community role in the medieval pilgrimage system.

Places of passage and detour from the main route, linked to hermitages, chapels and mountain paths leading toward Monte Amiata. The Chapel of the Ermicciolo (Small Hermitage) or the Ermicciolo of San Benedetto in Vivo d’Orcia is an important example.

Although Renaissance Pienza emerged in a later period, the surrounding area was crossed by secondary routes linked to the Via Francigena. Parish churches, hermitages and confraternities offered spiritual and material support to pilgrims. Among the accommodation facilities, the most notable were Spedaletto and Castelluccio. The hermitage of Buca del Beato, near Monticchiello, is a destination of great interest, although difficult to enter without local guides. The Churches of Santa Caterina in Pienza and Sant’Anna in Camprena, along the road to Castelmuzio, complete the landscape of spiritual sites.

Over time, pilgrims hostels, rural parish churches and hermitages were built along the Via Francigena in the Val d’Orcia, creating a hospitality network that made the journey possible and promoted models of faith, solidarity and culture.

Walking, landscape and spirituality

In the Val d’Orcia, the Via Francigena is not just a historical itinerary, but an experience deeply connected to the landscape. The unpaved roads, rolling hills, cypress trees, secluded churches and fortified villages accompany walkers at a slow pace, conducive to reflection. The walk itself becomes a spiritual practice, restoring the original meaning of the medieval pilgrimage.

The Via Francigena today

Today, the stretch of the Via Francigena in the Val d’Orcia is one of the most popular and cherished, attracting pilgrims, hikers and slow travellers from all over the world. Road signs, services and local initiatives allow you to relive the experience of the walk while maintaining a strong link to its history. The Via Francigena thus continues to be a thread that connects past and present, spirituality and territory, memory and landscape.