San Quirico d'Orcia, Medieval municipality in Val d'Orcia, Italy.
San Quirico d'Orcia is a medieval town with stone buildings set on a hilltop in the Province of Siena. Narrow streets wind through the settlement, which sits at an elevated position with views across the surrounding landscape.
The town developed around the Collegiata church, which began as a simple structure in the 8th century and was rebuilt in the 12th century. This rebuilding shows how the settlement grew in importance during the medieval period.
The Horti Leonini gardens feature geometric layouts and aligned walkways that show how Renaissance designers thought about outdoor spaces. The town maintains this approach to garden design today.
The town is easy to explore on foot, though the hilltop location means there are slopes to navigate throughout. Sturdy shoes are recommended because the streets are old and often uneven.
The Palazzo degli Amerighi was a site of resistance activities against Spanish forces that threatened the region during the 1550s. This building holds a memory of local conflicts from that period.
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