Tuscan Hill Towns

Tuscany is not a place you rush through. It is a landscape that demands you slow down, lower the windows, and let the warm air carry the scent of cypress, rosemary, and sun-baked earth into the cabin. This route threads through the heart of Tuscany — from the medieval towers of Siena to the thermal baths of Saturnia, via some of the most photographed roads in Italy.

The Val d'Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape, is the centrepiece. Here, lone cypress trees stand sentinel on rolling hills, medieval villages crown every ridge, and the light has a golden quality that has inspired painters since the Renaissance. The roads are quiet, winding, and endlessly rewarding — the kind where you stop every few kilometres just to take in the view.

Between the driving, there is Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, pecorino cheese from Pienza, bistecca alla fiorentina, and hand-rolled pici pasta. This is the Italy of dreams — and it is best experienced at the wheel.