Podere Pienza

Podere Pienza sits at the centre of the Val d'Orcia, the UNESCO World Heritage landscape of rolling clay hills, lone cypress trees, and medieval hilltop towns that has become the defining image of Tuscany. The property is a working podere - a traditional Tuscan farm - producing Pecorino di Pienza cheese from a flock of 80 sheep that graze the surrounding hills. Guests can watch the morning milking and the cheese-making process in the on-site caseificio, or simply enjoy the results at dinner. The farmhouse has been in the same family for four generations and was converted for luxury rental in 2019. Five bedrooms occupy the main house and a converted granary, each with en-suite bathrooms, hand-plastered walls in natural earth tones, and windows framing the Val d'Orcia landscape. The master suite includes a freestanding copper tub positioned at a window overlooking the cypress-lined approach road. The kitchen is the heart of the house: a 40-square-metre room with a working fireplace, a professional range, and a long chestnut table where the chef serves most meals. Cooking classes are available twice weekly, focusing on fresh pasta, slow-cooked ragus, and the property's own Pecorino in various stages of ageing. The wine list draws from within a 30-kilometre radius: Brunello from Montalcino, Vino Nobile from Montepulciano, and Orcia DOC from emerging producers in the valley. A heated pool overlooks the sheep pastures and the distant profile of Monte Amiata. The poolside pergola, draped in wisteria, provides shade for long lunches that stretch into the afternoon. Pienza, the Renaissance ideal city designed by Pope Pius II, is a 5-minute drive. Its main street is lined with Pecorino shops, and the view from the town walls across the Val d'Orcia is one of the most photographed in Italy. Montalcino and its Brunello cellars are 20 minutes west; Montepulciano is 15 minutes east. The thermal baths at Bagno Vignoni, where a medieval piazza is built around a natural hot spring, are 10 minutes south.