Val di Chiana
Spanning the provinces of Arezzo and Siena, the Val di Chiana is a broad agricultural basin of flat valley floor and gentle hills,...
Updated 20 July 2026
Val di Chiana
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The story
The story of Val di Chiana
A Territory Between Arezzo and Siena
The Val di Chiana is the wide valley stretching between the provinces of Arezzo and Siena, bordering Umbria, along the course of the Chiana river. Its valley floor is unusually flat by Tuscan standards, ringed by hills covered in vineyards, olive groves and arable land. The area includes towns such as Cortona, Castiglion Fiorentino and Foiano della Chiana on the Arezzo side, and Montepulciano, Chiusi, Sinalunga and Chianciano Terme on the Siena side. This hinge position between Tuscany and Umbria has long made the valley an important corridor for trade and cultural exchange.
History and Identity: From the Etruscans to Land Reclamation
Inhabited since Etruscan times, when cities such as Chiusi and Cortona were leading centres of the Etruscan dodecapolis, the valley preserves necropolises, tombs and artefacts of great value, now housed in local archaeological museums. In Roman and later medieval times the valley floor was largely marshland, drained only from the sixteenth century onward through hydraulic works that continued into the nineteenth century, giving rise to the curious feature of the Chiana river: its once-stagnant waters now flow partly toward the Arno and partly toward the Tiber, forming a unique watershed divide in Italy.
Landscape and Nature of the Valley Floor
The landscape of the Val di Chiana alternates farmland dotted with rows of vines and cypresses with hilly ridges rising toward Cortona and Montepulciano, offering wide views over the valley below. The wetlands that survived the land reclamation, such as Lake Montepulciano and Lake Chiusi, are now protected areas and important nature reserves for birdwatching, frequented by herons, black-winged stilts and numerous migratory species. The farmed landscape, recognised for its historical and cultural value, combines cereal fields, vineyards producing Vino Nobile and Chianti Colli Senesi, and pastures where the traditional white Chianina cattle are raised.
Hill Towns and Key Sights
Cortona, perched on a spur overlooking the valley, preserves Etruscan walls, the Etruscan Academy Museum and works by Luca Signorelli, alongside its literary fame linked to Under the Tuscan Sun. Montepulciano, a Renaissance town and home of Vino Nobile, impresses with Piazza Grande, the Palazzo Comunale and cellars carved into the tufa rock. Chiusi holds one of Italy's most important Etruscan museums and a network of underground tombs and tunnels. Castiglion Fiorentino, Sinalunga and Foiano della Chiana, the latter known for one of Italy's oldest carnival traditions, complete a mosaic of historic centres, while Lucignano stands out for its rare concentric urban layout.
Food, Wine and Local Traditions
The Val di Chiana is home to Chianina PGI beef, the white cattle breed behind the celebrated bistecca, celebrated in food festivals and restaurants throughout the valley. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG, one of the first Italian wines to earn the top denomination, is joined by Rosso di Montepulciano and Colli Senesi wines, while local extra virgin olive oil accompanies bread, cured meats and traditional legumes. In Chianciano Terme, thermal waters known since Roman times add a further reason to stay, rounding out an offer that combines food, wine and wellness in a single territory.
Not to be Missed
- The historic centre of Cortona and the Etruscan Academy Museum
- Piazza Grande and the historic wine cellars of Montepulciano
- The National Etruscan Museum and underground tombs of Chiusi
- The nature reserves of Lake Montepulciano and Lake Chiusi
- A Vino Nobile tasting paired with a Chianina beef steak
To see
What to see in Val di Chiana
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Routes in Val di Chiana
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