From "Il
Rigo" you can reach many points of great historical, artistic , and
natural interest.
S. Quirico d'Orcia is only 4 Km away down the main road ss.2, but can also be easily reached on foot on a 2 Km walk down path n. 6, that goes from the Abbazia of Sant'Antimo to the Montepulciano Lake .
In S. Quirico, a medieval village which has maintained almost all its town walls, there are the beautiful and ancient church "la Collegiata" , Palazzo Chigi- Zondadari, the small Romanesque church of Sante Marie and the Italian style gardens "Horti Leonini".
Take a break in the old wine cellars of Palazzo Simonelli, along the main street (n. 24 Via Dante Aligheri) where you now find the Enoteca “Il Pozzo” and the Ristorante degli Archi.
If
you go in the direction of Ripa d'Orcia you can reach Vignoni castle, and
a few kilometres
further down the hamlet of Bagno Vignoni. 
The main square is almost totally taken up with the medieval thermal pool, which is enclosed at one end by the Loggiato di S.Caterina.
Next to the church of S. Giovanni Battista is the fascinating shop Hortus Mirabilis, where you can find all kinds of traditional herbal preparations, as well as individual herbs and teas.
A short distance from the pool is the Parco dei Mulini, which has been recently opened with the help of the EC.
There you can see several mills which were used to grind wheat using the hot water from the thermal pool. The water then flows down to the river Orcia at the bottom of the cliff, and here it is possible to bathe freely in a shallow pool. If you are looking for greater comfort, the Piscina Val di Sole is open all year round.
If
you turn left out of our drive and follow the unasphalted road for 4km
you will come to the ss
146, turn right for Pienza which is a further 4km away.
Pienza is perhaps the most famous village in the Val d'Orcia. It was built in the middle of the XVth century by order of Pope Pio II (Enea Silvio Piccolomini) who wanted an 'ideal town' to be built around the hamlet where he was born.
In fact Pienza's history and architecture is quite different from the other villages in the valley.
Under Pio II, Palazzo Piccolomini and other buildings nearby were built by the architects of the time in Renaissance style even though more recently the side streets have been given a more medieval feel with houses in red brick.
We recommend you to visit Palazzo Piccolomini, the cathedral (note the optical effect of the perspective in the square outside) and to stroll through the side streets with names such as Via del Bacio or Via dell'Amore. From Via dell'Amore there are wonderful views of the Val d'Orcia.
Just
out of the village we find the small church of San Vito in Corsignano,
an extremely fine
Romanesque church, it has few other buildings surrounding it but it was in
fact the centre of the
original hamlet before the birth of Pope Pio II.
For those of you who would like to walk, Pienza is about an hour's walk from Casabianca follow footpath no. 6.
In this case you will find the church of San Vito in Corsignano before you get to Pienza.
Today
Pienza is also famous for its Pecorino cheese, known throughout Italy as
'Pecorino di
Pienza'.
In this part of Tuscany the pecorino produced is not so strong as those produced near Rome or in Sardinia. Traditionally it is either fresh (white), semi-mature (red) or mature (black), more modern versions may contain truffle, walnuts or rocket.
We suggest that you try pecorino 'a latte crudo' which is unpasteurized and is more similar in taste to what was originally produced in this area - we prefer to call it 'Pecorino della Val d'Orcia'!
Leaving
Pienza the ss 146 continues towards Montepulciano, a town which lies between
the Val
d'Orcia and the Val di Chiana and home of the famous Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
Before going up into the town, on the left an avenue of cypress trees takes you to the unusual Basilica di San Biagio built by Sangallo in the XVI century.
If you are arriving in Montepulciano by car we would advise you to go up to the highest car park follow the signs to 'ultimi parcheggi in zona monumentale'.
Begin by visiting Piazza Grande where you will find the tourist information office and the Consorzio del Vino Nobile who organize on request, guided tours of the town as well as visits to the cantine (those near the centre like Cantucci, Redi and Gattavecchi can be visited without booking ahead).
Having visited Montepulciano, you can take a diferent route back, return
to the junction near the San Biagio Basilica and turn left towards Chianciano,
after 500 metres turn right for Monticchiello.
This is a fine medieval hamlet surrounded by walls, it grew up around the church of SS Leonardo e Cristoforo from here there are wonderful views of the valley.
Return to Casabianca along the road which runs through the Val d'Orcia, you will pass the Castello di Spedaletto, an old Grancia ( medieval fortified farm).
