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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Valiano
Skip as a base; visit for the Valiano Fair (10 August) or the Palio of the Carts (4th Sunday Sep). Otherwise, Montepulciano or Chianciano Terme serve better.
Valiano is a small Tuscan village in the Valdichiana valley, known for its annual livestock fair and a cart race down the main street. It has no major sights, limited accommodation and no train station. Most travellers pass through on the way to Montepulciano or Siena. The only reason to stop is the fair or the palio — both are genuine local events, not tourist shows.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat, except for the fair)
- Stay
- 0 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless are widely accepted in cities; small cafés, markets and rural places may prefer cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget €50–80 excl. bed · Mid €80–130 excl. bed · High €130+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell prepaid SIMs in shops and at airports; a passport and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale, issued in-store) are needed.
- Emergency
- Police 113 · Fire 115 · Ambulance 118 · EU-wide emergency 112
- Plugs
- Types C, F, L · 230 V · 50 Hz · Italian type L plugs have three pins in a row; most sockets also take two-pin Europlugs (C), and bivalent sockets take Schuko (F).
- Tipping
- Bar: Leave €0.10–0.20 of change on the counter if you like.; Restaurant: Coperto or service may already be on the bill; leave €1–2 a person or round up for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe unless signed otherwise; Rome's nasoni fountains run all day. Restaurants serve bottled water (naturale or frizzante) unless you ask for tap (acqua del rubinetto).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Chianina steak (bistecca alla fiorentina) | €30–50 per kg |
| Glass of wine at a local enoteca | €4–7 |
| Coffee at a bar | €1.20–1.50 |
| Taxi Montepulciano → Valiano | €20–30 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- FLR · Florence Peretola
- About 1 h 30 min by car; bus+train via Arezzo (check)
- PSA · Pisa Galileo Galilei
- About 2 h by car
- CIA · Rome Ciampino
- About 2 h 30 min by car
Typical fares
- Taxi Montepulciano → Valiano
- €20–30, about 10 min (check)
- Bus Montepulciano → Valiano
- about €2, infrequent (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Car essential. No train station; bus service to Montepulciano is infrequent (check). The village is walkable.
See and do
Known for
- Valiano Fair (10 August)
- Palio of the Carts (4th Sunday September)
- Chianina beef
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Montepulciano | Car, 10 min; bus (check) | 15 min |
| Chianciano Terme | Car, 10 min | 15 min |
| Siena | Car via SS326 and SS715, about 1 h | 1 h 15 min |
| Cortona | Car, about 30 min | 40 min |
Sleep
- Valiano village
- One hotel (Borgo Tre Rose) and a few agriturismi; book ahead for fair dates.
- Montepulciano (8 km)
- More choices; 10 min by car.
- Chianciano Terme (10 km)
- Spa town with budget and mid-range hotels.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Buongiornobwohn-JOHR-noh |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAH-tsee-eh |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?KWAN-toh KOS-tah |
| The bill, please | Il conto, per favoreeel KON-toh pair fah-VOH-reh |
| Where is the toilet? | Dov'è il bagno?doh-VEH eel BAHN-yoh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say buongiorno (until mid-afternoon) or buonasera on entering shops and bars; avoid: Walking in and pointing without a greeting
- Cheek kisses: Two kisses, right cheek first, among friends; follow their lead; avoid: Kissing strangers or in business settings
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders and knees in churches; avoid: Beachwear, bare chests and flip-flops away from the beach
- Queues: At delis and pharmacies take a number (numerino); avoid: Assuming the crowd at a bar counter is chaos — pay at the till first where asked
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated and ask for the bill; avoid: Splitting a bill item by item with a large group
- Conversation: Food, football and family are safe openers; avoid: Mafia jokes and north–south stereotypes
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries, wine or flowers (not chrysanthemums, which are for funerals); avoid: Refusing seconds too firmly
Scams and watch-outs
- No train station: you need a car or a taxi from Montepulciano.
- Valiano Fair (10 Aug) fills all accommodation within 20 km; book months ahead.
- Palio of the Carts (4th Sun Sep) closes the main street; park outside the village.
- Chianina beef is excellent but not cheap; ask the price before ordering.
Very safe; standard precautions for rural Italy. Watch for farm vehicles on narrow roads, especially during harvest (Sep–Oct).
One and two days
No timed day plan for Valiano yet. Suggested stay: 0 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Valiano Fair (10 August)
- Palio of the Carts (4th Sunday September)
- Chianina beef
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Valiano, revision 5315978 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5315978
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/valiano). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.