The Horti Leonini is a formal Renaissance garden laid out in 1581 within the old town walls. The design follows the classical Italian model — symmetrical beds of clipped box hedges, gravel paths, and a central axis leading to a viewing terrace. An ancient stone lion (the medieval town emblem) presides over the garden from the centre.
The garden is small but perfectly made, and the location — inside the medieval walls, with views over the valley below — is the best in town. It costs nothing to enter and is open at all hours. In summer, the box hedges bake in the heat and the views through the archways are the classic Val d'Orcia postcard: rolling golden hills, pencil-thin cypresses, and the blue ridge of Monte Amiata in the distance.