Like the “Gioco dell’Oca” (Game of the Goose), from which it draws inspiration, the Game of Orcia follows a route along the Orcia River, after which the territory is named. Starting at the river’s source on Mount Cetona, it passes through many places before reaching its confluence with the Ombrone River.

The game begins in the UNESCO square, moving on to squares that highlight the reasons why the Val d’Orcia was recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Cultural Landscape. The route brings together places (the five municipalities of Val d’Orcia), characters (such as Barbarossa, Ghino di Tacco, Saint Catherine of Siena and Pius II), characteristic flora and fauna, traditional dishes, and landscapes and nature reserves.

The game’s mascot and playing piece is a bird: the stone curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus), also known as the tallurino. This small wading bird has populated the upper Orcia Valley for centuries, but is now almost impossible to find due to changes in its habitat caused by land reclamation activities in the 1930s.

A large carpet with giant pieces and dice accompanies the board game, which is used for educational activities in schools and the squares of the five Val d’Orcia municipalities during cultural events.

The idea for the children’s game emerged from the desire to promote the values and cultural heritage of the Val d’Orcia region to younger people. The game has achieved the following objectives:

• Spreading the values of the Val d’Orcia area to a key audience, such as children, who represent the area’s true future.
• Promoting awareness of the area’s artistic, historical and natural riches, as well as its customs and traditions, among young people.
• Instilling a sense of belonging to the area in children.
• Raise children’s awareness of the area’s extraordinary treasures and the significance of its World Heritage status.
• Create a fun, educational tool that enables children to discover the area’s history, curiosities and characteristics through play and entertainment.

Project funded through Italian Law 77/2006
Year 2010
Funding received € 13.500

Image credits nostravita.it