Treasures of Central Tuscany
ChiantiTour Dates:
September 10th – 16th 2010
October 1st – 7th 2010
May 13th – 19th 2011
September 9th – 15th 2011
Tour Price:
$2,600 twin shareIncludes all breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners, two guides and all transportation from Florence, local transport, entrance & wine tour fees as per itinerary.
Not included are wines and other beverages with alcohol.
Note: A supplement of $500 applies for a single room
Special Offer: If you book two walks back to back a 10% discount applies
For Bookings:
San Gimignano – “delle Belle Torri” – of the Fine Towers is now a UNESCO world heritage site. San Gimignano is a completely preserved hill town thought to be founded by Etruscans. Your first view of this remarkable place will be the stunning sight of the remaining 14 towers of the original 76, standing tall on the skyline.
Our delightful guest house accommodation is in a quiet lane with a peaceful hedged garden built above the street. After a good day’s walking you can sit and cool your feet on grass while looking at the towers and listening to the bells. Early morning and late afternoon strolls through the streets and quiet winding lanes is also a perfect way to appreciate the town. The garden and small tower are lovely spots to enjoy your own picnic and vino on your free nights.
More on Treasures of Central Tuscany…
Our three dinners include
- Enjoying classic Tuscan cuisine from an extensive menu. Although five courses are served let your hair down and sample dishes safe with the knowledge you will be walking it off over the following days.
- A wine tasting at an enoteca followed by dining at a family run restaurant
- Dining on the edge of San Gimignano’s medieval walls. Enjoying excellent food as we look over the hills in the fading light, swapping stories of good walks and proud aching limbs.
Our walks are designed to be enjoyed and manageable for everyone with average fitness. Certainly there are ups and downs and "puff stops" are needed and encouraged. What an opportunity to enjoy the view and have a snack.
Note: At Via Walking we prefer to express our walks in terms of walking hours rather than distance covered as we feel this provides a much better understanding of each day’s activity. Breaks are then added to these times for eating, exploring, resting, enjoying the views, photography or anything else that may cross our path.
Day 1 |
San Gimignano township & welcome dinner provided After settling in to our accommodation we will meet to walk the town's 13th century walls. At Porta San Jacopo we will take a short detour to visit the medieval public water fountain known as Fonti Medievali. Our walk finishes immediately behind our guesthouse at the Rocca di Montestaffoi fort. |
Day 2 |
San Donato Loop Walk Our walk takes us through the 13th century Porta San Giovanni and enters a lush, fertile valley with prosperous farming on either side. As we leave the valley, our path becomes an ancient stony cart track. We then emerge from woods onto a paved road leading uphill into the tiny village of Racciono, sitting high on a ridge. We continue on a broader, busier road to the pretty hamlet of San Donato. Here we have spectacular views back to San Gimignano. Walking on through a rich farming valley, we reach a huge, ancient oak. The path then follows alongside vines and olive trees before reaching the road to Montauto. After stopping to enjoy the views, we wind our way down to cross the Borroimboltroni River passing an old mill, now restored as a private home. Old terracing with olive trees accompanies us until we reach the road back to San Gimignano. This final stretch is a mixture of the old, including the Mount Oliveto convent, and the new San Gimignano.
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Day 3 |
San Gimignano Loop Walk Our walk leaves by the Porta San Matteo and follows a short section
of local road before we leave it to enjoy the traditional Tuscan
countryside. Very rarely are stunning views of San Gimignano and
its fabulous towers not able to be seen on the horizon. Our route
takes us along cart ways, through rich agricultural farming including vines, olives,
hay making, figs and walnuts. We return via the imposing entrance of Porta San Giovanni. |
Day 4 |
Monteriggioni Ring Walk Monteriggioni is a charming fortified medieval village. It has perfectly preserved walls which date from the 13th century with fourteen towers which were added in 1260. Great views of the Tuscan countryside can be seen from its walls A local bus takes us from San Gimignano to start our walk. Our track takes us leisurely up through woods to reach a beautiful stone path dating back to Medieval times. Walking along this path your mind wanders back to the people who have passed this way for centuries. Our path then winds down to cultivated fields and a track leading through fertile farming flats. You catch views of Abbadia a Isola, a Cistercian abbey founded in 1001 on the Via Francigena (the medieval pilgrims way from France to Rome). The abbey was given its name due to its position in the middle of marsh lands. In the 14th century it was fortified by the Sienese and rebuilt in the 18th century. After exploring the abbey we gradually begin a steady climb on a broad gravel road lined with an ancient stone fence that protects vineyards and olive groves. Towards the top we pass a moving monument to the partisan martyrs of Val D'Elsa. Our path slowly winds down through pretty shaded woods, allowing the occasional glimpse of Monteriggioni and its towers. On our return there is time to explore this hilltop fortification and walk the walls to enjoy panoramic views.
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Day 5 |
Loop walk via Ulignano Walk A rural walk along farm lanes, though woods and vineyards. In spring, wild flowers abound and in autumn, the bouquet of grapes is rich. This is the centre of the San Gimignano wine district, famous for Vernaccia and Sangiovese varieties of wine. We walk by the cellars of wine makers Terruzzi and Puthod and enter some woods before making our way towards the village of Ulignano. After a picnic lunch, our walk passes a highly protected truffle reserve. Great views are on offer back to Castle Ulignano.
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Day 6 |
Following the pilgrims' route to Certaldo
Walk Our walk leaves San Gimignano following a section of the ancient Francigena pilgrim road. Our destination is the hill town of Certaldo which is visible for much of our walk along the Val d'Elsa. From the Porta San Matteo our first leg wends though modern day San Gimignano. We soon join the rural cart way passing through Fattoria di Fugnano, one of the region's largest vineyards. The path continues through a forest passing the restored castle Torre di Collemucioli. We join the Pancole Road and soon pass under the archway of the Santuario de Pancole. Built in 1670 and rebuilt after WW2. Along the way we will stop for a well earned rest and picnic lunch. At this point we leave the Via Francigena pilgrim trail at Piazzetta and climb past the magnificent estate of Villa del Mont. We slowly descend into modern Certaldo prior to catching the funicular to medieval Certaldo. This tiny, pretty hill town is not to be missed even if it's just to admire the mellow brick that it is built in. After some free time to explore Certaldo, having a coffee or just enjoying the views, our return will be via train and bus.
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Day 7 |
Bus to Florence and on to points beyond |
Via Walking. 534 Park Street,
Princes Hill, 3054 Victoria, Australia
ABN: 1234 1234 1234 t: +61 3 9387 8045
m: +61 417 590 535 e: sue@viawalking.com.au
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