Call Us :: Bookings

Guided Wine and Walking Tours in Tuscany
Wine and Walk Chianti Experience 4 Day Tour

This tour is designed for those who have limited time and dreamed of visiting Tuscany; experiencing its wine, food and magnificent countryside.

No packing each day, instead coming back to a delightfully restored 4 star Palazzo in the medieval hilltown of Radda in Chianti.

Via Walking have blended classic walks along the magic pathways of Chianti with four wineries. Each winery is a fine example of the history and development of Tuscan wine over the past 1,000 years.

Volpaia; wine production behind ancient wooden doors and cellars under churches
Castello di Brolio historic wine estate, garden and winery
A one thousand year old abbey, villa, garden and cellars
Old farmhouse blended exquisitely with ultra contemporary cellars

Each has an individual story and taste for you to experience. Each winery, tour and tasting will be introduced and lead by a member of the winery. Interestingly three of the wineries use organic techniques.

Situated in the beautiful hilly region between Florence and Siena is Radda in Chianti the base for the tour. This magnificent, less tamed region of Chianti is one of Italy's oldest and best-known wine producing areas. Radda was the capital of the Chianti League in 14C and is now the centre of Chianti wine.

Each walk is two to three hours in length and easy to medium in grading. There are many stops along the way to enjoy your surrounds. There is an opportunity to extend these walks if you choose.

Each dinning experience has been chosen to reflect the best of Tuscan food Chianti style and the personalities of those who prepare it. Your a la carte menu will reflect what is in season. Words best associated with the food of Tuscany are rustic simplicity, herbs and most importantly the freshness of produce and olive oil. All meals are accompanied by Chianti wines.

Highlights

Three walks selected from the best of Via Walking's extensive collection
Time to explore the three Chianti League towns
Winery tours including Castello di Brolio and Volpaia
Badia Coltibuono's garden, abbey, villa and cellars
Authentic Chianti dining and introduction to Chianti wines
Wine and olive oil tasting by Castello di Volpaia
An opportunity to compare a range of Tuscan wines
Time to enjoy Radda’s artistic shops, enotecas and magnificent sunsets

What is Included

Met in Siena by Via Walking's directors, your guides for the tour
Private transport used for the duration of the tour
Three nights in four-star accommodation
Three breakfasts offering extensive Tuscan fare
Two a la carte dinners including wine
Three a la carte lunches including wine
Four guided winery tours and cellar tastings by the winery
One wine tasting with meal
Town information, map and historical notes
All entry and tasting charge as per itinerary
Wine tasting at a local Enoteca
Return to Siena by private transport

Tour Date and Price

September 1 – 4, 2012 $1,700 AUD - Please enquire about group discounts
June 1 - 4, 2013 $1,700 AUD - Please enquire about group discounts
August 31 – September 3, 2013 $1,700 AUD - Please enquire about group discounts

*Single supplement for three nights $150 AUD

Accommodation in Radda in Chianti

Situated in the charming centre of Radda in Chianti is a fine 4 star hotel once a Palazzo. The palace has been beautifully restored keeping and blending its original features with today's needs. The frescoes in the hall, breakfast room and bedrooms are delightful. It also has a small garden. All the rooms are self-contained with modern facilities

Guided Wine and Walking Tours in Tuscany: Walking Grades

Our walks are designed to be enjoyed and manageable for everyone with average fitness. Certainly it is hilly and we walk in and out of hilltowns. There are occasionally short steep sections. For this reason we recommend hill walking prior to coming not only on the flat.

Via Walking grades the walks in both walking hours and distance. We plan walking times on an average of 3.5 kilometers per hour.

The walks vary between easy to medium. The medium rating generally covers walking up to a hill town or a longer distance.

Next Guided Walks

This is a list of the future walks and Testimonials

Wine and Walk Chianti Experience
4-Day Tour
$1,700 AUD
Radda in Chianti
September 1 - 4, 2012
June 1 - 4, 2013
August 31 – September 3 2013

*Single supplement $150 AUD

Wine and Walking Tuscany
9-Day Tour
$3,900 AUD
Montalcino and Radda in Chianti
September 24 – Oct 2, 2012
September 23 – Oct 1, 2013

*Single supplement $400 AUD

Currency Exchange Rates

Testimonials

Click the Walk below for more details »

» Day 1

Gaolie via Vertine visiting a boutique winery
Private transport from Siena to Radda in Chianti
Four star hotel within Radda's medieval walls
Walk 2.5 hours easy to the winery
Wine tour and tasting with lunch in Gaolie
Optional 2 hour walk back to Radda in Chianti or return by private transport
Explore the village of Radda in Chianti
Dinner at a family trattoria including wine tasting

Shady oak forests, panoramic views, a well-preserved fortified village, fascinating winery ending in Gaolie one of the three towns forming the Chianti League with Radda in Chianti and Castellina. The small town was once an important market town and trading route.

Here in the heart of Chianti is a beautifully restored 16C farmhouse that blends contemporary Italian design with rustic simplicity. Underground are the most elegant and modern cellars. "An armored caveau hosts 8000 bottles of vintage wine for the most demanding clients". The wine and olive oil are made from grapes and olives grown on the estate, and are cultivated without the use of chemical's.

Before dinner we explore the village of Radda in Chianti.

Dinner will set the scene for your Tuscan experience, as Chianti Riserva, Chianti Classico and Super Tuscan will be introduced followed by authentic Chianti dinning.

» Day 2

Volpaia and Castello di Volpaia winery Badia a' Colitbuono
Walk to Volpaia 2.0 hours easy to medium
Tour Volpaia's cellars and olive oil processing including tasting
Lunch in Volpaia
Optional 2 hour walk back to Radda in Chianti or return by private transport
Late afternoon tour of Badia a' Coltibuono's garden, villa and cellars concluding with a tasting of their wine.
Free Evening

Chianti's famous classic walk to the charming 11C fortified village of Volpaia. It has been producing wine since this time. This lovely walk from one medieval hilltown to another gives you the perfect snap shot of Chianti. Fabulous views, vineyards, shady woods via Santa Maria Novella and up and into Volpaia.

This fascinating tour by Castello di Volpaia of their wine and olive oil fattoria and cellars culminates in an excellent wine and olive oil tasting. The Stianti Mascheroni family is a leader in Tuscany's organic viticultural movement. In 1250, Volpaia and Radda were founding members of the Lega del Chianti (Chianti League).

The serene scene of Badia a' Colitbuono, surrounded by beautiful oaks and pinewoods is spectacular. Badia a' Colitbuono means Abbey of Good Harvest. The tour begins in the villa's garden, continues into the villa and ends in the ancient musty cellars originally the crypt, sampling wine; such a treat.

In the early 11C the monks of the Vallombrosan Order, a splinter group from the Benedictines, established a tradition of viticulture. There are records of the monks planting vines in 1080, and include the earliest reference to Sangiovese.

Free evening

» Day 3

Radda in Chianti to Castellina
2 hours medium plus private transport into Castellina
Explore Etruscan tombs, Castellina and its historic castle and museum
Lunch in Castellina
Return by private transport to Radda in Chianti
Late afternoon wine tasting
Dinner including local wine

This pleasant walk links Castellina and Radda, two of the three Chianti League Hilltowns.
Our walk meanders though woods, isolated farmhouses and also has some of the best expansive views in the area. We allow time to explore Castellina, a Hilltown that holds an important place in history.
Castellina started as a trading town in Etruscan times and was on the front line of the wars continually taking place between Florence and Siena. There is still much to see including an Etruscan tomb, a well-restored castle housing an excellent Etruscan museum and an impressive vault to explore.

A late afternoon wine tasting in Radda's best Enoteca with an opportunity to compare a range of Tuscan wines. Wines are introduced by an expert in both Italian and international wines.

Tonight you will dine on a wide terrace toasting a farewell to the Tuscan sun as it slips behind the Chianti hills. The restaurant is a quiet icon in Chianti.

» Day 4

Castello di Brolio and transfer to Siena
Private transport from Radda in Chianti to Siena via Castello di Brolio
Tour Castello di Brolio its formal Italian garden, cellar, wine tasting and prodotti tipici locali

No tour of Tuscan wineries would be complete without a visit to Castello Brolio one of the historic estates of Chianti and one of the oldest wineries in the world. The home of the Ricasoli family since 1167 and also where Barone Bettino Ricasoli created the forerunner of the modern Chianti.
Behind the imposing gates and walls is a formal Italian garden. Pathways lined with box hedges wind around the castle leading to large dramatic terraces with even more dramatic views.
The tour of Castello di Brolio ends with a visit to the cellars, wine tasting and a light lunch.