SWEET WALK in TUSCANY
4 nights 5 days
Day 1 – SIENA
Arrival in Florence airport, meeting with your English-speaking guide and transfer to Siena. Guided tour of the fascinating town with its Piazza del Campo, where the famous Palio horse race takes place and the Cathedral with its startling sequence of 56 marble panels pavements.
Overnight in Poggibonsi region.
Day 2 – THE EAST SIDE OF THE CHIANTI REGION
Excursion: 10 km with an ascent of 250 Mt
Transfer to the Chianti region. Walking tour from Sambuca to Passignano and back. In the Passignano’s Abbey you can admire the Ghirlandaio’s Last Supper. Typical lunch based on row ham, salami and cheese. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 3 – VIA FRANCIGENA
Excursion: 13 km with an ascent of 344 Mt
The Via Francigena is an ancient pilgrim route-running trail from Canterbury to Rome. It has been a pilgrimage route since medieval times and has enjoyed a recent revival since the Via Francigena was designated a European Cultural Route by the Council of Europe in 1994.
You will do the stage 31 from Gambassi Terme to San Gimignano covering a distance of 13 km.
In the afternoon free time to visit San Gimignano.
Overnight at the hotel.
Day 4 – CHIANTI REGION
Excursion: 11 km with an ascent of 350 Mt
Excursion in the heart of the Chianti Classico wine region. From Gaiole to Meleto’s castle and afterwards to Castagnole and Barbisco. The route has all the elements of a typical Chianti walk: it starts in a stone-paved piazza, passes by a 10th century church and by a castle involved in the wars between Siena and Florence. It is, of course, set among a myriad of vineyards patterning the hillsides. In autumn, when fruits are ripe - blackberries, figs and grapes - the walk is a feast both metaphorically and literally.
Overnight at the hotel.
Day 5 – URBAN TREKKING IN FLORENCE
During Florence Urban Trekking you will discover secret gardens and magical places where history meets nature. You will visit the Giardino Bardini, to encounter green spaces, old trails and medieval walls. You will experience those feelings of amusement that Stendhal well described in his bestsellers: “As I emerged from the porch of Santa Croce, I was seized with a fierce palpitation of the heart; the wellspring of life was dried up within me, and I walked in constant fear of falling to the ground”.
Make your way back to via san Miniato and head towards Piazzale Michelangelo with the best panorama in town. The final recommended stop after taking photos from Piazzale Michelangelo, is the church of San Miniato al Monte. Over 1000 years old, it is one of the finest examples of Florentine Romanesque architecture. Free time and transfer to the airport.