Volterra to San Gimignano Walk

Italy | ChiANTi
Volterra to San Gimignano Walk
$1,681 per person
8 nights from
ff
at a glance...
Quintessential italian landscapes: rolling
hills, sunflowers, endless vines and
hilltop hamlets
Scenic walking on Etruscan trails and
pilgrims’ paths; wildlife in abundance
Exceptionally friendly hotels with
gorgeous swimming pools
Mouth-watering local cuisine;
world-famous wines
Possible trips to Florence, Siena and
Pisa
What’s included...
• 8 nights - hotel-to-hotel
• all continental breakfasts and
6 evening meals
• ff self-guided walking with route
notes and maps
• Walking transfers
• luggage transfers between hotels
See pp6-7 & 50-51 for details of what the f
symbol means and how our holidays work
• 76% sustainability rating
• 100% customer satisfaction rating
On this self-guided, eight-night walking holiday, you explore the timeless countryside
between picturesque Volterra and the soaring towers of San Gimignano. You’ll feel
as though you’re strolling through history as you discover sleepy hilltop hamlets
crowning sun-dappled hills, verdant vineyards and panoramic picnic spots in fields
ablaze with sunflowers. You also have the option to visit the eternal cities of Siena
and Florence - Tuscan favorites right on your doorstep!
You start in Volterra, a real Etruscan gem with its tangle of alleys home to alabaster
workshops and secret chapels, from where you walk through the verdant
Berignone Nature Reserve and up to a fantastic panoramic ridge before a final
climb to Casole d’Elsa. Your journey then takes you east to medieval Colle di Val
d’Elsa, enjoying balcony views across the Elsa Valley. As you move towards
stunning San Gimignano, the medieval
‘Manhattan of Tuscany’, the landscape is
dominated by vines so there are plenty
“ This holiday
of wine tasting opportunities here!
Our carefully picked hotels, all with
pools, are full of contrasts, from a
recently renovated, elegant boutique
hotel just outside the medieval town of
Casole d'Elsa to the refined elegance of
the HHHH Relais della Rovere in Colle
di Val d’Elsa, a magnificently restored
C12 abbey. Chianti is synonymous with
excellent food and wine and evening
meals are a celebration of the local
cuisine. Perhaps try pappardelle alla
lepre (fresh ribbons of pasta with a hare
sauce) or bruschetta (toasted bread
rubbed with garlic and olive oil, topped
with sun-ripened tomatoes), all washed
down by a glass or two of full-bodied
Chianti!
Call us on 1-800-567-6286 for a tailor-made quote
was one of the best
we have had. ”
Mrs K Clark
San Gimignano
Il Caggio
Rome
•
Colle di Val d’Elsa
Volterra
Ponsano
Casole d’Elsa
Wine service
Your itinerary
Day 1
Arrive in Volterra
Day 2
Volterra to Casole d’Elsa 14km/9mi/4hr
Your accommodation
Arrive at your HHHH hotel just outside Volterra’s medieval gates, where you have time to relax
in the pool before dinner.
There’s a short transfer (30 mins) this morning to the start of your walk. Forest trails lead east
through the Berignone Nature Reserve where you may be lucky enough to see wild boar, deer and
fox. As you leave the forest, the ridge opens up giving wonderful valley views out towards Casole
d’Elsa where you’ll spend the next two nights.
Day 3
At Casole d’Elsa
Day 4
Casole d’Elsa to Colle di Val d’Elsa 19km/12mi/5hr
Park Hotel Le Fonti
HHHH
Terre di Casole
HHH
Volterra (Days 1+8)
Casole d’Elsa (Days 2+3)
Relais della Rovere
Relais Santa Chiara
Casole d’Elsa is a picture-perfect Etruscan village atop a panoramic ridge. From the vermillion-hued
C14 castle, views stretch as far as Monte Amiata in the south of Tuscany. Enjoy a leisurely lunch
maybe in the medieval piazza, before visiting the small but intact amphitheatre and Etruscan
tombs.
Today’s walk takes you down to the valley floor passing fields of sunflowers and orchid-sprinkled
paths, before coming to the small hamlet of Quartaia, a good lunch stop. Continue through the
woods along the famous pilgrims’ path, the Via Francigena, where the fossils in the stones beneath
your feet bear witness to the time when this area was covered by the sea. A final easy stroll takes
you along the milky-blue, limestone-rich River Elsa and to your stunning HHHH hotel, a beautifully
converted C12 Benedictine abbey with garden and pool.
Day 5
Colle di Val d’Elsa (Days 4+5)
At Colle di Val d’Elsa (optional 2-night extension, see below)
Take the local bus to Siena (30 mins) or Florence (1 hour), or stroll into impressive Colle di Val d’Elsa, a
fascinating town of two halves with a lift linking the lovely new piazza with the medieval upper town.
Day 6 or 8
Colle di Val d’Elsa to San Gimignano 16km/10mi/4.5hr
Today you follow in pilgrims’ footsteps along the Via Francigena. Bright with sunflowers and fragrant
apple orchards, this historic path skirts tiny hamlets and lonely chapels towards the lazy Foci river.
You may like to make a short detour to take in a wine tasting at Montauto, before retracing your steps
to rejoin the Via Francigena up to San Gimignano. There’s time for a swim in the pool before dinner.
Day 7 or 9
At San Gimignano
Visit San Gimignano’s mystical towers this morning built by warring neighbors in the C12 to outdo
one another! Or for a longer day out, hop on a local bus to Siena (30 mins), a perfectly preserved
medieval gem with a stunning striped C14 Gothic cathedral and beautiful square.
Day 8 or 10 San Gimignano to Volterra 22km/14mi/6.5hr
A short taxi ride (10 mins) from your hotel takes you to the start of the walk in Caggio, at the
Castelvecchio Nature Reserve. From here you follow a woodland trail dotted with rock roses and
wild strawberry plants to reach a panoramic strada bianca, where hawks soar overhead. With
open views across cypress-studded ochre fields to Monte Voltraio, you pass through Sensano and
Ulignano, historic hamlets with C16 villas. Perhaps picnic by the Era Valley before ascending an
ancient mule track back to Volterra.
Day 9 or 11 Leave Volterra
Optional 2-night extension in Colle di Val d’Elsa
There’s simply so much to see in and around Colle di Val d’Elsa that we are proposing two
additional nights (making four in total) here in order that you can really get the most out of your
stay - plus the hotel is pretty special too! Regular buses to Siena (30 mins) and Florence (1 hour)
leave from just outside the hotel grounds so you can easily explore Piazza del Campo, the Duomo,
and the treasures of the world-famous Uffizi. The historic town of Colle di Val d’Elsa dates back to
Etruscan times with a cathedral, museums and fine Renaissance buildings. Back at the hotel, you
can relax in the pleasant gardens surrounding the sparkling outdoor pool. Given the wide choice
of restaurants in the area we’ve left it up to you to choose your two evening meals.
Day by Day Walking Guide
1500m
1000m
500m
0m
HHHH
Day 2
HHHH
San Gimignano (Days 6+7)
Treat yourself...
To extend your stay we recommend extra nights in Volterra,
or the 2-night extension in Colle di Val d’Elsa. We can also
arrange city break add-ons in Florence at the start, or end,
of your holiday.
Room upgrades are available from $8 per person,
per night, based on 2 sharing.
For hotel descriptions visit:
www.breakaway-adventures.com
Dates and prices (US$)
Departs every
two days
Tour
Only
2016 Departures
Sep 26-Oct 14
May 11-Jun 20
Jun 22-Jul 14, Sep 8-24
Jul 16-Sep 6
$1,681
$1,833
$1,899
$1,936
Singles: Add $48 per night for sole occupancy of a double room.
Children: Please call for details and prices.
Group size: No minimum group size.
Extension: This holiday may be adapted into a 10 night version just add $270 per person to the above prices.
Tour only prices include a 75 minute transfer from/to Pisa
airport (12:00 pick up, 10:00 return to arrive at the Pisa airport
by 11:15). Alternative transfers (for non-standard timings) can
be arranged. Prices on request.
W08TY
Day 4
Day 6
Day 8
The walking mainly follows reasonably flat strade bianche (white roads) with some asphalt lanes and
partly shaded forest and valley trails. Walking boots and poles are recommended. Strade bianche are
mainly exposed, affording excellent views – a sunhat is essential.
For further details visit: www.breakaway-adventures.com