dossier

Volterra to San Gimignano Walk

VOLTERRA TO SAN GIMIGNANO  |  WHERE YOU STAY

Park Hotel Le Fonti  ****
Volterra, Days 1+8

The 4 star Park Hotel Le Fonti is located just below the Porta dell’Arco entrance to Volterra’s beautifully preserved mediaeval centre. There are over 50 comfortable rooms, all furnished in a simple style with terracotta floors and elegant fabrics. All rooms have ensuite facilities (bathrooms have hairdryers) with air conditioning, direct dial telephone, mini-bar and satellite television.

Further details on the hotel website.

Day 1  Arrive in Volterra

We meet you at Pisa airport, and take you to your **** hotel (75mins) just outside Volterra’s medieval gates.

Day 2  Volterra to Orgiaglia  18km/11mi/5hr

You follow an ancient Etruscan trail as it meanders through archetypal rolling countryside to reach the honey-coloured hilltop hamlet of Mazzolla. Its peaceful piazza is perfect for a relaxing lunch in the shade of the pretty 14C chapel. On through holm oak forest alive with wild boar , deer and fox, you arrive at signor
Lazzari’s 200 year old agriturismo in time for a swim before dinner .

Agriturismo Orgiaglia  AA
Orgiaglia,  Days 2+3

Orgiaglia is a rustic agriturismo located in the heart of the Berignone and Tatti Reserve. It is a very small place and you’re made to feel like one of the family – in the evenings all guests and the family eat together on a long table under the stars (or inside in cooler weather)! There are just ten rooms and three apartments at the agriturismo, spread between the main house and a couple of separate accommodation blocks. The rooms are very simple, with ensuite facilities. The family also produce their own olive oil from the vines that surround the agriturismo.

Further details on the hotel website.

Day 3  At Orgiaglia 

Our agriturismo is a real rural retreat, with lots of walking possibilities - your hosts will happily provide maps - or you can play tennis or just relax by the pool. Surrounded by olive groves, the family press their own organic olive oil – they recently won a 4-star European ecological award.

Day 4  Orgiaglia to Colle di Val d’Elsa  18km/11mi/5hr

A gentle forest trail leads to Casole d’Elsa, a beautiful Etruscan village atop a panoramic ridge. From the vermilion hued 14C castle, views stretch as far as Monte Amiata in the south of Tuscany. After lunch in the medieval piazza, an orchid-sprinkled path guides you to Quartaia. We meet you and take you to your stunning **** hotel, a beautifully converted C12 Benedictine Abbey with lovely gardens and pool.

Relais della Rovere  ****
Colle di Val d’Elsa, Days 4+5

The Relais della Rovere is a stunning 4-star hotel located at the edge of Colle di Val d’Elsa. The bedrooms are split between two buildings and decorated in a contemporary style with wooden floors and beech furniture. The rooms are quite large with ensuite facilities and all are equipped with satellite television, air conditioning and minibar. Bathrooms have hairdryers.

Further details on the hotel website.

Day 5  At Colle di Val d’Elsa (optional 2 night extension, see below)

Take the local bus to Siena (30 mins) or Florence (1 hr). 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 Donato  17km/11mi/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 . Perhaps stop for wine-tasting in Montauto, with its fabulous backdrop of San Gimignano’s towers rising beyond the vineyards. Time for a swim in the pool before dinner .

Hotel Casolare Le Terre Rosse  ***
San Donato,  Days 6+7

The 3 star Terre Rosse is situated 4mi/5km away from San Gimignano in the picturesque hamlet of San Donato. The rooms are located over two floors and situated around an attractive central courtyard which is decked with geraniums. Decorated in a Tuscan style with terracotta floors, wrought iron beds and mahogany furniture, the bedrooms all have ensuite facilities with hairdryer, satellite television, direct dial telephones and air conditioning.

Further details on the hotel website.

Day 7 or 9  At San Donato

Maybe visit San Gimignano’s mystical towers in the morning, built by warring neighbours in the 12C to outdo one another! Or for a longer day out, hop on a local bus to Siena (30mins), a perfectly preserved medieval gem with a stunning striped 14C Gothic cathedral and beautiful square.

Day 8 or 10   San Donato to Volterra  20km/13mi/6.5hr

You follow a woodland trail dotted with rock roses and strawberry trees 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 16C villas. Perhaps picnic by the
Era valley before ascending an ancient mule track back to Volterra - pool open until mid September.

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 (30mins) and Florence (1hr) leave from just outside the hotel grounds so you can easily explore Il 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 cathedral, museums and fine Renaissance buildings. Back at the hotel, you can relax in the pleasant gardens surrounding the sparkling outdoor pool. Your extra nights will be on a B+B basis allowing you to sample the many local restaurants.

WALKING DETAILS

The walking mainly follows reasonably flat strade bianche (white roads) with some asphalt lanes and partly shaded forest and valley trails. Walking boots are recommended. Strade bianche are mainly exposed, affording excellent views – sunhat essential.

For extra nights we recommend Colle di Val d’Elsa, Siena or Volterra.