Italy - Walking the Via Francigena - Lucca to Siena - VF5

Arrival in Lucca, where you settle in at your hotel in the beautiful old town, known for its perfectly preserved city walls and the famous ‘Amphitheatre’ square. Depending on your arrival time, you can go for a short visit to the town centre.

Hotel (example): Hotel Rex***

The first day walk takes you from the historical town of Lucca to the nice medieval town of Altopascio. This first stretch is not spectacular, but a good warm-up hike, through a pretty flat landscape. The route brings you through the plain, densely populated, but with a large number of interesting historical and religious buildings, such as the ‘Pieve’ (rural chapel) of Capannori and the Abbey of Pozzeveri. Of course you should take your time to visit the historical town of Lucca (and perhaps make a roundwalk over its town walls), and it’s possible to spend more time here, after which you’ll take the train – avoiding the most ‘boring’ part tof the route. And also the old city centre of Altopascio is beautiful.

Walking: approx. 4½-5 hours
Distance: ca. 19km
Hotel (example): Hotel Cavalieri dei Tau***

After an early breakfast you begin your long walk to San Miniato. After another flat initial stretch you’ll finally tackle the first Tuscan hills, the area of the Cerbaie Nature Reserve, wild and deserted. Then you walk over the ancient Medici bridge in Ponte a Cappiano. Follows another flat section, through the plain of the reclaimed Fucecchio swamp (parts of which are still wetlands – a very interesting area for birdwatching). By lunchtime you’ll enter the beautiful historic town of Fucecchio. Shortly after you’ll cross the River Arno, and follow it for a while, heading to the small medieval town of San Miniato, beautifully located on the hilltop.

Walking: approx. 6½-7 hours
Distance: ca. 29km
Hotel (example): Hotel San Miniato***

Today you leave San Miniato with a beautiful daywalk ahead. After a stretch along a small asphalt road, you finally the typical Tuscan landscape of rolling hills, cypress lined lanes and isolated farmhouses. Here the Via Francigena enters the area of the Val d’Elsa. This area has been inhabited since pre-historic times, but became an important trading area in the Etruscan era. The medieval Via Francigena here basically followed the old Etruscan trading routes and the Roman ‘Via Clodia’ between Siena and Lucca. You’ll walk past the Pieve of Coiano and the Pieve in Chianni, heading for Gambassi Terme. In the Early Middle Ages many travellers passed through here, and it is testified that the Archbishop Sigeric of Canterbury stayed overnight in Gambassi Terme, a charming little town with thermal baths. If you arrive on time here, perhaps you have the time for some ‘wellness’, otherwise you can visit the nice town centre with the beautiful Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Chianni, a fascinating and significant example of Romanesque architecture (with a bit of luck, you can even attend a concert, which are often organized here).

Walking: approx. 6 hours
Distance: ca. 24km
Hotel (example): Villa Delle Certosa

Today’s route is one of the best-known parts of the Via Francigena, as it passes right through one of the most scenic medieval Tuscan towns, San Gimignano. From Gambassi Terme you first walk a stretch through the hills, up to the Sanctuary of Pancole. Soon after, walking past several old ‘pievi’ (countryside churches) and villas, you will already have the first views of the San Gimignano skyline. This wonderful medieval town – sometimes referred to as having the only “skyscrapers” in Tuscany – is an absolute must, with picturesque vineyards and olive and cypress groves on either side. You have some time to explore this little romantic town with its medieval towers, of which there were once 52 (there are now less than a dozen) – wealthy, prominent families would use the height of these towers to distinguish themselves, but the towers also had a practical use in alerting the inhabitants of this walled town of approaching friends and foes. Do make a nice stroll around its impressive town walls. Then you continue  the Via Francigena to your accommodation for the night: a beautiful agriturismo. You’ll have two options to walk there: either along the convent of Monte Oliveto, located on a wide ridge, then down to a small stream, which you have to cross, before climbing up to your agriturismo, or along a beautiful route through the rolling vineyards. Make sure you get there on time to fully enjoy its fabulous setting and surroundings, and perhaps its library or swimming pool too. Dinner at the private restaurant is included tonight.

Walking: approx. 5 hours
Distance: ca. 19km
Hotel (example): Agriturismo La Torraccia di Chiusi****

Today you leave the agriturismo and head for Monteriggioni, described by Dante as a crown on the Tuscan landscape. The walk first brings you down into the river valley, and then, more or less following the Foci, you reach one of the most wonderful Romanesque churches in Tuscany, la Badia a Conèo. The next stop is Quartaia, followed by Gracciano, once one of the most important wheat towns in Tuscany. Another short stretch brings you to the Badia ad Isola, once an important stop on the medieval Via Francigena, and a very intriguing building. The final destination for today is Monteriggioni, where you’ll have time for a drink in the square, before settling in at your centrally located hotel. In the evening you can take a nice stroll into town to have dinner in one of the nice restaurants.

Notice: Today you need to pick up the key for your accommodation in a restaurant next to the rooms. The restaurant does not open until 6:30 pm, so you will not be able to get into the rooms until that time.

Walking: approx. 6 hours
Distance: ca. 25km
Hotel (example): Camere nel Castello

Today you leave Monteriggioni in southern direction, heading for Siena. After having crossed the Via Cassia you follow the so-called ‘strade bianche’ (gravel roads) through the hills and forests to the Northwest of Siena. There are several interesting sights along the way like the abandoned medieval village of Cerbaia, the castles of Chiocciola and the Convent of San Leonardo, just above the reclaimed plain of Pian del Lago. Then you’ll walk through the forest of Renai and will approach Siena from the West. You’ll enter the city through Porta Camollia, the traditional access to Siena from the North. Indeed you will notice several medieval ‘Hostels’ along the road towards the centre of town. You settle in at your centrally located hotel, just a few minutes away from the famous ‘Piazza del Campo’. In the evening you can take a nice stroll into town to have dinner in one of the many nice restaurants, or sip a drink in the ‘Piazza del Campo’.

Notice: Breakfast is not included this morning.

Walking: approx. 5 hours
Distance: ca. 20km
Hotel (example): Hotel Chiusarelli

End of the tour. From Siena there are regular buses back to Florence (and also to Rome).