Self-guided walking
10 nights,
hotel-to-hotel
Level: 2
Moderate
14.0Kg CO2e
On this self-guided 10-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. There's the option too to visit the eternal cities of Siena and Florence - Tuscan favourites 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 Forest 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 of wine-tasting opportunities here!
Our carefully picked hotels are full of contrasts, from a 4 star hotel in Volterra to the elegant and magnificently restored 17th century Palazzo San Lorenzo in Colle di Val d'Elsa, where you spend four nights, and which is an excellent base for day trips to the eternal cities of Siena and Florence. 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!
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.
Read more about this holiday in The Headwater Blog.
We meet you at Pisa airport, and take you to your hotel (75 mins) within Volterra's medieval gates, where you have time to relax in the pool before dinner.
You stay at Hotel San Lino.
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Hotel San Lino is set within the medieval walls of Volterra, a 5-minute walk from Piazza dei Priori. Originally built as a convent in 1480, Hotel San Lino has been attentively renovated to preserve the original architectural features that celebrate its historical charm.
Rooms here are spacious and bright, exquisitely decorated in Tuscan style, with traditional terracotta floors and wooden furniture. All rooms are equipped with ensuite bathroom, TV, air conditioning and Wifi.
A buffet breakfast is served in the main dining room, and includes homemade cakes, cured meats, yogurt and cereals. The spacious onsite restaurant provides three elegantly furnished rooms, indulge in the rich flavours of traditional Tuscan cuisine!
The property also benefits from a garden with outdoor swimming pool and panoramic terrace.
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.
You stay at Hotel Torre dei Serviti.
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Set in the heart of the medieval village of Casole d'Elsa, the Hotel Torre dei Serviti is a beautifully converted monastery with an impressive 14th century tower, which gives the hotel its name. The bedrooms are in keeping with the building's ancient history, with wooden beams, tiled floors and exposed stone and brickwork, as well as some rooms retaining remnents of the frescoes that adorned the walls in days gone by. The hotel also boasts a panoramic terrace - where you'll find the jacuzzi - as well as a bar and restaurant.
Room upgrades: Superior suite
The superior suites have a sitting area on a separate level to the sleeping area
Casole d'Elsa is a picture perfect etruscan village atop a panoramic ridge. From the vermillion hued 14th century castle, views stretch as far as Monte Amiata in the south of Tuscany. 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 pilgrim's 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 d'Elsa and to your stunning hotel.
You stay at Palazzo San Lorenzo & Spa.
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The Palazzo San Lorenzo and Spa is located in the upper part of the medieval town of Colle di Val d'Elsa, better known as the old village of the “town of lead crystal-glass”. The building dates back to the 17th century when it started life as a hospital, whilst today, the public spaces are decorated with statues and crystal chandeliers.
The spacious rooms come with free Wi-Fi, Flat screen TV, free mineral water in the minibar and air conditioning. They have parquet floors and marble bathrooms. Headwater customers get the Superior rooms as standard.
A buffet breakfast is served in the breakfast room, a wonderful 'winter garden' completely lit by natural light, where you can find a large range of sweet and savoury delicacies. Your evening meals (when included), will be taken in the hotel’s restaurant which serves traditional Tuscan dishes.
Regular buses to Siena (30 mins) 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 at the hotel's spa facilities.
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.
Visit San Gimignano's mystical towers this morning built by warring neighbours in the 12th century to out-do 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 14th century Gothic Cathedral and beautiful square.
A short taxi ride (10 mins) from your hotel takes you to the start of the walk 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 the villages of Sensano and Ulignano, historic hamlets with 16th century villas. Perhaps picnic by the Era Valley before ascending an ancient mule track back to Volterra.
You stay at Hotel La Cisterna or Hotel Pescille.
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Enjoy your stay at this picturesque 14th century building hotel nestled in the heart of San Gimignano.
La Cisterna offers beautifully decorated rooms in both Florentine and modern style all of which are equipped with air conditioning, free Wifi and a flat-screen satellite TV.
A continental buffet breakfast is served at the on site restaurant Le Terrazze, where you can enjoy panoramic views over the historical square whilst your sip on your morning caffé.
The advantageous position of this property will allow you to easily reach shops, points of interest and a vast choice of restaurants in the town centre.
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The Hotel Pescille is located just 4km outside San Gimignano, in the heart of the Tuscan countryside, surrounded by olive groves and vineyards. It started life as an old farmhouse before being converted into the 3 star hotel it is today. Evidence of its origins still remains however, with its ancient tower housing the hotel's small agricultural museum. There are pleasant gardens surrounding the hotel - with lovely views of the surrounding landscape - and it also benefits from an outdoor swimming pool.
All rooms at the Hotel Pescille are ensuite and are simple yet spacious with tiled floors, whitewashed walls and pristine white linen; air conditioning. satellite TV, minibar and hair dryer also all come as standard. Rooms have views onto either the timeless Tuscan countryside, or the roofs and mediaeval towers of San Gimignano itself.
The hotel does not have a restaurant open for dinner, a short walk will be leading you to a local restaurant.
Room upgrades: Superior room
Superior rooms are much larger than standard rooms
Return home after breakfast.
See our Volterra to San Gimignano Walk for an 8-night version of this holiday.
If you'd like to extend your trip with extra hotel nights we recommend: Hotel Cosimo De Medici, Florence; Hotel La Luna, Lucca; Hotel Alessandro della Spina, Pisa; Hotel Chiusarelli, Siena.
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This 3-star hotel is beautifully decorated, with rooms in individual styles - some are traditionally Tuscan whilst others are funky and modern. Parts of the the building actually date back to the 18th century, and the reception and public rooms are designed with this in mind, with Persian rugs, stained glass windows and wrought iron doors in evidence.
Although just off the main Via Nazionale, only 2 minutes' walk from the central station and 5 minutes from the Duomo, the hotel faces an internal courtyard for peace and quiet. All the rooms are double glazed, and all have air-conditioning so there is absolutely no reason not to have a good night's sleep!
There is no restaurant at the hotel, but there is plenty of choice nearby.
Extra nights: Please contact us for details.
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The Hotel La Luna is a friendly hotel, tucked away in a quiet side street, just off the atmospheric Via Fillungo, the most sophisticated and exclusive street in Lucca's historic centre.
The original part of the hotel dates back to the 1200s when it was built elsewhere and then 'moved' about a century later to its present location. It now comprises of 2 buildings, with the 29 en suite rooms divided between the two. Breakfast is taken in the buffet breakfast room in the reception building, where there is also a small bar.
Extra nights: Please contact us for details.
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The Hotel Alessandro della Spina is located just 500m from Pisa central train station and just a 10 minute walk from most of the city's main monuments. This modern and cosy property welcomes its guests with an elegant, warm atmosphere, enhanced by its charming garden, and friendly staff that are always on hand to ensure you a relaxed stay.
Hotel facilities include internet and wi-fi access in the lobby and a bar and comfortable seating area. Guest rooms are spacious, furnished with wood and marble and have air conditioning, a safe and satellite TV. Buffet breakfast includes homemade bread and croissants.
Extra nights: Please contact us for details.
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Hotel Chiusarelli is located just beyond Siena's medieval walls and a ten-minute walk away from town's main square, Il Campo. Its position on the edge of the historical centre is perfect as the hotel is spacious and quiet but still within walking distance of all the sights and restaurants. There is even a small garden to the front with palm trees and a quiet (except on Sunday afternoons when you will have a grandstand view of Robur Siena's matches!) veranda to the rear of the hotel.
The en-suite rooms have recently been renovated and are quite simple but comfortable.
In order to give the best available rate, prices are on request. Please contact us for a quote.
Extra nights: Please contact us for details.
These tour only prices are based on two people sharing. Single supplement from NZ$1096.
These flight inclusive prices are based on two people sharing. Single supplement from NZ$1096.
Call now to speak to our specialist team at 0044 1606 720199 or email us at sales@headwater.com for enquiries or to book your trip.
Self-guided walking
10 nights,
hotel-to-hotel
Level: 2
Moderate
14.0Kg CO2e
