Itinerary Include flights Expand all Volterra to Volterra Day 1 Arrive in Volterra We meet you at Pisa airport, and take you to your hotel (75 mins) just outside Volterra's mediaeval gates, where you have time to relax in the pool before dinner. (Staying at Park Hotel Le Fonti) Meals included: Dinner Day 2 Volterra to Casole D'Elsa 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. (Staying at Hotel Terre di Casole, Half Board) Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 3 At Casole D'Elsa 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. A leisurely lunch maybe in the mediaeval piazza, before visiting the small but intact amphitheatre and Etruscan tombs. (Staying at Hotel Terre di Casole, Half Board) Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 4 Casole D'Elsa to Colle Di Val D'Elsa 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, a beautifully converted C12 Benedictine Abbey with garden and pool. (Staying at Relais Della Rovere, Half Board) Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 5 At Colle Di Val D'Elsa 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 in the pleasant gardens surrounding the sparkling outdoor pool. (Staying at Relais Della Rovere, 1st night Half Board, following days Breakfast only) Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Days 6-7 At Colle Di Val D'Elsa 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 in the pleasant gardens surrounding the sparkling outdoor pool. (Staying at Relais Della Rovere) Meals included: Breakfast Day 8 Colle Di Val D'Elsa to San Gimignano 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. Time for a swim in the pool before dinner. (Staying at Relais Santa Chiara, Breakfast only) Meals included: Breakfast Day 9 At San Gimignano Visit San Gimignano's mystical towers this morning built by warring neighbours in the C12 to out-do one another! Or for a longer day out, hop on a local bus to Siena (30 mins), a perfectly preserved mediaeval gem with a stunning striped C14 Gothic Cathedral and beautiful square. (Staying at Relais Santa Chiara, Breakfast only) Day 10 San Gimignano to Volterra 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 C16 villas. Perhaps picnic by the Era Valley before ascending an ancient mule track back to Volterra. (Staying at Park Hotel Le Fonti, Half Board) Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 11 Leave Volterra Return home after breakfast. Meals included: Breakfast
Italy No visa required for British passport holders. Please note in Italy it is compulsory to carry ID with you at all times.
Hotels Our carefully picked hotels, all with pools, are full of contrasts. From a recently renovated, elegant boutique hotel just outside the mediaeval town of Casole d'Elsa to the refined elegance of the **** Relais della Rovere in Colle di Val d'Elsa, a magnificently restored C12 abbey where you spend four nights, and which is an excellent base for day trips to the eternal cities of Siena and Florence.
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