Hill-Top Towns of Tuscany with San Gimignano

Day 1  Volterra      
Arrive in Volterra at any time.        

Day 2  Volterra      
We suggest a short introductory walk to explore the soft rolling hills south of the town, by first following the route of an old rack-railway, before heading uphill across an evocative landscape that offers a striking profile of hill-top Volterra as you ascend gradually back to the town.  

Afterwards, or alternatively, spend some time exploring splendid Volterra. This atmospheric town boasts substantial Etruscan and Roman remains, as well as several museums and an art gallery. Stroll along Via Ricciarelli, where there are some fine tower houses, and visit one of the workshops where they still work alabaster. Take time, too, to admire the views from the ancient ramparts of the volcanic hills surrounding the town.  

Day 3  Volterra to San Gimignano      
After a short transfer, you follow pleasant tracks and strade bianche across a couple of small valleys, through woodland and agricultural land as well as the village of San Donato, which boasts a lovely church. You pass numerous isolated poderi (farmsteads), once occupied by families of share-croppers who grew wheat, olives and grapes, and enjoy fine views across gently rolling hills to your destination, San Gimignano, where you spend two nights at the Hotel Bel Soggiorno or Hotel L'Antico Pozzo.  

Day 4  San Gimignano    
For a good introduction to medieval San Gimignano, stroll around the town walls and look down on the charming streets lined with ancient houses and palaces. The walk itself takes about an hour, but allow longer for detours. In its heyday, San Gimignano boasted seventy towers; nowadays thirteen remain. On clear days it is well worth climbing the tallest of these, the tower belonging to the Palazzo del Popolo (pay locally), for splendid views of the area.  

Day 5  San Gimignano to Colle Val d'Elsa    
This beautiful walk takes you through much softer, archetypal Tuscan landscapes of olive groves and vineyards and across the small River Foci to the historic upper part of Colle Val d'Elsa, a fascinating town surrounded by ramparts. You stay for one night at either the Palazzo San Lorenzo in Colle Val d'Elsa itself, or at Relais della Rovere, a former abbey a couple of kilometres beyond the town.  

Day 6  Colle Val d'Elsa to Siena      
After a transfer to the fortified hamlet of Monteriggioni, you walk along a section of the Via Francigena, the ancient pilgrims' route between Canterbury and Rome. You descend through farmland to reach Siena, where your hotel for your last two nights is the historic Palazzo Ravizza, a Renaissance mansion close to the historic centre.

Day 7   Siena    
Today is devoted to sightseeing. The centre of Sienese life is the delightful Campo, a piazza bordered on one side by the Palazzo Pubblico, which houses some splendid frescoes, including Lorenzetti's Effects of Good and Bad Government, and is topped by the Mangia Tower, which offers a superb panorama of the city. The cathedral is also well worth a visit (among its masterpieces are works by Jacopo della Quercia and Donatello), as are the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo and the Pinacoteca.  

Day 8  Siena  
Your self guided walking tour ends on day 8, depart at any time.