A Taste of Tuscany Self-Guided Walking Tour with 2 Reviews by Exodus Adventure Travels

8 daysDuration

Private TourPrivate experience, no group joining

13 - 99 yearsAge range for participants

EnglishGuide language

Moderate

Involves sustained activity requiring a reasonable level of fitness and endurance.

Starts

Chianciano Terme, Italy

Ends

Chianciano Terme, Italy

Highlights

Fabulous insight into traditional Tuscan life: the food, the wine, the culture

Wonderfully varied walking, including the beautiful UNESCO Val d'Orcia

Delicious classic Tuscan cuisine 'km 0' cooking (all local food)

The wine and cheese towns of Montepulciano and Pienza

Warm and welcoming agriturismo (farmhouse accommodation) with a passionate owner - the best of Italian hospitality

Itinerary

For experienced travelers craving an authentic taste of Italy, A Taste of Tuscany Self-Guided Walking offers a moderate, immersive trekking adventure through the heart of Tuscany. Over 8 days, wander from Chianciano Terme through picturesque chestnut forests, rolling vineyards, and ancient olive groves, discovering medieval villages and Roman baths along the way. Sample world-renowned Vino Nobile, indulge in local Pecorino cheeses, and soak in the rejuvenating thermal springs of Bagno Vignoni. This tour’s unique appeal lies in its blend of self-guided freedom and deep local interaction, allowing walkers to savor Tuscany’s culinary and cultural riches at their own pace.

day 1 - Arrive in Chianciano Terme

Arrive at the Agriturismo La Pietriccia and enjoy a stroll to the old town, before your evening briefing by the owner, Stefano, and the first of many home cooked dinners. (Staying at the Agriturismo La Pietriccia for 7 nights, Half Board)

Meals:Dinner

day 2 - Chianciano circular walk

Today's walk takes you over the hills around la Pietriccia, with stunning views over Monte Marzolana and Chianciano Terme itself. The walk will finish in Chianciano's medieval centre, from where you can make your way back to the hotel or spend more time exploring this ancient spa town.

Meals:Breakfast, Dinner

day 3 - A Walk to Lake Chiusi

As you descend into the Valdichiana, a mix of quiet lanes and gravel tracks provide perfect views of the vineyards and over to Monte Rufeno. Passing pretty farmhouses you make your way to the small town of Montallese, and from here you pick up the Sentiero della Bonifica, a long-distance path between Chiusi and Arezzo. This leads you to the charming Lake Chiusi, where you can enjoy the birdlife and perhaps lunch at the lakeside restaurant. You will be transferred back to the hotel.

Meals:Breakfast, Dinner

day 4 - Castiglioncello to the Hotel

A short transfer takes you to the charming village of Castiglioncello; once abandoned it is now restored with a hotel, a cafe and the interesting Etruscan burial site. From the village you follow a trail through the forest to pass wonderful viewpoints of the area, dropping down to Poggio Pietraporciana, a Nazi gun point in the war. Continuing through the Pietraporciana Nature Reserve you pass the Rifugio Pietraporciana, once owned by the Marchesa of Val d'Orcia, Iris Origo, who, during the war, cordoned off this area to create a neutral zone, which the allies, Nazis and partisans all obeyed. From here, a forest track takes you past a charming argiturismo before a trail along a dried up river alongside rocky cliffs and on to the outskirts of Chianchiano stopping at the Dopolavoro La Foce where an optional transfer back to the hotel awaits you. Alternative carry on walking along a narrow trail with wonderful views and past a model of an Etruscan farm, before arriving in Chianchiano Terme and a choice of following the white gravel roads passing farms or through the town to return to the agriturismo.

Meals:Breakfast, Dinner

day 5 - Free day

Today you have time to yourself, maybe walk into Chianciano Vecchia and visit the Etruscan Museum of Chianciano Terme, enjoy olive oil tasting at the agriturismo or use your voucher for the Thermal Spa and relax in the healing waters or treat yourself to one of their many treatments.

Meals:Breakfast, Dinner

day 6 - Walk to the Wine Town of Montepulciano

Today you walk to the wine town of Montepulciano, where you will be rewarded with stunning views across the Valdichiana. Follow a chestnut-laden track to meet the forest road, before following a track around the vines and farmlands up to Montepulciano. You will be picked up here, but before this, take time to explore the town, which is full of wine bars and shops and has plenty of tasting opportunities.

Meals:Breakfast, Dinner

day 7 - Pienza to Bagno Vignoni

After a short transfer to Pienza, take time to explore the town, it is one of the cheese capitals of Italy, and a beautiful mediaeval historic centre. Perhaps pick up a sandwich filled with porchetta or a slab of rich and creamy pecorino cheese. The walk takes you downhill from Pienza, crossing the stunning Val d’Orcia. It is an easy walk following a well-marked trail, giving you the chance to take in the views of mediaeval towns, rolling hills and rows of cypress trees. You will reach Bagno Vignoni then follow the river Orcia before climbing up to the town passing the spring baths and the old mill, before arriving in the Roman town, with its large baths in the centre of town. Perhaps treat yourself to the hot waters of the Hotel Posta Marcucci, where the baths come with a view! We transfer you back to the hotel for your final night of Stefano’s lovely food.

Meals:Breakfast, Dinner

day 8 - Leave Chianciano Terme

Leave Chianciano Terme

Meals:Breakfast

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What's Included

Accommodation

All accommodation, Management by local hotelier

Meals

All buffet breakfasts and 4-course evening meals

Others

Route directions and mapsWine, olive oil and local produce tastingOne thermal spa entrance

What's Excluded

Customer Reviews

Read what other travelers have to say about A Taste of Tuscany Self-Guided Walking

4.5

based on 2 reviews

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Anonymous

Sistema di prenotazione semplice e intuibile. In caso di necessità le istruzioni presenti sul sito sono risultate utili e chiare. Nessun problema riscontrato

1 day ago