Discover the genius behind the “Chianti Classico and Gallo Nero” wines by walking through the celebrating vineyards where they are produced. Nestled amidst the flourishing art cities of Florence and Siena, the Chianti region offers natural beauty and incomparable culinary treasures such as the world famous Chianti wines and delectable homemade olive oil. Walk along cypress lined country roads and strade bianche, gravel roads, traversing forests of oak, beech and chestnut. As the Tuscan sun shines above and the golden Chianti countryside reflects your delight, you will feel as if you have stepped into a Renaissance painting.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
• Florence, cradle of the Renaissance and Medieval Siena with the imposing Piazza del Campo
• Fiesole and the Ancient Roman amphitheatre
• The wine hills of Greve in Chianti and Radda in Chianti
• Great wineries to visit and wines to taste
• Wonderful landscapes, medieval villages and hamlets
• Friendly people, great salami, Florentine steak, Cantucci with vinsanto and of course … wine


8 Day Programme

Day 1 - Arrive in FlorenceFlorence on BB basis
Arrive in Florence and take a moment to breathe in the air of the Renaissance. We suggested arriving early to go for a city walk around the magnificent squares and by the illustrious Arno River. This walk starts and ends in the Piazza della Signoria and takes about 3,5 hours.


Day 2 – Walk from Settignano to Fiesole Florence on BB basis
Travel uphill on a twenty-five minute local city bus ride to the village of Settignano where the walk begins. On the walk, you have magnificent views of cypress trees, olive groves, Renaissance villas and the whole city of Florence at your feet. Stroll through the charming town of Fiesole and tour its Etruscan ruins, Roman amphitheater and Franciscan monastery. km 8 or 16 km

Day 3 - Selection of walks Greve in Chianti on BB basis
After breakfast, take the local bus (with your luggage) or book a private transfer to Greve in Chianti, a rustic market village and the capital of the Chianti wine producing region. Check in to the hotel and head over to Le Cantine di Greve where you can taste over 50 different Chianti wines.Take advantage of the daylight to walk around this gorgeous scenery by choosing between two routes.

Walk A: Greve in Chianti loop via Uzzano
In the afternoon, make a round walk north of the attractive main square of Greve in Chianti, through a picture perfect landscape. From the main square a round walk starts and takes you through the Chianti Classico area passing by the Villa Calcinaia and numerous vineyards with “aziende agricole” (farms) where the prestigious Chianti wine is produced. km 11,4

Walk B: Greve loop via Montefioralle
Explore the wonderful surroundings through the forest, among dense wild vegetation, villas, vineyards and olive groves. You will be passing by abandoned old farms, ruins and beautiful villas before reaching the panoramic hamlet of Montefioralle.
km 10

Day 4 – Panzano loopGreve in Chianti on BB basis
The walk is made up of a loop out of Panzano. You walk through the hills surrounding the village, in the classic Chianti landscape that alternates forests with vineyards, offering you the possibility to discover ancient Roman farmsteads. km 11,7

Day 5 - Private transfer to Monte San Michele and walk from Badiaccia a Montemuro to Radda in Chianti
Radda in Chianti on BB basis
After breakfast, a short car transfer takes you to the highest of the Chianti hills, Monte San Michele. From Badiaccia you descend through a forested valley of century old chestnut trees and continue towards the stunning medieval hamlet of Volpaia, situated amongst vineyards and castles. Stop in for a glass of red at a fine Enoteca, wine shop, and then continue on to Radda in Chianti.
Km 14 or km 12

Day 6 - Radda in Chianti round walkRadda in Chianti on BB basis
A scenic walk around the old centre of Radda in Chianti. Stop for lunch in the lovely hamlet of Vertine and in the afternoon treat yourself to a glass of Chianti wine at Colle Bereto, a celebrated local vineyard that you encounter along the way back to Radda.
km 15,8

Day 7 - Siena, Siena on BB basis
After breakfast, take the local bus (with your luggage) or with a prearranged private transfer, to the marvelous city of Siena, famous for its biannual “Palio” horse race, held in the most beautiful shellshaped square in Europe: the Piazza del Campo. Don’t miss a visit to the Duomo, an architectural treasure, and numerous imposing medieval palaces. History comes alive as you meander through the narrow streets of this fantastically preserved jewel of Italy.


Day 8 - Arrivederci Tuscany!
Our services end after breakfast, however we highly recommend you to book extra nights in Siena to continue exploring the old centre, exquisite museums, lush galleries and marvelous churches. A visit to the top of the bell tower is also quite a sight.


5 Day Programme
Day 1 Florence and Florence city walks- Florence
Day 2Selection of walks to choose from
Walk A: Greve in Chianti loop via Uzzano - km 11,4
Walk B: Chianti round walk via Montefioralle - km 10
Day 3Transfer to Monte San Michele & walk Badiaccia Montemuro to Radda in Chianti km 14 or km 12 - Radda in Chianti
Day 4Public bus to Siena - Siena
Day 5 Departure



Getting there and away
Florence, Pisa and Bologna airports are flown to by both major and low cost international carriers. All three airports can be easily reached by local transport, which is affordable and offers a frequent service. From Florence airport take the direct local bus to downtown. From Pisa airport, you can take either a direct train or bus to Florence. From Bologna airport take the bus to Bologna central station, then the train to Florence.
To return from Siena to Florence, the SITA-TRA.IN bus station is very close to the hotel and a bus leaves every 30 minutes.
If you come with your own car, please note that the hotels we use in Florence and Siena do not have a private parking lot of their own, there are several guarded parking areas which cost approximately €20 per day.

Accommodation and Meals
Selected 2*, 3* and 4* hotels are used in this trip. Some of these hotels have swimming pool and restaurant. In all the accommodation the rooms have private bathrooms and a good Italian breakfast is included each morning.
The trip is on bed and breakfast basis because throughout the trip there are plenty of opportunities to taste both the outstanding local cuisine and a wide array of prestigious regional wines.

Alternative accommodation
During high season it is possible that you might sleep in different accommodation to the ones that are indicated in the description. In some cases it is possible that your list of accommodation differs somewhat. This means that start or end of the routes are slightly altered. Therefore you should check to see if your accommodation is the same as that mentioned in this programme. If not, you must be alert at the start and end of the routes.
In choosing alternative accommodation we have tried to maintain the same standards and quality. We have also tried to stay in the same towns and villages, in order to change routes as little as possible.


Activity characteristics
Tuscany has a typically agricultural landscape. Because the walks often pass near to, or through, towns and villages, the occasional stretch of asphalt road is unavoidable. We have done our best to keep these to a minimum, however. You will mostly be walking along so-called strade bianche (sing. strada bianca), i.e. ‘white roads’. These roads, which are paved with compacted gravel, are peculiar to Tuscany. You will occasionally meet a car on them. Certain strade bianche will be asphalted in the near future: if you come across a newly asphalted stretch, please inform us so that we can change the route or its description at that point. Apart from the strade bianche, you will also walk over smaller paths. These take you through loamy crop fields. If the weather is rainy, the paths are often muddy and the loamy clay will stick to your shoes. This minor handicap can make the walks considerably heavier going.


Luggage transfer
In all trip versions Luggage transfer is included from Greve in Chianti to Radda in Chianti. You travel with your luggage from Greve to Badiaccia on Monte San Michele (start of the walk on day 5). The supplier will continue to Radda in Chianti with the luggage.

If you have booked the ALL TRANSFERS version of the trip, luggage transfer is included from Florence to Greve in Chianti and from Radda to Siena. In this case you travel with the luggage. In all cases, transfers are at 9:30 hrs. from the hotel.

Please clearly mark all your belongings with your name and put a small note with the name of the next accommodation in order to indicate where the bags should go to next (check your accommodation list). Also ask the accommodation owner where the bags should be left in the morning. Labelling your belongings prevents mix ups, delays and loss.
Bags should be ready and at the reception or store room by 9:00 hrs. If you are unable to walk, you can always ask, if the luggage transporter can take you with him when transporting your baggage, but this is not always possible and sometimes you have to pay a small fee locally. In some countries there are special insurances for transporting peoples and sometimes the car is not suited for transporting persons.
When you travel with public transport you always take your luggage with you.

A note on our self guided adventures
Self guided walking or cycling requires individuals to use problem solving skills, be adaptable and have a keen eye. It is recommended that you are comfortable map reading, referring to route notes and that you have a good sense of direction (or are willing to work on improving this!) Sometimes route finding, losing your way, finding it again and asking the locals for help is all part of the adventure. If you’ve never been on a self guided trip, after the first couple of days you will get the hang of if as the vast majority of our first time travellers attest. Please be assured that our written material issued to you for route finding is updated regularly and we provide a 7 day service hotline in the event of any problems. There is a certain level of the unknown that comes with self guided trips, however with a methodical approach potential problems will be averted. The freedom of a self guided trip is something that, once experienced, is sought time and time again.

Fitness preparation
The concept behind most of our trips is active holidays and the fitter you are the more easily you will adjust and enjoy yourself. This walk is graded introductory to moderate. We expect participants to take responsibility for their fitness and preparations on a consistent basis prior to departure, and INCREASE the regular weekly training schedule in the two months leading up to departure. That way, when you start walking, you will feel relaxed and comfortable and strong, having done more than sufficient preparation for the trip. You will also have more energy to enjoy the views, take photos and explore the sights in your spare time, rather than just make it to the next hotel.
During the day is when the most interesting features of interest will be found, and being fit allows you to optimize every situation you encounter. As a minimum, we recommend 40 minutes of aerobic type exercise; running, swimming, biking, hill walking, or gym work two to three times a week for two to six months leading up to your walk. Note the best training is the activity that you are actually going to be doing; walking up and down hill, and cross-country. Practice this as much as possible. Training should be stepped up as you get closer to departure, to an amount you feel appropriate (you don’t want to cause yourself an injury!). Using your gear before departure (boots, daypack, clothing, etc.) gives familiarity and comfort whilst on the walk. It makes sense to know that all your gear ‘works for you’ BEFORE departure, rather than discovering how things work or fit (or don’t!) on the trip you have invested so much in. Use the philosophy of ‘getting fit to go walking’, rather than ‘going on a walk to get fit’, to avoid problems.