A Taste of Tuscany Self-Guided Walking
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Experience Overview
Trip For You
This is a self-guided tour; you can walk at your own pace (we recommend taking your time and enjoying the sights!)
Terrain & route: The walking mainly follows 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, giving excellent views - a sunhat is essential. Tuscany's hills cover nearly two-thirds of the region, therefore, you can expect frequent ascents and descents that are steep in places. Being reasonably fit and confident is recommended.
Vehicle Support: This is a self-guided trip for those who prefer to walk independently, but with our assistance to take out the stress of the logistics and planning. We arrange your accommodation and provide you with route notes so that you can walk at your own pace. The hotelier, Stefano, will be there to meet you and will be available, throughout the trip, should you need assistance.
As this is a self-guided holiday there is no group and no leader. There may be others on the same departure date as you, but you will not be organised together. The route notes contain an emergency assistance telephone number should you need it and in emergencies, the hotelier will be able to help arrange a taxi or pick you up themselves. They may wish to charge for this service.
Group Description
As this is a self-guided holiday there is no group and no leader. The hotelier, Stefano, is on hand to assist you and will meet you at the beginning of the week to go through the route notes and point out particular places of interest. Route notes and maps are provided. The route notes contain an emergency telephone number. In an emergency, the hotelier would be able to help arrange a taxi or pick you up themselves. They may wish to charge for this service. Please note: the walking transfers included in this tour are subject to a minimum of 2 people (in total) booked on the departure. A supplement (payable in advance) to cover these transfers and sole occupancy of a room will apply if only 1 person is travelling on a departure date.
Eating Drinking
Tuscan food is based on the Italian idea of 'cucina povera' (poor cooking); simple inexpensive meals that can be made for large groups. Whilst this was once dictated by the economy and expense of the produce, the tradition has remained. The cuisine of this region doesn't use complicated seasonings or elaborate recipes, and instead focuses on fresh, high quality ingredients that allow the natural flavours in each dish to shine through. Typical dishes include fagioli con salsiccia (cannellini beans with sausage), tagliatelle al tartufo (pasta in a truffle sauce), bistecca alla Fiorentina (a T-bone steak which is only cooked blue/rare and often large enough to share!), pici (a fat, handmade spaghetti, often served with tomato and garlic sauce or game meat). Don't miss the local cacio and pecorino cheeses and sample the famous wines: Nobile di Montepulciano and Brunello di Montalcino.
Transportation
All walking transfers detailed in the standard itinerary are included in the cost of the hoilday.
Weather Information
April and May departures can expect warm days, although rain is always possible. Nights may still be rather cool. Early June is similar, with the days becoming progressively hotter and the evenings much warmer. September and October are cooler and wetter, yet visibility is usually better. We strongly recommend a fleece-lined jacket or warm sweater in May, September and October.
Spending Money
— Allow about €5-20 per day for lunch, depending on whether you have a picnic, snack or a light restaurant meal. For evening meals you should allow about €15-30 including drinks, although it is possible to spend more than this if you choose expensive dishes or drinks.
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
Trip Details
Product Code: 22847
Tour Type: Small Group
Accommodation: Moderate
Transport: hoilday.
Guide Language: English
Travel Styles:
Budget
Tour Operator:
Exodus Travel
Supplier Code: W07ST
Starts:
Finishes:
Duration: 8 days
Departures: Not Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Unknown
Includes
7 nights in 3-star equivalent accommodation — All breakfasts and 4-course evening meals, plus one wine, olive oil and local produce tasting — 1 thermal spa entrance — Briefing at the start of your holiday — Headwater navigation appAccommodation
Agriturismo la Pietriccia, Chianciano Terme (3* equivalent)The Agriturismo La Pietriccia is a wonderful place sitting across a small valley from the old town of Chianciano, rewarding you with wonderful views. The large rooms have a simple, rustic decor and some offer balconies or terraces. You will be given a warm welcome by the owner Stefano, who is extremely passionate about the produce of the local area and the nature. The agriturismo has a lovely pool and terrace; there is also a shady garden area where in warm summer weather, you can relax reading a book. The food prepared by Stefano, his brother Simone and Katia, is cooked using the mainly organic produce grown or reared on site or by one of the local producers offering traditional Tuscan cuisine at its best. Please note that if you have booked one of the agriturismo's apartments, these are located 100m from the main agriturismo. Facilities: Pool, Hairdryer, WiFi, TV, Aircon, Safe, Tea/coffee, Mastercard, Visa
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $2615 ($327 /day)
Itinerary
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Leave Chianciano Terme
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Tour Operator
Exodus Travel
It’s all about adventure That is what Exodus was founded upon 50 years ago, and what the company is still all about. Discovering countries, cultures, environments, cities, mountain ranges, deserts, coasts and jungles; exploring this amazing planet we all live on. At Exodus, we know what makes you tick when it comes to holidays. It’s a desire shared by so many others. A yearning to visit new places and come home with a real sense of what they’re all about. This means delving into local traditions, cultures, cuisine, lifestyles – anything that contributes to its unique identity. At the same time, we always remember that we are only guests. So we travel courteously and respectfully, in smaller groups to minimise our impact, to ensure that every Exodus holiday is a beneficial experience for everyone involved. This is a philosophy we take with us around the world, helping you reach some incredible destinations on 500 itineraries across over 90 separate countries. We also strive to provide as much flexibility and choice as we possibly can, making it simple for you to experience a very different holiday. Exodus started life on 4 February 1974 when two friends got together to provide an overland truck to travel to the Minaret of Jam, deep in the heart of the Hindu Kush, the most inaccessible of the world’s great monuments. See our history page for more details about how we began and how we have grown over the past 50 years. Never travelled with Exodus before? Visit our New to Exodus page for some useful, first-timer information.
In Business Since 1974
