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Tuscany Wine & Walking Tour Write a review
Wine and walking do mix!
Customwalks founder Brett Naisby has been living in the Chianti region of Tuscany since 1994, where he has been expanding his knowledge of the wines of Montalcino, Chianti, and Bolgheri, but also getting to know the owners and wine-makers from many of the region’s top producers, big and small. This makes all the difference when it comes to gaining access to special wineries, special wines, and the people behind them. Join us as we spend a week walking from winery to winery, through Tuscany’s sublime wine country learning from local wine makers, agronomists, chefs and sommeliers about the area’s wine, cuisine, and culinary culture. This tour offers up the perfect combination of natural beauty, exercise, and learning, along with just the right amount of hedonistic wine and food consumption!
Tuscany Wine & Walking Tour Includes
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Tuscany Wine & Walking Tour itinerary Request full itinerary
Independent arrival Florence and check into the four-star Hotel Dei Medici or similar. Dinner is on your own this evening. Overnight Florence. If you wish to arrive earlier, please let us know and we will book you the extra nights. We do not charge for this service. Hotel included.
Pick up at the Hotel Orto Dei Medici and short transfer to the Villa Agape. A short Walk to Abbazzia San Miniato al Monte for a visit of this exquisite basilica and monastery. One of Italy’s most beautiful medieval buildings. We will finish the morning with an urban hike (paved lanes, sidewalks, roads) through the historic Pian Di Giuliari district, a plateau that is dotted with Renaissance villas, and Galileo Galilei’s observatory and home. A 40-minute transfer brings us to la Cantinetta di Rignana, a classic trattoria set amongst the rolling hills not far from Panzano in Chianti. After lunch, a short transfer Fattoria Le Fonti, a beautiful small winery on the edge of Panzano in Chianti. Here we are welcomed by my friend Guido, who together with his wife Vicky own and run the winery. A brief visit of the winery is followed by a tasting of their Chianti Classico, Chianti Classico Riserva and “super Tuscan” wines. If it is a nice day, the tasting will include a magnificent view out over the vineyards onto the Villa Vignamaggio, where Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa. Afterward, a twenty-minute drive brings us to Radda in Chianti where we check into the Relais Fattoria Vignale, an 118th-centurymanor house that is now a four-star hotel with magnificent views over the Chianti hills. A two-minute walk into the village for dinner t trattoria Da Giovannino. The Walk: Very easy walking on gently rolling terrain and on paved surfaces. Morning distance: 5.5 kms. Walk time. 1.5 hours plus time for explanations of the history. Overnight Radda in Chianti at the four-star Relais Fattoria Vignale. Transfer, winery visit and tasting and dinner included. Lunch not included.
After breakfast a private transfer to the Castello di Brolio. Our morning walk takes us under the massive walls of the castle, through their vineyards and olive groves to the castle itself, whose gray stone walls have stood for 900 years. Visit the park and gardens of the castle and the small but fascinating museum that is dedicated to Baron Benito Ricasoli, who was Italy’s first Prime Minister and who established the recipe for Chianti Classico wines . Lunch at a local trattoria followed by a visit of Ceramica Rampini’s workshop and store. Rampini produces hand-painted majolica ceramics using traditional techniques which feature Renaissance-era designs as well as contemporary motifs to decorate dinner sets, jugs, and vases. The Walk: 1 hour in the morning, relatively flat but sometimes rolling. Optional afternoon walk: 6 km (4 mi) loop over rolling, hilly terrain. Overnight Radda in Chianti. Hotel, breakfast, and dinner included.
Our morning walk starts directly from the hotel and leads up into the Chianti hills to the tiny hamlet of Bricciano, where we will meet Rory O’Kelly for a visit of his cantina. Yesterday we visited one of the largest producers in Chianti, today we visit one of the smallest! Rory’s South African father established this small boutique winery in the 1990s and Rory is continuing his father’s passion for the winery. He is intent on making world-class wine and the result is very persuasive. After the visit, we have a short walk to a private home where we have lunch. The afternoon walk takes us to the Castello di Meleto, a 13th century fortress that evolved over time into a Baroque summer residence. From here you have a short van transfer back to Radda. Dinner tonight is al fresco at Ristorante Le Panzanelle. The Walk: 1.5 hrs in the morning, 2.5 hrs in the afternoon through rolling terrain. Overnight Radda in Chianti. Hotel, breakfast, lunch, dinner and tasting included.
Today we have a scenic 40-minute van transfer to Siena, one of Italy’s most beautiful and historic cities. We have a guided visit with Rita, our favorite city guide. Only a native of this Gothic city can explain the furor and passion that surround the famous bareback Palio horserace, which is run around the city’s 12th century Piazza del Campo twice a year. You will have free time to explore the exquisite historic center and admire its Gothic architecture. Of course, you might get side-tracked by the shops and cafés along the Banchi di Sopra, Siena’s main pedestrian shopping street. Enjoy lunch in Siena and then meet up again before a scenic drive through the Crete Senese to Pienza. Our hotel for the next two nights is the lovely four-star Relais il Chiostro, a former Franciscan Convent dating back to the 13th century, located in an enviable position, in the center of the magnificent hamlet of Pienza, in the heart of the Val d’Orcia. The Walk: Urban walking in Siena. Overnight in Pienza. Hotel, breakfast and dinner included. Lunch not included
After breakfast we have a short transfer towards Montalcino to begin our walk to the 13th century Abbey of Sant’Antimo. The walk takes us through Brunello vineyards, verdant woods, and rustic farming villages before we arrive at the abbey. Sant’Antimo is one of the most important and famous examples of Romanesque architecture in Italy. After lunch at the trattoria in Castelnuovo dell’Abate we have a short drive to “Uccelliera,” one of Brunello’s premier small wineries, for a truly unique and insightful tasting in their cantina. We start in the cellar and taste directly from the barrels the still unblended Sangiovese wines from two different vineyards. Here we taste the difference that terroir makes to a wine, and also age and even the type of oak barrel that is used. We then move to the tasting room to taste a flight of their Brunellos. Return to Pienza for free time to explore the town’s shops, cafés, and wine bars. Tonight’s dinner is at our favourite trattoria in Pienza, which also happens to have a superb wine list with many old vintages cellared to perfection. The Walk: 2.5 hrs in the morning, through rolling terrain, mostly downhill. Overnight Pienza. Breakfast, dinner, Brunello winery visit and tasting and hotel included.
Transfer to Arezzo train station for trains after 10:30 a.m. to Florence and Rome. Drive time is 1 hour. Transfer included.
Activity rating: 2 = Easy to Moderate
In general: This is an easy to moderate tour for fit hikers, and will be do-able with some effort by less fit hikers.
Terrain: Flat to gently rolling terrain with some rocky areas. Perhaps some short, relatively steep climbs and descents, but nothing longer than 20 minutes.
Actual walking time: Between 2 - 4 hours per day, mostly in the morning but sometimes also in the afternoon
Distances: Usually 7 - 10 km (4.5 - 6 mi). Max distance is 12 km (7 mi).
Surfaces: Trails consist mainly of compact earth and/or gravel and sometimes gravel roads
Footing: Easy/good. Proper hiking shoes with thick soles and good treads are required. Sport sandals, running shoes and tennis shoes are not adequate.
Specifics: There are a couple of short, steep climbs but they're not long, and you can take your time.
Hiking Poles: Not required, but if you habitually use hiking poles then you will find them helpful
Compared to the Cinque Terre: This tour is significantly easier than the hikes in the Cinque Terre
Other: This tour is appropriate for fit, first-time “hikers” who enjoy walking
Easy to Moderate Tours: Puglia & Basilicata, Piedmont Walk. All of our boat–based tours in Turkey, Croatia, and Greece Dodecanese Islands would be “easy to moderate” IF you decide to skip the one or two of the more challenging hikes. Your guides of course can advise you of the difficulty level and the terrain and footing of each walk.
Getting There: the trip starts in Florence. Florence is well connected by road, rail and air with the rest of Italy and Europe.
Air: Florence airport receives both domestic and international flights through European hubs such as London, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Munich and Brussels. You can also fly into Pisa (about an hour away by train) on many low-cost airlines. For a complete list of Italian airports and a selection of low-cost airlines, see our "Transport Info" page.
Rail: The Eurostar and new Italo high-speed trains connect Florence with Milan (travel time about 2.5 hours), Bologna (travel time 35 mins) and Rome (travel time 1.5 hrs). See the Trenitalia website (in English) at this link. For alternative high-speed rail travel, see the Italo website. For complete information on using the Italian train system, see our blog post.
Road: The A1 Autostrada connects Florence with the rest of Italy. Travel time from Milan is about 5 hours, from Bologna 1.5 hours, and from Rome about 3 hours.
Getting Away at the End of the Trip: The trip ends with a van transfer to the Arezzo train station after breakfast on day 7. We arrive around 10:00 a.m. to make 10:30 connections to Florence, Rome, or other destinations.
If you book a trip with us you will receive detailed information about how to get to and from the trip, and of course you can e-mail us with any questions.
This is my third Customwalks tour. As usual, I was thrilled with the attention to detail, the food, the wine and the people. Brett managed everything so well and made everyone feel welcome. Tuscany is lovely in May, the temperature was just right. We ate so well and in so many beautiful settings. It's hard to say which was my favorite. The villa we stayed in was perfect. Can't wait to do it again!
Four of my friends and I decided to take this tour back in March. We worked with Brett, the owner, to set up a private tour...We are sooooo happy we did that. The experience was truly a unique and special one! This was a fantastic trip! Spending time with great friends, eating delicious food, drinking some fantastic wine and seeing a beautiful part of Italy! What more could one ask for!! One thing that made this trip so unique and wonderful was our guide, Marco. His love for his country and culture was palpable and it wonderfully oozed into every part of our trip and made it a one of a kind experience. Brett and his Custom Walks Team (Marco and Manu) are fantastic and we felt they truly \customized\ the tour just for us. Thank you for a wonderful vacation!!!
If you have any questions or specific requests about any of our tours, we’re here to help. You can fill in the form below, send us an email, or call us and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
This is my third Customwalks tour. As usual, I was thrilled with the attention to detail, the food, the wine and the people. Brett managed everything so well and made everyone feel welcome. Tuscany is lovely in May, the temperature was just right. We ate so well and in so many beautiful settings. It's hard to say which was my favorite. The villa we stayed in was perfect. Can't wait to do it again!
by Cathy S.
Four of my friends and I decided to take this tour back in March. We worked with Brett, the owner, to set up a private tour...We are sooooo happy we did that. The experience was truly a unique and special one!
This was a fantastic trip! Spending time with great friends, eating delicious food, drinking some fantastic wine and seeing a beautiful part of Italy! What more could one ask for!! One thing that made this trip so unique and wonderful was our guide, Marco. His love for his country and culture was palpable and it wonderfully oozed into every part of our trip and made it a one of a kind experience. Brett and his Custom Walks Team (Marco and Manu) are fantastic and we felt they truly \customized\ the tour just for us. Thank you for a wonderful vacation!!!
by N. Fisher