Via Francigena Camino – Lucca to Siena 8 days

DISTANCE - AVERAGE

Distance training is undoubtedly a consideration in your overall training program, so take every opportunity you can to walk. As you progress, incorporate longer walks into your training plan. Schedule one or two long walks each week, gradually increasing the distance until you can comfortably cover 16km in a single day. Additionally, also include back-to-back walks to simulate walking on consecutive days. This helps your body adapt to the demands of walking for multiple days in a row. Ensure you can comfortably walk the average distance per day displayed in the graph, at least one month before you undertake your hike.

ELEVATION - ABOVE AVERAGE

Elevation training is a major consideration in your overall training program. You must include walks with serious hill climbs. If you do not have access to hills, it it essential to replicate the elevation level you will be undertaking in any way possible via a treadmill or stair climber. Prioritizing resistance training assumes heightened significance in this context, emphasizing the incorporation of stair climbing whenever feasible. Walking up and down stairs at work, at a local oval with a grandstand, or up and down small hills, boring as that sounds, is incredibly useful. Elevation is the chief walk killer, not distance, as it uses an entirely different set of muscles. If high altitude is a factor, incorporate sessions at a higher altitude to acclimatise your body to reduced oxygen levels ( this may not be possible). Ensure you can comfortably walk the average elevation per day displayed in the graph, at least one month before you undertake your hike.

MOUNTAINEOUS

As terrain associated with Mountain climbs is often somewhat uneven and or rocky balancing and core exercises are vital. Try to also include some form of elevation in more than 50% of your walking and prioritise resistance training, whilst incorporating stairs anytime you can. Walking up mountains or hills or up and down stairs at work, at a local oval with a grandstand or up and down small hills, boring as that sounds, is incredibly useful. Elevation is often the chief walk killer, not distance, as it uses an entirely different set of muscles. So concentrate on doing lots of squats and lunges to build your glute muscles.

TRAVEL TO LUCCA AND FROM SIENA

The closest airports to Lucca are Florence A Vespucci and Pisa Galileo Galilei.

From Florence airport, either take a bus or taxi to Florence Santa Maria Novella Train station. From here, it is about 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour and 40 minutes by train to Luca depending on the train service. From Pisa Airport, you can take a bus, taxi, or train to Pisa Centrale Train Station, then take the train for 30 minutes to Lucca.

Please see Trenitalia.com for more information or Rome to Rio for more broader information. Both trains are minimally expensive.

Siena is easy to get away from as it has trains to many other parts of Italy.

LUGGAGE TRANSFERS

This walk has the luggage transferred on all days when walking. On day 2 you will take your luggage part of the way on the train until you are picked up and taken to your accommodation.

AVAILABILITY

We offer this walk from April to October, as it can get quite cold in the depths of winter, and many accommodations close their doors as well at this time.

WEATHER

The temperature increases from the end of March, making walking very pleasant. In summer, it’s quite warm but still good for walking on the trail.

We believe spring and autumn are the best times as the weather is perfect for walking.

See the weather information about the average local weather at different times of the year.

INSURANCE

We require that you have adequate travel insurance against potential losses, damage or injury, including cancellation costs and loss of luggage.

You must have purchased travel insurance for all trips requiring international travel, including medical evacuation coverage.

We also charge a cancellation fee if you cancel your walking holiday after we have confirmed it to cover costs incurred by our suppliers and in the office.  See the FAQ section for more information.

INFORMATION PACK

For nearly 30 years, we have taken pride in providing seamlessly organised walking holidays, but we know you’ll have many more questions even with that in mind. You will receive a detailed information pack and itinerary approximately six weeks before departure outlining all the fine details and much more.

CONTACT

If you have any questions, feel free to ask one of our destination consultants, or if you have specific track-related questions if we can’t answer them, we can also ask our staff who have walked the track. You can contact us via our contact form, email us at info@auswalk.com.au, or call us on +61 3 9597 9767.

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