Florence to Siena: Through the Chianti Winelands – 7 Days

DISTANCE - BELOW AVERAGE

Distance is not a major consideration in your training program. However, you should still incorporate some long walks as it will increase your cardiovascular fitness.

ELEVATION - ~AVERAGE

Elevation training should be a consideration in your overall training program.

Try to include some form of elevation in more than 40% of your walking and prioritise resistance training, whilst incorporating stairs anytime you can. Walking up and down stairs at work, at a local oval with a grandstand or up and down small hills is incredibly useful. Elevation is often where walkers encounter problems, opposed to distance, as it uses an entirely different set of muscles to everyday flat walking.

Ensure you can comfortably walk the average elevation per day displayed in the graph, at least one month before you undertake your hike.

TERRAIN

FLAT TERRAIN

Whilst training for walking on flat and hard terrain, you should focus on building endurance and ensuring you can maintain a comfortable pace.

Start with regular walks on sidewalks, roads, or paved paths to get used to the surface. Maintain a proper posture and engage your core muscles to support your back, keeping a steady gait. Ensure that you have comfortable, supportive footwear with adequate cushioning. If endurance is important, consider incorporating low-impact cross-training activities like swimming or cycling into your routine.

MOUNTAINOUS / UNDULATING TERRAIN

As terrain associated with mountain climbs is often somewhat uneven and 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, up and down stairs at work, or up and down at a local oval with a grandstand is incredibly useful. Elevation is often where walkers encounter problems not distance, as it uses an entirely different set of muscles to everyday flat walking. Concentrate on doing lots of squats and lunges to build your glute muscles.

About the walking

We grade this walk as moderate. Tracks and trails may have short steep hill sections and rough surfaces. A moderate active lifestyle makes walking more enjoyable, an exercise regime of 2 to 3 times a week is needed.

Walks are generally along well-defined trails. You should be used to walking between 10km-19km per day with up to 500m of ascent and descent. The vast majority of trails and tracks are well defined and cover a variety of terrain. On any typical day, you will be walking on forest trails, gravel tracks, rolling farmland, through vineyards and into the villages and towns where you will stay. It is commonplace in Italy that there are no separate footpaths (even in the towns) which means you will often be walking on the roads. Please always be mindful of all road users when doing so. For each of the walks, you will be provided with daily walk notes, a map and the GPX tracks if you require to use them for your own device.

Availability

This walk is available from late April to the end of June and mid-August through to October.

Not available from 1st July – 22nd August.

From April into May the days are warm and sunny with equally pleasant evenings. Into June, sunflowers are in full bloom, vineyards are flowering, and the days become much warmer (up to 30 degrees). Village piazza’s buzz with life and are perfect for enjoying an al fresco dinner. Mid-August into September marks the beginnings of the grape harvests, so you might be lucky enough to encounter a local festival or two. By October, the summer heat has retreated. The days are warm with evenings cooling off. It isn’t uncommon for Tuscany to experience thunderstorms during summer days, so you should always be prepared for a change of season during the day.

How to get there and away

This walk starts in Florence and ends in Siena. Florence has a small airport, whereas the larger airports of Pisa and Rome generally offer a wider range of routes across Europe and beyond.

Florence airport
You can travel by either bus or tram from Florence airport to Florence centre. The direct tram services terminate next to the Florence mainline station, whereas the bus service terminates in central Florence. Both journeys are no longer than 20mins.

Pisa Airport
From Pisa Airport you can take the ‘Pisa Mover’ train shuttle to the Pisa Centrale station to change for direct services to Florence. Journey time is between 1hr-1hr 30mins

Rome Airport
Rome has two airports. Fiumicino and Ciampino. Fiumicino airport connects through to Florence Central station in around 2hrs 30mins (with a change of trains in Rome central station). If you’re arriving at Rome Ciampino airport you will need to take the airport bus to Ciampino station and change at Rome central station for services for Florence. Journey time from Ciampino to Florence is around 2hrs 30mins (depending on times and services).

Onward Travel From Siena

Siena does not have an airport but does have excellent train connections to Florence (direct service, 1hr 30mins), Pisa (change at Empoli, 1hr 45mins) and Rome (via Chiusi Chianciano Terme, 4hrs or via Florence, 3hrs 15mins).

For all train travel in Italy prices, timetables and ticket reservations can be made through The Trainline or Tren Italia.

Another useful generic planning tool for travel is Rome2Rio should you be travelling from, or to, other destinations.

Insurance

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

For all trips that require international travel, you must have purchased travel insurance that also includes medical evacuation coverage.

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

IMPORTANT - SOLO WALKERS

For your safety and well-being, we are unable to accept bookings for solo walkers on this itinerary. The remote nature of some tracks and limited mobile reception mean that walking alone presents a higher risk in case of emergencies.