Classic Trails of Tuscany: Siena to Montepulciano – 8 Days

DISTANCE - ABOVE AVERAGE

Distance training is a major consideration in your overall training program. 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 17-25 km in a single day. Also include walks on consecutive days to help your body adapt to the demands of walking for multiple days in a row. Take every opportunity you can to walk. If you have a fitness watch or phone, you should try to reach >15,000 steps every day.

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 is essential to replicate the elevation level you will be undertaking in any way possible such as on a treadmill or stair climber. Walking up and down stairs at work, at a local oval with a grandstand, or up and down small hills is incredibly useful. Also, prioritising resistance weight training will help you develop overall muscle strength.  Elevation is often where walkers encounter problems, opposed to distance, as it uses an entirely different set of muscles to everyday flat walking.

If high altitude is a factor, incorporate sessions at a higher altitude to acclimatise your body to reduced oxygen levels if you are able to. 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 trip as moderate. Tracks and trails may have short steep hill sections, some rough surfaces and steps. 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 road. 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 beginning 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 Siena and ends in Montepulciano. There is no airport in Siena. However, you can drive or take a train or bus to Siena from other airports near Siena. Florence and Perugia are the closest airports to Siena and the larger airports of Pisa, Bologna and Rome generally offer a wider range of routes across Europe and beyond. Leaving Montepulciano is very easy to venture by train. Always remember to stamp your ticket before travel on either buses or trains!

Florence airport
You can travel by bus from Florence airport to Florence central. The bus service terminates in central Florence beside the main railway station of Santa Maria Novella. The journey is approximately 25mins. You can then choose to go to Siena by bus or by train. By bus the journey time is 1hr – 1hr 30mins.  There are two different bus lines that run between Florence and Siena. The RAPIDA or 131R is the fastest. It goes directly between the two cities on a dual carriageway. The DIRETTA stops at Poggibonsi and in Colle val D’Elsa – and can be handy if you would like to stop off and explore. By train the journey time via Empoli is 1hr 30mins.

Pisa Airport
From Pisa Airport you can take the ‘Pisa Mover’ train shuttle to the Pisa Centrale station to change for direct services to Siena. Journey time is 1hr-40mins. Please note You cannot buy tickets for the Pisa Mover in the main railway station. You have to walk down to the Pisa Mover itself where there are separate train ticket machines.

Rome Airport
Rome has two airports. Fiumicino and Ciampino. Whether you are travelling from Ciampino or From Fiumicino airports the best option is to head north and change at Chiusi-Chianciano Terme. From Ciampino Airport to Chiusi-Chianciano the journey is between 2hr 32min – 2hr 55 mins. From Flumicino Airport to Chiusi-Chianciano the journey is between 2hr 44min -3hr 55mins. From Chiusi-Chianciano the journey to Siena is 1hr 27min.

The other option is to take the fast train from Rome to Florence. Journey time is 1hr 36m and then connect with the train or bus for the next section of the trip.

Perugia Airport

From Perugia airport you can get a bus to Perugia Train Station. From here there are a few options. Firstly, you can take a bus. SAIS Autolinee have a bus service that takes around an 1 hr 30 mins. Secondly, you can go by train to Terontola, change and head for Chiusi, change again and go to Siena. Finally, you can choose to travel by train to Arezzo. The trip should take around 1hr. From Arezzo there is a bus service to Siena that will take around 1hr 20 mins.

Bologna Airport

From Bologna airport you can get a shuttle into Bologna’s Central Train Station and then a train to Florence. The Shuttle will take around 30 mins and the train to Florence will also take around 30 mins. From Florence you can choose to take the train or bus, as detailed above.

Onward Travel From Montepulciano

From Montepulciano, you can catch a train from two nearby stations. The closest but smallest station with less services is Montepulciano Stazione (9km away, approx. 10 mins by car or 20 mins by bus). The other is Chiusi Chianterme Station (24km away, approx. 30 mins by car or 50 mins by bus). This is a larger station offering more frequent bus services and supports another train service line from Siena.

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

Another useful 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.