Via Francigena Easy | San Miniato to Siena

Check in. Enjoy a walk for the beautiful village of San Miniato. The romanesque terracotta and brick facade of the Cathedral is unique!

You will start your journey enjoying a marvelous panorama in the Elsa valley with its oak and chestnut woods.
The route of today will be full of olive trees and vineyards on the top of gentle hills.

This was exactly the same route describe by Sigirico during his pilgrimage from Canterbury. In Pieve di Coianno you will see the old hospital (XIII century) and a castle on the highest point of the hill.

This Pisan – Romanesque village was absorbed into a farming complex in the past centuries.

A beautiful walk is waiting for you today. You will cross the beautiful Chianni, where the church called “Pieve di Santa Maria a Chianni” is worth a visit. This church is a beautiful example of a Basilica with romanesque plan.

This stage may seem a bit difficult because there are some uphills and downhills parts, but you will be rewarded by the scenery.
After crossing the Chianti vineyards, you will reach the stunning San Gimignano, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

You will have the chance to wonder around its historical centre, admire the old towers, and, if you have time, discover more about the history at the museum of 1300. You will be now ready for one of the local dishes (such as panzanella, pappardelle or ribollita) .



Leaving the wonderful San Gimignano, we are today reaching another charming village called Colle di Val d’Elsa. You will walk through scarcely populated lands enjoying this magical route.

After visiting the Porta Volterrana, that gave access between the wall to the old city, enjoy the incredible view and take a walk in this unique village full of history and tradition.

Descend towards Castel Petraio, and pass through Abbadia a Isola. Here you will find the Cistercian abbey of San Salvatore with a Lombard Romanesque style.

Here you can visit the 11th century church before continuing on to the medieval village of Monteriggioni on top of the hill, still protected by the walls built in the 13th century. The wall is more than 600 metres long, has 14 towers, and was also mentioned by Dante in its famous masterpiece “La Divina Commedia”.

The landscape that you will be able to appreciate during this walk is unique in the world. The color of this land is so special that it gave a name to one of the most used paint in art, called in fact “Terre di Siena”. You will pass by the Castello della Chiocciola, named after its spiral staircase in its tower.

On today’s road you will admire the incredible contrasts of colours in this beautiful natural scenery, and you will understand why this region has become so famous in the world.

The last km, that separate you from another World Heritage Site, are relatively simple. But it must be taken into consideration that on this route there is almost no place to drink water or eat.

You will finally reach Siena. Famous for its “Palio”(a horse race unique in the world) this city is also very known for its art, history and culture. Legend has it that Siena, almost as ancient as Rome, was founded by Asquio and Senio, sons of Remo, the brother of Romulus, the famous founder of Rome.

You can see the Cathedral (12th century ), the Museum of the Cathedral’s Work, which preserve the wonders of incredible artists such as Donatello and Duccio de Buoninsegna.

In Piazza del Campo, you will find the Palazzo Pubblico and the Town Hall, with its famous Bell Tower.

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