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Walking the Via Francigena from Lucca to Siena

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Stage 13
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131km
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8 days
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Starting From
€1013
Jan
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May
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Dec

Lucca to Siena Map
Stretching from Lucca to Siena, this portion of the Via Francigena takes you along roadsides, over various bridges, rolling hills, and numerous earth tracks. Throughout the entire walk, you will be surrounded by beautiful fields, lush woods and over streams in the stunning Italian countryside.

Highlights

History about Siena

According to the legend, Siena was founded by the sons of Remus, Senius, and Aschius. They had fled Rome after their father died, stealing the famous statue Capitoline Wolf. Furthermore, they rode black and white horses, giving Siena’s coat of arms its colors.

A long rivalry with Florence forced the city to form an alliance with the French king after Siena was ruled by the Council of Nine, who gave a lot of prosperity to Siena. Then, in 1569, Siena was ruled by the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the city started to rely on tourism which attractively kept growing ever since.

Siena's culture

One of the main events in Siena is the Palio, a horse race that takes place twice a year, the 2nd of July to honor the Madonna of Provenzano and the 16th of August to honor the Virgin Mary’s Assumption. The race is happening in the Piazza del Campo and ten of the seventeen districts take part in each race. Il Palio goes on for over four days. The first day is for the assignments of the horses to each district. Following, the second day allows the district to choose their jockey. And it’s only on the third day that the big race is running and on the fourth day everybody is celebrating the race and the winner.

Every district performs a different ceremony for its horse and joins the big parade in historical costume!

Gastronomy

Siena has a lot to offer for those who love to enjoy a good meal. For those who want to get to know a real Siena Meal, let’s start with the Siena pici, homemade spaghetti with flour, water, and oil. If you want something sweet, we advise you to test the panforte, a traditional chewy Italian dessert made with flour, sugar, candied with orange and citrus peel, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla. If you want to try something else, and if you love almonds, go ahead and try some cantucci or ricciarelli.
Those biscuits go perfectly with a glass of Vin Santo, a traditional Italian dessert wine.

Lucca to Siena
Via Francigena
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Services

Included in this package
  • Bed & Breakfast
  • Specially hand-picked accommodation
  • Our Holiday or Pilgrim Pack
  • 24/7 Customer Service
  • Virtual face to face pre-departure briefing
Add-On
  • Premium Accommodation
  • Airport Pick-up
  • Additional Night
  • Dinners
  • Luggage transfers from hotel to hotel
  • Day Tours Available
Not included
  • Flights/trains
  • Insurance
  • Drinks/Lunch

Itinerary

Day 1

LUCCA (Arrival)

While in Lucca, try to see some of the main sights before starting your walk to Altopascio tomorrow: the Romanesque Church of San Michele in Foro, the Piazza Anfiteatro or the museum, Casa di Puccini. If you can’t, then no problem, just relax and sample some of the local food and wine. That’s always a great option!


Day 2
18.06km

LUCCA
to
ALTOPASCIO

Leaving for Altopascio, the walk is gentle, mainly along roads and some grass tracks, not much stress at all. You will see beautiful churches on the roads and towns along the way, as well as the impressive Abbadia di Pozzeveri. Reaching Altopascio, have a rest and visit the Church of San Jacopo Maggiore. Also, remember to have a nice glass of wine or two in the city. Walking can be a very thirsty business!


Day 3
28.34km

ALTOPASCIO
to
SAN MINIATO

Today’s walk to San Miniato is a bit tougher as there is some hill-walking and it’s a bit longer than yesterday’s, but you will most certainly manage it. You do get to see the lovely Abbazia di San Salvatore. After passing through Fucecchio, there’s one of two routes to choose from to get to San Miniato. Once you’ve picked a route and have done a bit more walking along grassy tracks and road, you will enter San Miniato. Here, take a deserved breather and some pizza or any of the local foods. If you like, you do some sight-seeing. The fantastic Duomo dell’ Assunta and San Genesio are the main sights of San Miniato. Also, the Torre della Rocca is a recommended sight as it has a surrounding view of the whole beautiful countryside. San Miniato is also famous for its white truffles!


Day 4
24.17km

SAN MINIATO
to
GAMBASSI TERME

The walk to Gambassi Terme today is as challenging as yesterdays. The distance is similar and there are hills, gravel roads and grass tracks to traverse, but that just makes reaching Gambassi Terme that bit more satisfying – overcoming the obstacles. That being said, walking through the lovely countryside is quite peaceful and will help you relax along the way. After passing by the Church of Santa Maria of Chianni, you will enter Gambassi Terme a short while later. Since you’ve had such a long walk today, a nice glass of wine or beer would be the order of the day! Feel free to visit the brilliant Church of Santi Jacopo and Stefano while in the town.


Day 5
26.83km

GAMBASSI TERME
to
COLLE DI VAL D'ELSA

After walking through the gravel roads and over the hills, you will go through the town of San Gimignano. Quite a bit of walking will be done to get to here, so stopping for a rest and a drink should definitely be part of the plan. The route is a little tough due to the hills, grass tracks and gravel roads, however, it can certainly be done. Entering Colle di Val d’Elsa, you can relax here, see some sights where possible and treat yourself to some wine and pizza. The Museo Civico and the Castello are two standout sights to see if you have the time.


Day 6
13.7km

COLLE DI VAL D'ELSA
to
MONTERIGGIONI

A much shorter walk today than the previous three days, you have two options to choose from to get to Monteriggioni. One option is picturesque, going by the Abbadia a Isola, and the other option is less scenic and follows minor roads. After following one of the routes, the path becomes a series of grass tracks and gravel tracks, eventually leading into the walled town of Monteriggioni. There is some sight-seeing you can do – the splendid Church of Santa Maria Assunta from the 13th Century is there, as well as the Romanesque Church of San Lorenzo a Colle Ciupi. However, firstly, relax and have a beer with some of the local food and rejuvenate after the day’s walking.


Day 7
19.92km

MONTERIGGIONI
to
SIENA

The final push to Siena consists of walking through beautiful fields and by gorgeous olive trees. There is some hillwalking but it is not too strenuous. You will then have two routes to choose from: one route going along minor roads, by some traffic and the other route is longer, quieter, and having more shade. After picking a route, it won’t be too long before reach your destination. Now that you’ve arrived in Siena, feel free to check out the amazing sights that Siena has to offer. One of the main sights in Siena is the incredible Duomo (Siena Cathedral) from the 12th century. The Gothic Palazzo Pubblico and the standout Piazza del Campo are two other popular attractions definitely worth visiting.


Day 8

SIENA

After breakfast we bid you farewell.


Lucca to Siena Elevation


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