 |
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
San Gimignano & the Sienese Plains
Nights: 7
Starting point: Hotel Garden (4*), Siena. Created from the former summer home of an aristocratic family, the Hotel Garden stands on a hill to the north-west of the old town within its own attractive, shady gardens (complete with outdoor pool) and is surrounded by vineyards and olive groves. Breakfast only is included. Day 1: you begin by cycling north-west across a gentle landscape of vineyards and cypresses, passing from the Chianti region into the Elsa Valley via fortified Monteriggioni. Formerly Siena’s northernmost bastion during the wars with Florence, it sits like a hill-top crown with 14 towers and a neat circle of walls. You continue along quiet lanes to Colle Val d’Elsa, a little-visited town dating from pre-Roman times with an atmospheric walled upper town which stretches along a ridge with its one long street lined with medieval mansions. (28km) Accommodation: Relais della Rovere (4*), Colle Val d’Elsa. The hotel has been stylishly converted from an 11th-century abbey, and is now a handsome and beautifully decorated stone building with many original features. There is a sense of refinement, too, in the large attractive gardens where you can relax by the swimming pool and admire the views over to the town. You stay on a bed and breakfast basis, leaving you free to take your pick of the local restaurants. Day 2: winding roads with some short ascents followed by a longer but steady climb lead you towards San Gimignano. Perhaps the best-known village in all of Italy, it provides an unmistakably dramatic skyline as you approach, with its 14 medieval towers piercing the sky. The town is immaculately preserved and boasts a fine array of museums and galleries. Admire the panoramas in all directions before returning to Colle Val d’Elsa, either along a low ridge to the east of San Gimignano which offers a different perspective of its skyline or along a longer, more demanding route through beautiful countryside. (31km or 40km) Accommodation: Relais della Rovere, as above. Day 3: today’s route passes from the Elsa Valley into one of Tuscany’s least-known areas, the Merse Valley, crossing wide-open spaces and the ancient wooded hills of Montagnola. There are plenty of small villages and hamlets to discover along the way, such as Scorgiano – where it is possible to pre-arrange wine-tasting from a small local producer – and Pievescola. The day ends with a descent onto the plain to reach Stigliano. (40km) Accommodation: Borgo di Stigliano (3*), Stigliano. A stylishly renovated country house with a swimming pool set in picturesque countryside. You stay on a bed and breakfast basis and can dine at the nearby village restaurant (closed Monday when a short taxi transfer is required to another nearby restaurant – pay locally). Day 4: relax by the hotel’s outdoor pool, or take a gentle circuit via the historic hamlet of Torri, complete with an 11th-century abbey boasting a handsome cloister (usually open Mondays and Fridays). (17km) Accommodation: Borgo di Stigliano, as above. Day 5: discover changing scenery dotted with small yet captivating medieval hamlets as you leave the Merse Valley behind. The panoramic roads afford idyllic Tuscan views on the return to the Gothic cityscape of Siena. You can either deposit your bike on the outskirts of the city and take a taxi to your hotel (pay locally) or ride all the way into the centre. (22.5km or 26km) Accommodation: Palazzo Ravizza (4*), Siena. This elegant former Renaissance palace stands in a quiet area within Siena’s historic heart, and is now a charming hotel with lovely rooms, a high-quality restaurant (pay locally if you choose to dine here) and a beautiful garden overlooking the Tuscan hills. Day 6: you are ideally located to spend your last day wandering round on foot just soaking up the atmosphere of this great Italian city. There is a remarkably easy-going feel to Siena, and you will want to spend time simply relaxing in its great scallop-shaped plaza, Il Campo, the focus of city life and perhaps the loveliest of all Italian public squares. You should also visit the iconic and zebra-striped cathedral and the Gothic Palazzo Pubblico, not forgetting to admire the succession of beautiful vistas from the three ridges on which the city was built. Accommodation: Palazzo Ravizza, as above. Recommendations for extra nights: any one of the hotels would make a good choice. Other information: if you would like to see the brochure page, you can download this (and the pages for any other holidays you are interested in) by using our brochure creation system. Similar holidays: Siena & Southern Tuscany (grade 2), Ancient Périgord (grade 1-2), Timeless Tarn (grade 1-2), Luberon Valleys & Villages (grade 1-2) Prices & travel 2008:
Recommended destination airport: Pisa Extra night prices 2008 (extra nights can be booked at any hotel):
> Notes on prices > Any queries? Let us call you back  |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Chianti Hills are as famed for their beauty as for their dark red
wines. Hill-top villages crown the rolling landscapes, and every
church seems to contain a fine painting. As you cycle, you will
be struck by an extraordinary sense of history, from the towers of San
Gimignano to Siena’s magnificent Campo, and the alluring timelessness of the countryside in between.
Relax and take in the views 
