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Slow Lane Magazine, May 2019
Insights and stories from across Europe and beyond
  • favourite (but oft-forgotten) festivals
  • Nepal's secret valley
  • boutique beauty in Drôme Provençale
  • carving out a future in southern Italy
  • Inntravellers' Tales – our new writing competition
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Timeless Tuscany

An idyllic corner of Italy
 
Staying on a tranquil, well-located Tuscan estate with a pool, you can walk and sightsee as the mood takes you, using your included hire car or trains to get about. The great art cities of Florence and Siena are within easy reach, making for a varied and enjoyable self-guided, single-centre walking holiday.
 
Timeless Tuscany . 7 nights
Timeless Tuscany . 7 nights
 

Holiday information

 

A single-centre walking holiday in Tuscany

Of all Italy’s beautiful and beguiling regions, Tuscany is undoubtedly the most iconic. The scenery is instantly recognisable: vine-and-olive-clad hills which tumble like waves across the countryside; wide-open plains dotted with ancient, terracotta-roofed farmhouses; and row upon row of cypress trees. There are medieval hill-top towns aplenty, world-famous art cities, and vineyards whose dark, full-bodied reds have made Chianti a household name.
Yet although Tuscany has always been popular, that’s not to say there are no hidden corners, rustic villages and gloriously unspoiled landscapes for you to uncover. Indeed, it is to a quieter and more authentic side of the region that this holiday introduces you, while also providing easy access to all of Tuscany’s ‘must-see’ sights.
 
Gallery
 

Itinerary

The key to Inntravel holidays is flexibility. You can start on the day of your choice, and are free to add extra nights. There’s no fixed itinerary, so take your pick of our suggested walking routes and driving tours as the mood takes you. Pay locally for taxis and buses.
  • The average maximum daytime temperatures and monthly rainfall relate to the nearest weather station and are intended as a guide only.
    Average temperatures and rainfall
      Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    °C 8 9 12 15 21 25 28 29 24 19 13 9
    mm 65 54 49 54 37 21 7 11 41 68 99 74
  • 5.5km to 17km

    Circular walk: 10km, 3.5hrs; ascent/descent 350m
    This is the perfect introduction to the area and a good leg-stretcher. After a short stroll into the centre of Gambassi Terme, you continue across glorious open countryside along a section of Via Francigena – an ancient pilgrim route connecting Canterbury and Rome – before looping back via a thermal spring and shaded trails.

    Linear walk to Montaione (return by bus): 5.5km, 2.5hrs; ascent 220m / descent 150m
    This linear walk leads through pine and holm-oak woods to reach the medieval village of Montaione. Take time to explore the cobbled streets and quiet squares of this sleepy hill-top village, and to soak in the sweeping views over the surrounding vineyards and olive groves, before returning by bus.

    Linear walk to San Gimignano (return by taxi): 17km, 7hrs; ascent 595m/descent 555m
    Follow the Via Francigena across open rolling countryside all the way to San Gimignano's medieval town gate and iconic, skyscraper-like towers. There are lots of panoramic spots en route amid landscapes dominated by vines. We recommend an early start to allow time to soak up the atmosphere of this extraordinary town, before returning by taxi.
    Explore San Gimignano
  • Both 9km

    Circular walk from San Gimignano: 9km, 3.5hrs; ascent/descent 270m
    Drive the short distance to San Gimignano, from where paths descend quite steeply through glorious countryside before rising once more along the ridge on the far side of the valley back up to the town. The views towards its imposing towers are fantastic.
    Alternatively, or additionally, you could stroll around the town's walls, to look down on the ancient streets lined with elegant mansions.

    Linear walk Saline to Volterra (start by bus): 9km, 4hrs; ascent 495m / descent 35m
    A scenic 45-minute drive brings you to Volterra, much less visited than San Gimignano but just as atmospheric, with some fine tower houses and ancient ramparts. You will want to spend some time exploring the town – there are substantial Etruscan and Roman remains, as well as several interesting museums, an art gallery and workshops where craftsmen still work alabaster. Starting with a short bus ride out of the town, our suggested walk explores the volcanic hills south of town and allows you see Volterra from a different angle as you ascend back towards it.
    Walk from Saline to Volterra
  • Explore the Chianti hills by car
    Our suggested tour takes you through the Chianti hills' postcard-perfect scenery, with time to visit the ancient hill-top towns of Castellina and Radda in Chianti, plus medieval Monteriggioni, along the way.
    Medieval Monteriggioni
  • Siena, Florence & Pisa
    If you’ve always dreamed of visiting one of Tuscany’s great cities – magnificent Siena and its medieval Campo, Renaissance Florence, or the wonderfully unbalanced Pisa – then it couldn’t be easier: all three are within an hour’s train journey of the local railway station, which itself is just a short drive from Tenuta Sant’Ilario. To help you explore, we provide notes for a self-guided walking tour of each city.

    Siena
    Siena is one of those cities where, thanks to its compactness, you can happily while away a day ambling along the mysterious medieval lanes and through the plentiful green spaces. The centre of Sienese life is the piazza called Il Campo, which is home to the Gothic Palazzo Pubblico and the lofty Mangia Tower, which offers a superb panorama of the city. Siena also plays host to an extensive collection of art, not least Lorenzetti’s Effects of Good and Bad Government, and works by Donatello, Ghiberti and Jacopo della Quercia.

    Florence
    Beginning in the spectacular Piazza del Duomo, our walking tour leads you through this Renaissance city’s impressive open squares and atmospheric narrow streets, lined with historic palazzi and public buildings, to one of the most famous art galleries in the world, the Uffizi, which contains works by Giotto, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael, among others. Further highlights include Michelangelo’s statue of David in the Galleria dell’Accademia, and the fascinating Ponte Vecchio over the River Arno.

    Pisa
    Pisa is famous the world over for its incredible leaning tower, but you will discover far more as you wander the city's historic streets. The tower, officially the bell tower of the cathedral, is just one of many works of art and architecture in the city's Piazza del Duomo, also known as the Piazza dei Miracoli ('Square of Miracles') – you will also find the baptistry and the Camposanto (monumental cemetery).
    The amazing Ponte Vecchio, Florence
 

Accommodation

This delightful Tuscan estate is within easy reach of many of the region’s must-see sights. There is a handful of authentic Tuscan restaurants in the nearby town of Gambassi Terme if you wish to try somewhere different on evenings when dinner is not included.
Tenuta Sant’Ilario
  • agriturismo

Bedrooms

 

Extend your stay

 
Prices & travel options
All prices are in £ sterling (GBP). If you'd like to see what they equate to in your currency, use the converter.
Currency converter

We can only accept payment in GBP, but you can use this converter to find out how much the holiday equates to in your own currency.

Please enter an amount Please enter a valid amount British Pound Sterling (GBP)
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NB: this should be used as a guide only. Fluctuations in exchange rates could result in significant variation by the time you come to pay.

  • 7 nights: 13 April - 28 June 2019 & 01 September - 31 October 2019

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    13 - 21 April £795 £320
    22 April - 18 May £675 £235
    19 - 24 May £735 £280
    25 May - 21 June £815 £320
    1 - 5 September £895 £375
    6 - 10 September £860 £345
    11 - 21 September £815 £320
    22 - 27 September £760 £285
    28 September - 24 October £675 £235
    3rd & 4th person discount -£80
    Single traveller supplement £80

    Includes accommodation, meals and services integral to the holiday as described, plus walking notes and maps, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.

    Price includes: 7 days' category B car hire (eg Fiat Panda or similar with manual transmission

    Driving time to/from the hotel: Florence 1h, Pisa 1h15, Bologna 1h45

    Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.

  • Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room

    Extra night prices include extra days' car hire
    Tenuta Sant’Ilario (B&B) Double room Single room
    13 Apr - 15 Apr 2019 £68 £98
    16 Apr - 22 Apr 2019 £95 £143
    23 Apr - 24 May 2019 £68 £98
    25 May - 28 Jun 2019 £84 £124
    01 Sep - 10 Sep 2019 £95 £143
    11 Sep - 27 Sep 2019 £84 £124
    28 Sep - 31 Oct 2019 £68 £98
  • RECOMMENDED AIRPORT(S):
    Florence, Pisa, Bologna

    Travelling from the UK

    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  you may need to fly to an airport not listed. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    Travelling from outside the UK
    We have many years' experience catering for customers who live outside the UK, and will be happy to make tailored arrangements to fit with your plans.

    You have two options:

    1) Book your own flights to London, from where we can book flights and onward connecting travel to your hotel.

    2) Book your own flights direct to an airport appropriate to your chosen holiday. You can either make your own way from the airport to the hotel, or we'll be happy to book onward connecting travel for you. Please consult with us before booking your flights, so that we can advise you on the suitability of your proposed route and timings.
    Outward route Airline
    Aberdeen - Bologna (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Aberdeen - Bologna (via Paris) Air France 
    Aberdeen - Florence (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Aberdeen - Pisa (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Birmingham - Bologna (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Birmingham - Bologna (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Birmingham - Florence Flybe 
    Birmingham - Pisa jet2 
    Birmingham - Pisa (via Munich) Lufthansa 
    Outward route Airline
    Bristol - Bologna Ryanair 
    Bristol - Florence British Airways 
    Bristol - Pisa easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Durham Tees Valley - Pisa (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Nottingham East Midlands - Pisa jet2,  Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Edinburgh - Bologna Ryanair 
    Edinburgh - Florence British Airways 
    Edinburgh - Pisa Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Glasgow Prestwick - Pisa Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Humberside - Bologna (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Humberside - Pisa (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Leeds Bradford - Bologna (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Leeds Bradford - Pisa Ryanair 
    Leeds Bradford - Pisa jet2 
    Leeds Bradford - Pisa (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Liverpool - Pisa Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    London City - Florence Air France,  British Airways 
    Outward route Airline
    Gatwick - Bologna easyJet 
    Gatwick - Florence British Airways,  Vueling 
    Gatwick - Pisa British Airways,  easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Heathrow - Bologna British Airways 
    Heathrow - Pisa British Airways 
    Outward route Airline
    Luton - Florence Vueling 
    Luton - Pisa easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Stansted - Bologna Ryanair 
    Stansted - Pisa Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Manchester - Bologna Ryanair 
    Manchester - Florence British Airways 
    Manchester - Pisa easyJet,  jet2 
    Outward route Airline
    Newcastle - Pisa jet2 
    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  you may need to fly to an airport not listed. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time stated in the connecting travel section, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you. We charge £30 per person for our flight booking service (£50 for India and Nepal). Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.

What is included
  • 7 nights
  • 3 dinners
    7 breakfasts
  • route notes and maps
  • notes for city walking tours
  • 7 days' category B car hire
 
Reviews

If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?

We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >

 

FAQs

If you have any questions relating to this or any other Inntravel holiday, our friendly travel experts will be happy to help. You might also find our General FAQs section helpful.
  • We’ll send you route notes and maps 2-3 weeks before your holiday. The route notes not only contain directions to get from hotel to hotel, but also include practical information about places of interest and eateries along each route, plus cultural information about the area. If/when you are moving between hotels, you leave your luggage in reception as you leave, and it will be transferred ahead to your next accommodation, meaning that all you need to take with you are a camera, sun cream, drinks, food and waterproofs.

    For more detailed information, see our walking holidays in Europe page.
  • We can book a wide range of airlines and routes from the UK. As well as being more convenient for you to book all elements of your holiday together, it also means that we’ll accept liability for your travel arrangements, so if things go wrong, such as the airline going bust, we’ll make suitable alternative arrangements for you. For Europe and Morocco, there’s a £30 booking fee per person (£15 for children aged 2-11). For India and Nepal, the booking fee is £50 per person. More information on flights >
  • Absolutely! We are experts in tailored rail travel. Making use of sleeper trains or stopovers in cities along the route, we can get you from London to virtually anywhere in mainland Europe. We can even make arrangements to Mallorca, Sicily and Norway with a combination of ferries and rail. Please contact Abi to discuss your plans.
  • We can’t book flights that originate outside the UK, but if you wanted book your own flights to London (or elsewhere in the UK), we can make all onward travel arrangements (including flights) from there. Alternatively, if you are booking your own flights to an airport in continental Europe that’s appropriate for your holiday, we can book onward rail travel and/or taxis. More information about how we can tailor holidays for customers outside the UK >
  • Since our holidays are self-guided, we recommend calling us for a chat about your plans before making a booking, especially if it’s the first time you’ve booked with us.
    The price panel shows the supplement for a single room and also the single traveller charge (this covers (luggage) transfers and other costs which are usually shared between two people).
  • Once you’ve decided on your exact itinerary (our travel experts will be happy to offer advice), you need to provide us with your party’s details, either by phone or via our booking form. At this point we also ask you to pay a deposit so that we can secure a room for you immediately on confirming availability with the hotel(s). If it turns out that we can’t secure the accommodation for the holiday you’ve requested, or offer an acceptable alternative, we’ll refund your deposit promptly and in full. After booking your accommodation and other key elements, we'll then book your travel (or you can do so if you’re making your own arrangements) and send you a Booking Confirmation and Invoice.
  • Yes, it’s something we insist on, even for holidays in the UK. The vast majority of holidays go smoothly, but when things go wrong, it can be expensive to put them right. Buying a new pair of walking boots after your suitcase is stolen mightn’t seem so bad, but the bill for being airlifted down from a mountain with a broken leg or flown home while still recovering from an illness or accident can cost tens of thousands of pounds.

    You don’t have to buy our policy (if you live outside Europe you’ll definitely need to make your own arrangements, as the policy is only for UK and EU residents), but you do need to make sure that you’re covered for medical emergencies and repatriation. We also recommend that you are covered for other eventualities, such as cancellation and loss of luggage and passports.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of the correct travel documents, with the correct validity. If you’re a UK citizen, you need a full British passport to travel to Italy, but not a visa (if you are travelling after 31 October 2019, see the Brexit question below for more information). If you are a citizen of another country, you’ll need to check requirements with the national embassy or your own consulate.

    Current information regarding vaccinations and travel health advice can be found through the following NHS link: www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/advice/ You must make sure you have adequate insurance cover for illness, accidents and repatriation (see the insurance question). UK citizens should also obtain a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) by applying at a Post Office or at www.ehic.org.uk. The EHIC allows reciprocal health care but should not be seen as a substitute for travel insurance. EHICs may cease to be valid in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
  • The principal official language is Italian, though some regions have a second official language, such as South Tyrol, where German is widely spoken. The currency is the Euro. Italian time is GMT/UTC + 1. It uses Daylight Saving Time, so in summer is on BST + 1.
  • Even in the event of a no-deal Brexit, it’s been confirmed that flights will continue as normal and that you won’t need a visa to go on holiday (the limit on stays is 90 days). What you will need if there’s no deal is a passport that is valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of your arrival (extra months added because you renewed your passport early do not count) and adequate travel insurance to cover you for accidents and illness in case reciprocal health deals are suspended. If you are driving while on holiday, you will probably need an International Driving Permit (plus a Green Card if you are taking your own car to Europe). More information >
  • The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provides up-to-date, country-by-country travel advice, as well as information on security, local laws, passports and visas for UK citizens.
    If you live outside the UK, see our essential travel information page for a list of relevant websites.
Last fetch time is : 7/22/2019 9:41:40 AM