Arrival in San Miniato. Visit to the village, dinner and overnight stay.

San Miniato is a wonderful medieval village between Florence and Pisa. The Via Francigena in San Miniato passes through the historical centre of the town and touches on the foot of the hill, the ancient village of San Genesio, where Bishop Sigeric stopped on his way back to Canterbury.

We will visit the historical centre, the main squares and the panoramic viewpoints over the surrounding hills. Plenty of free time to enjoy the village to the full.

A very beautiful but demanding stage.
From San Miniato, after an hour’s walk, we take a route of extraordinary beauty along the hilly ridges of the Val d’Elsa.
Along the way we come across the Pieve di Coiano and the Pieve a Chianni.

The only refreshment and water supply points are in Calenzano and a trattoria 500 m from the Pieve di Coiano, towards Castelnuovo d’Elsa.

A short stage of medium difficulty, interesting for the beauty of the views that surround the route.
You should visit the Sanctuary of Pancole, before heading back up to Collemucioli and the beautiful Pieve di Cellole.
The day can be dedicated to a visit to San Gimignano, one of the most beautiful villages in Tuscany which, reached on foot, has an amplified value and beauty.
Water supply and refreshment point at Pancole.

One of the most beautiful stages of the Via Francigena, with the variant that shortens the route towards Monteriggioni and allows you to visit the small historic centre of Gambassi Terme and relax in an agritourism just outside the town centre.

It is always part of one of the most beautiful stages of the route. From Gambassi Terme we ride to Gracciano and then to Strove, with its beautiful Romanesque parish church.
We pass through the splendid complex of Abbadia a Isola before reaching Monteriggioni, with its unmistakable crown of towers.
Water and refreshment points are only available at the towns.

Leaving the historic centre of Monteriggioni behind us, we ride along the white roads of the Sienese mountains towards Cerbaia, an ancient medieval village now in a state of abandonment.
We ride through the woods to the Chiocciola and Villa castles before descending to the reclaimed Pian del Lago.

We cross the Renai wood before arriving at Porta Camollia, the traditional Francigena entrance to Siena.
This relatively short and easy stage is complicated by the almost total lack of water and refreshment points. At the “Punto Sosta La Villa” there is drinking water in the open-air rest area, marked by a sign.

We have some time after breakfast to visit the city, the monuments and squares that have made it famous, before saying goodbye and returning by train to our homes.