Day 1 Radda in Chianti
We rendezvous in Siena for a short walking tour of this gem of Italian cities. We wonder at the stunning Cathedral and the Pinturicchio frescoes in the famous Libreria Piccolomini, we visit the Town Hall and we take a cappuccino in the breathtaking Piazza del Campo. We drive to our hotel, in the midst of the beautiful Chianti countryside, for an Introductory Talk and Welcome Dinner.
Climate Tuscany    Map of Siena

Day 2 Radda in Chianti
Our walk today centres on the Strada Chiantigiana as it meanders to and fro through classic Tuscan countryside and we cross the vineyards that make the Chianti region renowned for its wine. As we approach Monteriggioni, we admire the 13th century walls complete with fourteen towers, and we lunch here in this romantic medieval village, once a Sienese fortress. We return to our hotel along country tracks, through ancient farmsteads, always in the shade of the famous cypress and pine trees that are such a feature of a Tuscan landscape.

Day 3 Cortona
After a short transfer, we walk to famed Badia a Coltibuono, through a forest whose first trees were planted by the Benedictines in the eleventh century. We enjoy a private visit of the house, cellars and gardens and a tasting of the olive oils and honey produced here. We lunch in the village of Gaiole and walk on, along ancient hunting tracks in glorious countryside of vineyards and castles, to meet the van for the transfer to Cortona in time for dinner.

Day 4 Spello
This morning we walk around the medieval ramparts of this ancient Etruscan city clinging to the hillside; a town already old when its lands were wasted by Hannibal. We wander the steep, narrow streets paved with flagstones and come across surprising arcaded squares, alleyways, churches and gardens; we visit the Cathedral and the Piazza Garibaldi with its breathtaking views to Lake Trasimeno and Montepulciano. Time, too, for shopping. After lunch, our walk takes us to the monastery where St Francis made his will - and continue to picturesque Spello.

Day 5 Spello
An early start to the pastures and pine forests of Monte Subasio - a plateau with views to Spoleto Vale - then a slow descent along a spur of the mountain before reaching the terraced slopes of Assisi. Elegant squares and the Basilica of St. Francis are the pivot of this exceptional