Long before the age of grand tours and package holidays, Tuscany was already a destination for travellers from across Europe. The Via Francigena, one of the great pilgrimage roads of the medieval world, brought thousands of walkers annually through the heart of this landscape on their way from Canterbury to Rome. Today, the route is waymarked, partially restored, and attracting a growing number of modern pilgrims and long-distance walkers who come not only for the spiritual dimension but for the extraordinary quality of the walking itself. In Tuscany, the Via Francigena passes through some of the region’s finest countryside, and the stages near Poggibonsi and Siena are among the most beautiful anywhere on the route.
A Brief History of the Via Francigena
The Via Francigena takes its name from the Latin term for “road coming from France,” reflecting its origins as a route used by Frankish travellers and pilgrims crossing the Alps and descending through northern Italy toward the eternal city. It was most comprehensively documented in the year 990 AD by Sigeric the Serious, Archbishop of Canterbury, who recorded each of the 79 stopping points on his return journey from Rome where he had received the pallium from Pope John XV. His itinerary, preserved in the British Library, remains the foundational document for the modern reconstruction of the route.
The road served multiple purposes across the medieval period: religious pilgrimage, commercial trade, and military movement all used the same broad corridor through the landscape. The hospices, abbeys, and hospitals that grew up along it formed a network of support infrastructure for travellers. Many of these buildings survive in some form in Tuscany, and walking the route today means passing through centuries of accumulated history.
The Tuscan Section of the Route
The Via Francigena enters Tuscany from Liguria near Pontremoli in the north and makes its way south through the Lunigiana, the Garfagnana, and the Lucchese plain before climbing into the hills near San Miniato. From there it descends toward Gambassi Terme, passes through the Val d’Elsa, and reaches Colle di Val d’Elsa and Poggibonsi before continuing south through Monteriggioni, Siena, and onward through the Val d’Orcia to the Lazio border.
This Tuscan stretch is widely considered the most beautiful section of the entire Italian route, and possibly of the whole Canterbury-to-Rome journey. The landscapes are varied and consistently exceptional: medieval hill towns, working vineyards, ancient farmsteads, cypress avenues, and the broad open panoramas of the Sienese countryside. The route passes through or very close to some of Tuscany’s most celebrated destinations, making it easy to combine walking with cultural visits.
The Most Scenic Stages Near Poggibonsi and Siena
Villa Talciona’s position in the Chianti hills near Poggibonsi places guests directly on or within easy reach of some of the finest Via Francigena stages in Tuscany.
The stage from Gambassi Terme to San Gimignano, approximately 13 km, is one of the most popular day-walk sections of the entire Italian route. It passes through open countryside with constant views of the San Gimignano towers growing progressively closer, and the arrival into the medieval town on foot, through the original Porta San Giovanni, gives even experienced travellers a sense of the wonder that medieval pilgrims must have felt. San Gimignano is just 15 km from Villa Talciona, and this stage can be walked point-to-point with a taxi or car shuttle at each end.
The stage from San Gimignano to Colle di Val d’Elsa (approximately 14 km) and onward toward Poggibonsi passes through the vine-covered hills of the Vernaccia di San Gimignano wine zone and offers long views across the Val d’Elsa. This is a section that rewards a slow pace: the ancient track surfaces, the hedgerow-lined paths through vineyard country, and the small Romanesque churches encountered along the way create a continuous sense of walking through a landscape that has remained fundamentally unchanged for centuries.
South of Poggibonsi, the stage through Abbadia a Isola and into Monteriggioni (roughly 20 km in total) is particularly atmospheric in the morning, when the light falls across the fortified walls of Monteriggioni from the east. The walking here passes through open grain and olive country, and the approach to Monteriggioni through the fields gives you the full impact of its circular fortified silhouette.
Day Walk Options from Villa Talciona
For guests who want to walk a section of the Via Francigena without committing to a multi-day journey, day walks from the villa are entirely practical. The route passes within a few kilometres of Poggibonsi, and a car can be positioned at either end of a chosen stage to allow a linear walk without retracing your steps. Alternatively, circular routes that incorporate sections of the Via Francigena alongside local tracks are possible, particularly in the hills between the villa and San Gimignano.
A comfortable pace allows most walkers to cover 15 to 20 km in a day with breaks, which is sufficient to experience one of the main stages fully. Starting early in the morning (particularly in summer) and allowing time for a long lunch in a town along the route makes for a very satisfying day.
What to Pack and Practical Considerations
Good walking shoes or boots with ankle support are essential on the Via Francigena, as the route uses a mixture of asphalt lanes, gravel tracks, and ancient stone paths that can be uneven. A small daypack with water (at least two litres on a warm day), sun protection, a light waterproof layer, and a simple map or downloaded GPX file is all that is needed for a day walk.
The Associazione Europea delle Vie Francigene maintains a website and produces detailed stage maps. The app “Via Francigena” provides offline navigation with waymark locations and stage information.
For more context on the cultural and historical highlights along the Tuscan section of the route, our surroundings guide covers the towns and landscapes you will pass through or near.
Villa Talciona’s location in the Chianti hills makes it one of the most naturally placed bases for exploring the Via Francigena in Tuscany. After a day of historic walking, the private pool and peaceful garden are waiting for you on your return. To reserve your stay, visit our booking page and contact us directly. We look forward to welcoming you.
