Southern Tuscany walking holidays

This trip takes you through the quintessential heart of the Tuscan countryside but it eschews the fancy villas and swimming pools and black-jacketed waiters in favour of a smaller, more homely and grass-roots experience. We use small local bed and breakfasts and affittacamere, which are often overlooked by travel companies due to their small size and low profile. The owners of these places are local and the money goes directly into their families; no chain hotels or syndicates, just very individual historic and charming accommodation. This way, we ensure that ordinary local people share in the benefits of tourism in Tuscany, rather than just suffering it as an intrusion.

You will also stay in historic houses which are integral parts of the lovely old towns you visit and not modern purpose-built hotels. This in itself benefits the local environment, and it ensures that those medieval towns and cities which are so beloved of visitors remain vibrant living places. In Pienza, for example, the family who own the Antica Locanda will welcome you to a fifteenth-century palazzo that was once the home of the Pope’s secretary, and will point out to you their favourite trattoria into the bargain!

Our walks follow local roads, fields and vineyards so we lead you through countryside where you will get a real feel for the terrain, agriculture and way of life of rural Tuscany. And as you are walking independently rather than in a large group, you have the comfort of knowing that you are not overloading a sensitive environment and causing damage to the ecosystem. Instead, you will have the opportunity to learn more about the countryside as you pass through it on foot.