Fd Tour Via Francigena - along ancient Pilgrims' Roads and small 'Borghi'

 

Via FRANCIGENA, 

The 'OTHER TUSCANY'

Along ancient Pilgrims' Roads and small Tuscan 'Borghi' 

 

An itinerary of about 7 hours ,  to discover  'The other Tuscany', done of  'Borghi', small ancient  villages,   following a part of  the journey done by Sigerico, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in 990 a.C., from Canterbury to Rome. Can you imagine, walking from Canterbury to Rome in those times up and down  the hills of Tuscany, away from big towns where there could be enemies? Sigerico wrote a diary of all the places where he stopped, the ones he liked, the difficulties he had... We will discover with him,  not only some of the most scenic  parts of Tuscany but also the most intimate and unknown secrets of this special region, Tuscany

 

A bit of HISTORY:

The Via Francigena was not a single road, like a Roman road, paved with stone blocks. Rather, it comprised several possible routes that changed over the centuries as trade and pilgrimage developed . Depending on the time of the year, political situation, and relative popularity of the shrines of saints along the route, travellers may have used any of three or four crossings of the Alps and the Apennines. Actually Sigerico's journey followed the Lombards Routes which joined the territories to the north of the Alps with Pavia  and the Duchies beyond the Appeninnes.  Unlike Roman roads, the Via Francigena did not connect cities, but relied more on abbeys.

 

An itinerary following small ancient TUSCAN  'BORGHI' (Small villages) , a chance to discover a time which belongs to the past, between MYSTICISM and LOVE FOR NATURE , through the CONTACT with the territory and the people, whether you are a pilgrim or a simple tourist

 

 

PRICES

Price base 2/3 people: 146 euro per person

Price base 4 people:    120 euro per person.

 

Other languages supplements:

-Эти туры доступны так же на русском языке
         С доплатой к группе: 150 eur

- Estes tours são disponíveis com Intérprete brasileiro, suplemento ao grupo:         100 euro

 

Маршрут

  1. Cortona
  2. san Quirico d'Orcia
  3. Bagno Vignoni
  4. Monticchiello
  5. Cortona

An itinerary following small ancient Tuscan 'Borghi' (Small villages) , a chance to discover a time which belongs to the past, between mysticism and love for nature, through the contact with the territory and the people, whether you are a pilgrim or a simple tourist.

 

09.30 am :Departure  from Cortona, to San Quirico d'Orcia. Arrival at around 10.30 We will visit the small Borgo of san Quirico, in the Orcia Valley, of Etruscan origins. It is here that in 1154 Federico Barbarossa stopped while going to Rome to receive his Imperial crown.  After our visit, we will  have a break, in a local 'wine shop' to taste some typical produce of the area , cold cuts and cheese, bruschette, and drink a glass of local wine.

 

11.30 : We then drive  to Bagno Vignoni, around 20 minutes away, renowned once for its hot -springs and water mills

The town, known since the Middle Ages because of its position on the old via Francigena , is very close to the Orcia River, the one that shaped the homonymous valley (Valdorcia) through the centuries.

 

What the old pilgrims probably saw while getting closer to Bagno Vignoni was the Castiglione D’Orcia and Rocca D’Orcia’s huge towering city walls on one hand and the working water mills dug into the travertine rocks on the other one.

Bagno Vignoni still today is  a mystical  place. 

 

Saint Catherine of Siena lived there for a while and used to walk under the loggia, that bears her name, moreover all the buildings around the natural pool were designed byBernardo Rossellino to honor Pope Pio II, from Pienza.

 

Visit of the Borgo and time for a light lunch

 

13.30: Departure for Monticchiello, another beautiful small 'Borgo' of the Tuscan countryside. Half an hour drive

Monticchiello rises on a hill surrounded by the Siena countryside near the town of Pienza. The particular beauty of the country designed by millennial work, the valuable urban landscape away from the main lines of communication give the feeling of being in the heart of Tuscany. From the surrounding country this small village shows its cassero tower that stands on top of the roofs of its houses and the remains of the walls and towers of the old castle. .We will walk around this small Borgo speaking of its history,  History which is not different from that of other Tuscan towns. History of  wars between Florence and  Siena for the conquest of the town

Free time to visit the town 

 

15.30: Departure back to Cortona. Arrival at around 16.30