Walking in Tuscany

Driving through Tuscany you invariably get the urge to stop, take a deep breath and gorge yourself on the astonishing vistas that stretch over valleys and vineyards. You cannot help but give in to temptation and take a long walk along one of the many custom-made treks, as perfected by the locals. Any Tuscan will inform you that Rada or Vercenni, deep in the Chianti hills and over an hour to the merest highway, offers the most unspoilt scenery there is. Stop off en route for the most amazing lunch, walk it off afterwards then pop into a local vineyard for a spot of wine tasting.


Walk one: An excellent postprandial three and a half hour stroll

Starting at Vercenni, walk towards Radda and take the main road towards Gaiole in Chianti, going downhill past the pharmacy and cinema until you pass the petrol station on your left. After another 50 metres, pass the Hotel Miranda on your right. As you pass the hotel at the end of the building you will take a small-unpaved road numbered 68 which will take you to Canvalle House. From here you can continue on a dirt road, passing woods and vineyards until you come to a small bridge and eventually a paved road. Turn right after 100 metres and take the unpaved trekking trail number 68 back up to Radda, where you might stop for a spot of lunch at Ristorante Vignale, an evening pizza at Da Michele or turn left and head back to Vercenni where you can put your feet up and smile in the knowledge that you have exercised both body and mind.


Walk two: The San Michelle Park. (Monte San Michelle)

Prepare yourself a lavish Tuscan picnic from one of Radda's fine delicatessens (or even the Iper Co-op) and spend the afternoon in these splendid parklands some 800 metres above sea level. Just 30 minutes north of Vercenne, they comprise some 95 hectares (950,000 sq metres) of woodland and are brimming with wild birdlife including kestrels, buzzards, pheasants and doves. Animals such as hares, foxes, wild boars, porcupines and fallow deer can also be spotted as you follow the well-marked footpaths. A perfect area in which to walk, no matter your level of fitness or age, there is not a motorized vehicle in sight for miles as very few tourists know this walk. Yet to get there is simple. Just head for Panzano, where from the centre of town you take the small road to Cannatoio. Follow the road to Lamole and pass through Vignamaggio. You will then be near the sign-posted San Michele Mountain Natural Park where the air is clean and oh so mellow.