San Gimignano to Colle di Val d'Elsa

Highlights

• Tuscan vineyards
• Colle Alta upper town
• Crystal production heritage

Stage conditions

Practical notes

Getting there and away

San Gimignano has no station; Autolinee Toscane line 130 links its Porta San Giovanni stop with Poggibonsi–San Gimignano station on the Empoli–Siena line and continues to Colle Val d'Elsa and Siena. Colle itself has no useful passenger service: get off or on the 130 at the Via Bilenchi stop, a short ride from Poggibonsi station where regional trains run to Empoli, Florence and Siena. Line 131 also connects Siena, Colle, Poggibonsi and Florence. Florence and Pisa airports are both reachable through Empoli.

What the season does

The stage data give March to June and September to November with full shade — the route drops through vineyards to the Elsa valley, where the Sentierelsa river park with its boardwalks and the Diborrato waterfall is shaded and cool. That makes this one of the better summer days in central Tuscany, though the ridge above Colle Alta is exposed at midday. After heavy rain the river path floods and the boardwalks are slippery, so take the road variant if the Elsa is high. Colle is a working town rather than a resort, and beds are easier to find than in San Gimignano.

Safety on this stage

No warnings in the stage data, and the descent is the main work of the day. The one place to think is the Elsa: the Colle variant runs along the river to the Le Caldane springs on boardwalks and rest areas, which are fine when dry and treacherous after a storm — if the water is up, keep to the lanes. The last stretch into Colle uses the road between the upper and lower towns; stay on the pavement, as it is busy.

Water and food

Water is abundant, but the regional page says water and refreshments can be sourced only in the towns, and there is no town between San Gimignano and Colle. Leave with a full bottle; on the Colle variant, Gracciano and Quartaia have bars. The Le Caldane springs are thermal, not drinking water. Colle Alta and the lower town both have fountains and cafés.

Where pilgrims sleep

Our directory's San Gimignano entries — the Convento di Sant'Agostino (convent) and the Agriturismo Il Vecchio Maneggio (farm stay) — are where you start; it has no entry for Colle di Val d'Elsa yet. Colle di Val d'Elsa has two proper pilgrim options. The commune runs the Ostello del Pellegrino in the restored Cartiera La Buca paper mill on Via XXV Aprile, reserved for overnight guests. The Diocese of Siena runs the Centro Tabor in the old Convent of San Francesco, fifty metres from the route: seventy-three beds in summer, forty-eight in winter, open round the clock, credenziale not required, booking recommended and mandatory for groups of ten. Both appear on the regional hospitality list.

Sources: Visit Tuscany — Leg 32 San Gimignano to Monteriggioni · Visit Tuscany — Leg 32 Colle Val d'Elsa variant · Visit Tuscany — pilgrim hospitality, leg 32 · Comune di Colle di Val d'Elsa — Cartiera La Buca, Ostello del Pellegrino · Visit Tuscany — Centro Tabor, Colle di Val d'Elsa · Autolinee Toscane — line 130 Siena–Poggibonsi–San Gimignano · Wikipedia (it) — Stazione di Poggibonsi-San Gimignano · Wikipedia — Empoli–Siena railway · Visit Tuscany — Useful suggestions before you leave

Common questions

Walk this stage

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