Walk from Grancia di Cuna Medieval Farm to Siena

*** To help you follow the route with confidence we have provided these route notes. The route is mostly waymarked, but we strongly suggest following the GPS tracks in the Macs Adventure smartphone app to have a safe, enjoyable, and problem-free day.  The daily maps can also be printed from the web version of the app should paper copies be preferred. ***

0.0km – Your transfer (pick up at Pieve a Salti at 9:00am) will drop you off close to the main village archway. Walk STRAIGHT ON through the archway and into Piazza della Grancia. You will see a drinking fountain on your left as you walk into the piazza and a big metal plaque all about the Grancia di Cuna. Once into the piazza TURN LEFT and walk down the paved pathway with a metal waymarker and a red and white Via Francigena (VF) sign to your left. This paved path becomes gravel and then bears right immediately. BEAR LEFT at the fork towards open fields and descending.

0.1km – At a crossroads with way markers on your left, go STRAIGHT ON and walk down the gravel track as it bears left and then goes straight. Follow the same gravel track for 700m.

0.9km – At the T-Junction TURN RIGHT (with a metal and red and white way marker in front of you) and walk towards the cluster of houses off in the distance. The trail ascends and bears gently left. Walk down this same gravel road for 200m.

1.1km – BEAR RIGHT down the same track with way markers on your left (and a brown bench) ignoring the gravel track going straight on and descend towards the houses/apartment buildings. You can also see your first glimpse of Siena from here in the distance to your north west. Walk on the same gravel tracks for a further 600m.

1.7km – At the junction of pathways and with the apartment buildings/flats to your right go STRAIGHT ON up the paved road on Via di Villa Canina. (Also spot a VF brown way marker on your left). Walk up the same paved road for 300m.

2.0km – At the junction (with a large apartment building in front of you) TURN SHARP LEFT. (You will also see a brown post, a brown VF post and a red and white waymarker (on the ground) to your left before you turn. Walk along this same road for a further 900m, ignoring any roads/tracks off to the left and right. You will see occasional red and white way markers as you walk and the tarmac road turns to gravel.

2.9km – At the top of the rise, ignoring the dirt track that ascends to the left and TURN RIGHT (there is a brown VF brown post on your left). As you walk you will pass a pond on your left.

3.1km – At the next junction with a brown VF post on your right just before you reach the junction TURN LEFT, ignoring the track going down to your right. In 200m be vigilant for next direction!!

200m later at a fork BEAR RIGHT on the dirt track in the field that runs parallel with the road you were just walking on. After 100m BEAR RIGHT on the same track as it veers away from the road and with lovely views to Siena and the countryside to your right. Follow this dirt track as it winds down and up and through the fields for almost 1km.

4.3km – At the T-Junction with Siena in the far distance in front of you TURN LEFT towards the countryside and away from the main road and houses/buildings which are on your far right. Follow this dirt track for a further 700m.

5.0km – At the junction with a gravel road and a brown VF sign pointing the way you just came, TURN RIGHT. Walk down this wide gravel road for a further 1.7km, seeing occasional red and white way markers on posts and ignoring any other tracks/trails off to the left and right.

6.7km – Just after crossing over a bridge TURN RIGHT and off the main gravel road onto a grassy/dirt trail (Before you turn right you will see a brown VF way marker on your left). Walk down this not very distinctive dirt trail as it bends left and then right through fields. See and hear the main road up to your left in the distance.

300m later at the junction of pathways and at the end of the field TURN LEFT and walk up towards houses. You will see a pond down to your right as you walk, ascending for 200m.

7.2km – At the top of the rise come to some open ground and TURN RIGHT so that the apartments/flats are on your left as you walk and a small pond is to your right. Keep walking down this gravel track until you reach the main road.

7.4km – Once at the main road, cross over it with care and go STRAIGHT ON and up the gravel road opposite (up Strada di Borgo Vecchio). Walk down the same gravel road for just over 1km.

8.5km – With a row of cypress trees in front of you and to your left, TURN LEFT and down the dirt trail. (It says private property but you can walk down it as long as you are not driving!). Walk down this gravel track with a grassy middle and between 2 fields for 400m.

8.9km – As the gravel track bends right you TURN LEFT down a dirt trail. (There is a house to your right here and at the time of writing this there was also some farm machinery to the right too). Walk down this dirt trail for a further 300m through more fields to a line of trees on your right.

9.2km – Just after the line of trees on your right, TURN RIGHT onto an indistinct path with the trees to the right of you  and the field to your left as you walk. The tree line then ends and the trail bends left. Follow it and walk descending towards the next cluster of trees. Once you have reached these trees and at the end of the field go STRAIGHT ON ascending through the next field on a stonier (becoming grassier) trail.

9.6km – At a junction with a pine tree on your right and a house in front of you in the distance, TURN LEFT walking with the field on your left. After 100m at the T-Junction (with an olive grove and a small VF sign on your left) TURN LEFT and then immediately TURN RIGHT and walk down the gravel/dirt path (once you are walking down this path spot a red/white and VF on a post on your right).  After 200m cross over a wooden bridge and go STRAIGHT ON, ignoring the track off to the right before the bridge. Walk through the horse farm and after 100m more upon reaching the farmhouse and other buildings to your left go STRAIGHT ON and walk down to the main road (brown VF sign to your left).

10.1km – At the junction TURN RIGHT and walk down the main road to a roundabout/rotary. Be VERY careful of traffic here. Upon reaching the roundabout walk to the left of it, ignoring the first road off to your left and taking the second exit (if you were driving you would be going “straight over” the roundabout). Walk up this main road for almost another kilometre, ignoring any roads off to the right. (there will also be commercial buildings on your right as you walk). Again be VERY careful of traffic on this section.

11.4km – At the first road on your left (since the roundabout) TURN LEFT. It is signposted to Certosa.

You will walk down this same road for just over 4 kilometres. You will walk past houses, vineyards, olive groves and you ignore any turn offs to the right and left.

15.5km – Once you come to Certosa and its large brick archway (and a sign for Hotel La Certosa) go STRAIGHT ON passing through the archway and walking along the same road once more for a further 400m.

15.9km – At the T-Junction and with a brown VF post to your right TURN LEFT down Strada dei Linaiolo and signposted to “Centro”. Walk up this road ascending and walking between houses, then descending down the same road until you come to a main road.

16.7km – Once at the junction with the main road (and a brown VF sign to your right) cross the road and go STRAIGHT ON walking up the pathway to the Porta Romana gate which if you glance up you can see in the distance in front of you as you begin to ascend.

16.9km – Finish your walk in front of  the Porta Romana Gate in Siena.