Gambassi Terme to San Gimignano
Depart: Gambassi Terme, Church of Cristo Re (Christ the King)
Arrive: San Gimignano, Piazza della Cisterna
Distance: 13.4 km
Time: 3 hours
Difficulty: Easy
An easy stage of 13.4 km, taking around 3 hours. It may be short but it is full of interest, with castles and abbeys dotted along the ridges of the Val d’Elsa.
Before you reach the town of Collemucioli you can stop to visit the Santuario di Pancole, and then continue to the Pieve (parish church) of Cellole. From the top of the hill you can see the 15 towers of San Gimignano, one of the most famous towns in Tuscany.
You can get water at Pancole, but there are no refreshments available on the route.
San Gimignano
San Gimignano, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1990, is nicknamed “the mediaeval Manhattan” because of the fifteen towers soaring above the roofs of the town; when the town was at its most splendid, there were sixty-five.
San Gimignano is not only famous for its towers: a fine white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, is also produced here. It was the first Tuscan white wine to be awarded the Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC: protected designation of origin) in 1993.