Theres nothing quite like a drive through Tuscany. Warm sun, rolling hills and endless views…. What better way to enjoy it all than hitting the road and taking the adventure into your own hands!
Many people know Tuscany for it’s larger cities like Firenze (Florence) and Siena. But wonderful as the big cities are, they only represent a small fraction of the history and culture that Tuscany has to offer. To really experience Tuscany you have to get out and see the towns, the land, the olive trees and the endless rows of grape vines.
If you are staying in or around Siena I highly suggest a day drive to the cities of Volterra and San Gimignano. Both of these towns are not only charming and picturesque but also offer excellent opportunities to experience the rich art, history and food of Tuscany.
Along your way there are also plenty of other side destinations, many of which are much less touristy. If you have the time I highly suggest getting off the beaten path and exploring. In particular a stroll through the old town “colle alta” in Colle di Val d’Elsa is a wonderful break from driving on your way between destinations.
Bellow is a suggested itinerary based upon my own trip last spring:
Start: Siena
In the morning we headed north from Siena towards San Gimignano. It’s a pretty easy drive, you just want to take the highway in the direction of Florence and exit for Colle di Val d’Elsa. We continued into the town center and managed to navigate our way into the country (a detailed route is included at the end of the post). The great thing about driving in Tuscany is that everything is so beautiful that you never care if you get lost, it’s all just a part of the adventure. Although I do highly recommend a good road map and gps to help, the latter is not essential. Most major towns and destinations will be marked by signs, so if you know where you want to go just follow the arrows!
Stop 1. San Gimignano
Our first stop of the day was the world-famous hill town of San Gimignano. The city is best known for its remarkable brick towers, so significant that the historic center has been registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The view approaching the city is breathtaking, it looks like a cluster of mini medieval skyscrapers perched atop the rolling hills.
Once in the city there is plenty to do, although be warned, fame has made this town quite a tourist trap.
Explorers like myself will enjoy simply wandering the cobbled streets or climbing one of the historic towers. While foodies and wine aficionados can find their fix sipping a glass of prestigious Vino Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG. There is plenty for art lovers as well, I suggest exploring some of the galleries and local crafts shops. When I was there if found an amazing pair of white alabaster wine stoppers for just a few euros, they are some of my favorite souvenirs from the trip.
Stop 2. Volterra
After having sufficiently explored our way around San Gimignano we got tired of the tourist crowds and decided it was time to head to our next destination, Volterra. It was an amazingly wonderful day, clear, warm and sunny. The perfect kind of weather for driving through the country. It’s quite a simple drive between the two towns and the gorgeous scenery makes it a very enjoyable trip.
When we were getting close to Volterra we came upon an interesting modern sculpture sitting in a field along the roadside. It was a large red metal O…. None of us were sure of its meaning or relevance but it made for a fun photo stop. After we were done we hopped back in the car and were in the city shortly thereafter.
Volterra is a very interesting city that has quite literally stood the test of time. Originally a major city of the Etruscan culture it was known as Velathri. Later the city become an outpost for the Romans and eventually developed into the classic Italian hill town we see today.
Being home to archeological sites ranging from Etruscan to Roman as well as one of the oldest museums in Europe and the oldest town hall in Tuscany . Volterra is without a doubt a one of a kind historical center and there is plenty to see.
My top list of things to see are:
– Piazza dei Priori: home of the oldest town hall in Tuscany
– Eutruscan Ruins and Park
– Roman Theater
Other notable places would be the Guarnacci Etruscan Museum as well as the Pinacoteca and Civic Museum.
Also keep your eyes out for the alabaster workshops, the city is well known for it’s carving work.
3. Colle di Val d’Elsa
The third and final stop on our day trip was actually a complete accident.
We were on our way back to Siena from Volterra and just about to pass back through Colle di Val d’Elsa. Right before we turned to descend back into the valley the old fortified gate of “colle alta” caught our eye and we decided to go exploring.
It turns out the Colle di Val d’Elsa is divided between to sections, the upper city “colle alta” and the lower modern city “colle bassa”.
The part we explored, Colle Alta is a small sliver of medieval and renaissance buildings stretched out across a narrow ridge line. The area was almost completely devoid of tourists, a welcome sight after the long day. We didn’t do much other than walk to the end of the ridge and back but it’s refreshing quietness and simplicity made it our favorite stop of the day. It may not have the major attractions of the other cities we visited but I highly recommend a stop to check out this wonderful spot.
All in all it was a great road trip for the day! And even for those of you that may not want to rent a car it is still possible to get to all of these destinations individually by bus.
More details of the route in the map below as well as some points of interest we visited on our trip:
To view the map in a larger window just click the “view larger” button.
Thanks for reading! I hope you’ve been inspired to get out there and do some driving!
