Around 15.5 miles or 25 kilometers immersed in the undulating and silent landscapes of Val d’Arbia. After leaving behind the Siena skyline, which accompanies your first steps, the journey continues on uninterrupted gravel roads, among cultivated fields, low hills and views that open up to the distant profile of Mount Amiata.

Skirt the Grancia di Cuna, an imposing fortified farm once owned by the Hospital of Santa Maria della Scala, then pass through Monteroni and the quaint locality of Quinciano. You’ll also touch on the typical landscape of the Crete Senesi, before reaching the medieval village of Lucignano d’Arbia, enclosed by walls and dominated by the Romanesque Parish Church of San Giovanni Battista. The stage ends at Ponte d’Arbia, along the river of the same name, mentioned by Sigeric in his itinerary.

Access to water is rare, available only in Cuna and Quinciano. For refreshments, it is necessary to detour to Isola d’Arbia.

An extraordinary testimony to agricultural architecture, the Grancia di Cuna, with its unmistakable red-brick structure, is one of the best-preserved examples of a medieval fortified farm in Tuscany. Built in the 12ᵗʰ century as a hospital for pilgrims along the Via Francigena, it was donated in the 13ᵗʰ century to the Hospital of Santa Maria della Scala, which transformed it into a fortified agricultural center. In 1314, the large granary was built and the entire complex was fortified with walls, towers, embrasures and chemins-de-ronde. The structure consists of two circles of walls—one around the farm-fortress, the other around the small village that rose up in the surrounds. Plundered in 1554, it was modified in the following centuries but still retains much of its original layout.

Located among the rolling hills of Val d’Arbia, Monteroni d’Arbia owes its development to the passage of the Via Francigena, which made it a key stop for pilgrims heading south from Siena. The village still preserves a 14ᵗʰ-century watermill, once very active in grinding grain. The village represents a natural gateway to the landscape of the Crete Senesi, where the countryside opens up into wide and evocative scenery, dotted with Romanesque parish churches and ancient farms.

Also nearby is the 11ᵗʰ-century Pieve di Corsano, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. Typical products include Cinta Senese DOP cured meats, beef from the Chianina cattle breed along with Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG and Vin Santo wines, authentic expressions of the local farming tradition. Every year, between late August and mid-September, Ponte a Tressa hosts the Fiera a Tressa, a popular event dedicated to the cuisine and traditions of the Terre di Siena.

Val d’Arbia DOC is a modern white wine with ancient roots, heir to the traditional white Chianti. Made from Trebbiano Toscano, Malvasia del Chianti and a percentage of Chardonnay grapes, the vines stretch between the Chianti Senese and Chianti Classico hills, in an area rich in history and the scene of the famous battle of 1260 between the Sienese and Florentines, as recalled by Dante. Straw yellow in color with greenish hues, it has a delicate aroma and a minimum alcohol volume of 10.5°. Excellent as an aperitif or paired with soups, vegetables and white meats. There is also a Vin Santo version, with a sweet or dry taste, aged for at least three years in small kegs, with this dessert wine ideally served with Sienese sweets such as Ricciarelli or Panforte or to be savored slowly and enjoyed on its own.