While the trail is known as Tra Santi e Vigne (Between Saints and Vines), I found the experience more analogous to being between heaven and earth. I encountered heavenly views of majestic Alps and iconic hilltop villages, and the earthly delights of the vine, not to mention the table, in this Italian paradise called Monferrato.
My journey started with the vines, lining the rim of a sun-drenched bowl. Descending into the bowl and crossing a small stream, the trail led up a road and into more vineyards, which ultimately dropped into more natural bowls. This is a hilly country, ideal for hiking and vines, not to mention castles, of which I saw several.
Trail Name: Tra Santi e Vigne (Amid Saints and Vineyards)
Trail Type: Short distance trail, in the Piedmont region of Italy; varied trail surfaces from paved, to hard-pack, to grass, to soft sand or mud, somewhat maintained, but the route itself is not sufficiently marked to follow without a map or GPX coordinates.
Length: total – approximately 9 kilometers/ 5.5 miles
Convenient to: Asti, or Casale Monferrato, Italy
Marking: Both a trailhead sign and rectangular signs with red and white stripes overwritten “740”
The Lake Constance Region tourism information promotes its “Mediterranean feel”. Nonetheless, the weather can be cold, wet, and windy, especially in early spring or late fall. (See the photo below.) Vintners here would often suffer bad harvests for years in a row. But thanks to local man, Hermann Mueller, the industry gained a new lease on life.
This outing served my purpose well: a trip into the Franconian wine region’s Steigerwald district, to view vineyards; hike, then drink some quality wine; and do it all in under 7 hours.
Castell, a small village, far from bustling towns, but possessed of quality vineyards and a very good wine estate, fit the bill. A series of circuits meanders through its surrounding vineyards, all the while circling the tiny, picturesque village they support.
Trail Name: Casteller Weinspaziergaenge
Trail Type: One circuit of the outside segments of four shorter wine hiking circuits; gentle inclines on either paved, or hard-packed surface; well maintained and mostly (but not always) marked with the circuit name.
Length(s):
Large Trail: Casteller Weinspaziergaenge: circa 12 kilometers/ 7.5 miles
Segments: (each circuit total)
Greuter Bastel Circuit: 7.6 kilometers/ 4.75 miles
Schlossberg Circuit: 2.3 kilometers/ 1.4 miles
Hohnart Circuit: 2.5 kilometers/ 1.5 miles
Kugelspiel Circuit: 4 kilometers/ 2.5 miles
Convenient to: Kitzingen, Germany
Marking: Varies by circuit name, although “Casteller Weg” follows the outside edges of the inclusive circuit around Castell, and is mostly identical with Casteller Weinspaziergaenge. (See photo above for signage.)
My last trip to Burgundy’s Cote d’Or region focused on the northern part, the Cote de Nuits, and its red wines; therefore, I devoted this trip to the southern part, the Cote de Beaune, and its delicious white wines.
Meursault is a small town that has given its name to some of the best known Burgundy white wines in the world. Its wine makers produce Chardonnay exclusively. To gain familiarity with its Chardonnay terrain, I chose one of 16 trails in the area, the one that took me through Meursault, its vineyards, and nearby villages.
Trail Name: Promenade en Pays Beaunois Circuit 14, Monthelie; aka Sentier des Buis. (“PR n 14” is seen also on signs)
Trail Type: mid-distance circuit; surfaces vary from asphalt, to hard-packed earth, to rough trails; the route is fairly well-marked, but a map is definitely handy.
Length: total: 12 kilometers/7.5 miles
Convenient to: Beaune, France
Marking: Small yellow rectangular signs “Pays Beaunois 14”, then painted rectangles or arrows (on a variety of surfaces (rocks, trees, posts) indicating the direction to follow. Signs, as in the featured image above, also indicate a specific location and direction to continue.
Fleurie means flowery, which this village undoubtedly is in spring and summer. But on my winter weekend break it was wet and windy. The weather only worsened as time went on. The rain turned into downpours. But after almost two days of rain, the forecasts called for a two to three-hour break in the rains. I decided to embark on one of Fleurie’s four circuit trails before leaving the area. Four great trails, seemingly designed for someone like me: wanting to hike, but with some time constraints. A great and convenient feature of the Entre Vignes et Bois (Between Vines and Woods) series of trails in Fleurie, is this: They are circuits that radiate out from the village in increasingly wider circles. Therefore, hikers can choose between one or another depending on time, capabilities, or in this case, weather.
Optimistically choosing the 12 kilometer (red) circuit, I set off from the Place de l’Eglise. But within 10 minutes, rain began to fall. A quick look at the sky confirmed that thick black clouds were rolling in faster than anticipated. So I switched to the four kilometer circuit instead. It was an easy decision to make on the spot. Should the downpours suddenly return, the map showed that this circuit also allowed for a couple of possible shortcuts, on tarmac, no less. This kind of flexibility created by interconnectivity is another great feature of the Entre Vignes et Bois trail series.
Trail Name: Fleurie – Entre Vignes et Bois
Trail Type(s): A series of four circuits, short, medium and long distances, circling out from Fleurie (in the Beaujolais district); trail surfaces partly paved, partly hard-packed, otherwise grass or earthen surfaces (sandy or compacted); Route(s) mostly marked.
Length(s):
Total: 4, 12, 16 and 25 kilometers/2.5, 7.5, 10, and 15.5 miles respectively
Convenient to: Lyon, France
Marking: Colored rectangles (blue, for the four kilometer circuit; red for the 12 kilometer circuit, green for the 16 kilometer circuit, and yellow for the 25 kilometer circuit.), some with arrow to indicate direction; and sometimes a square placard with the words “Entre Vignes et Bois” and a bunch of grapes and a grape leaf.
