Day-by-Day Itinerary: Tuscany
Day of the Week |
Description |
Typical distances, in km |
Saturday |
Pre-trip independent night in Pisa.
Included in the “Access Package” for those starting their cycle trips with our Tuscan itinerary; and also for those arriving from another of our itineraries.
The “LAM Rosso” (Red bus line) will get you to the famous tilted Torre. Go. No, really.
Half Baggage |
0 k – maybe a bus to the tower |
Sunday |
Trip Assembles: BOCCACIO’S RIDGES
Wherever we have come from, we get together Sunday morning. If you have spent the night in Pisa, a short train ride clears us of the suburbs, and we join the bikes in Empoli. If you are coming from elsewhere, this is where you may join the trip.
Then up a big hill to the top of a ridge. Welcome to Tuscany! Both the climb and the view from the top are typical of the coming week. Don’t be discouraged by the former: it buys the latter.
Cycle on to Certaldo, past villas surrounded by their trademark sentinel cypress trees, and through the vineyards of northern Chianti. Certaldo is the final resting place of Boccacio, friend of Petrarque, literary inspiration for La Fontaine fables and Pasolini films. His home, now a museum, graces the old walled town, our base for two nights. |
40 k |
Monday |
SAN GIMIGNANO
Whatever you do, save a bit of the day for San Gimignano. The “Manhattan of Tuscany” dominates the surrounding countryside and is in turn dominated by the 13 square towers which give it its silly nickname. Apparently there were once 70 of these things, used either as status symbols or as giant clothes-drying racks. In either case, we doubt that this was the simplest solution to the problem.
Other possible loops today could take in Volterra, a pretty walled town and home to an Etruscan museum dating from the 18th century. Or just bop around on the local lanes: Colle di Val d’Elsa is close by, and the walled town atop its crescent-shaped hill is a pleasure to wander through. |
30 - 90 k |
Tuesday |
CASTELLINA, MONTERIGGIONI
Up a big hill to Castellina in Chianti. The climb is long, but the eternal glide back down is most rewarding. Then into Siena, via the dramatic fortress of Monteriggioni. Siena will be our home for the next three nights, and is one of our favorite places. It lost a big argument with the Florentines in the 17th century, and essentially froze in time, to the joy of the travellers we are.
Half Baggage |
45 - 65 k |
Wednesday & Thursday |
SIENA, MONTALCINO, i COLLINE SIENESE
What to say about a place that holds horse races on its town square? Well, you could point out that it is home to a state-sponsored wine bar, offering a hundred open bottles from all over Italy on a given evening…. A novel use of tax funds, and one with which we concur.
Siena boasts a pure, aesthetic beauty that has been emulated the world over. In North America, Crayola made it a color. Even Florence, Siena’s eternal rival, has often been shown the way by her more sedate and conservative neighbor – most recently in her attempts to preserve her center from the ravages of the automobile. The harmony of Siena’s shell-shaped central square is a rare and wonderful thing, especially at night when the day-trippers have departed for the evening. So why leave?
Well, for one thing, this is a cycle trip. There are sights in the surrounding countryside that should not be missed. Use one day for a glorious cycle south. Though Chianti is better-known, the hills south of Siena (“i colline sienese”) may be our favorite Tuscany. No one lives here, and the distances are long, even between “fattorias” (Tuscan farms, the exact opposite of “factory farming” despite their names). The scenery is splendid, and quiet roads make for great biking. Observe the truffle hunters, searching for the elusive “tartufo bianco.” Stop for lunch in front of the Monte Oliveto Maggiore abbey. If you can stand one more climb, struggle up to the wine town of Montalcino, home to the famous “Brunello.” Every third building is a wine bar! Roll back down to the station (hopefully on your bike) for an evening train home.
Half Baggage |
50 - 100 k |
Friday |
CHIANTI
We leave our idyllic city, heading for the hills and into the heart of Chianti, to Radda. Roads on top of ridges, typical Tuscan scenes, and not much else line today’s route. If you wish a long ride, the fortified château at Brolio can provide one. The castle has been in the same family since the 11th century, and both its walls and gardens can be visited. |
45 - 60 k |
Saturday |
VIA CHIANTIGIANA
Marathoners (and those not afraid of city traffic) can make directly for Florence. Cycling into an Italian city is not dull, but you may prefer to seek your thrills elsewhere (and you can attain the same result in less time by simply jumping off a cliff). We suggest instead a route to a local train station, for a quick ride into town protected by a metal box. Either way, we loosely follow the “Via Chiantigiana,” or Chianti Way, north to the Arno valley.
Half Baggage
Our Tuscan trip disbands upon arrival in Florence on Saturday evening. A post-trip Florence hotel night is included in the “Access Package” (and for through travellers) unless your ongoing travel is by overnight train.
Florence can perhaps be spared our prose. For those spending time here art, architecture, history, markets, leatherworks, ice cream and laundry facilities abound. Indulge! |
30 - 60 k |
Sunday |
Access Package: TRAVEL DAY |
Lots, probably not by bike |
Pure Tuscany — Facts & Figures
2010 Dates |
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Baggage Services Offered**
(optional) |
Difficulty of the Ride |
May 9 - 15
Last spaces, please enquire before booking |
$2,275 US
$2,395 C
1,450€ |
Half |
Moderate to Challenging
You could avoid the hills, but what you want to see is on top. “Short routes” are available if you wear yourself out, and backups are generally good.
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June 13 - 19 |
Daily, Half |
Sept. 19 - 25 |
Daily, Half |
Oct. 24 - 30 |
Daily, Half |
* Prices in $ and € do not include precisely the same things. Click here for details.
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Prices of Optional Extras (links lead to explanations)
| Currency |
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|
$ prices include
the bike.
See here for information on bringing your own.
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** At least 4 riders must subscribe to a given baggage service for it to operate. The services listed are those currently offered on the departure in question. Services which appear in bold already have at least 3 subscribers (so, one more would ensure their operation).
|
Daily |
Half |
| $US |
$375 |
$170 |
$375 |
| $C |
$395 |
$180 |
$395 |
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| €uros |
260€ |
120€ |
260€ |
160€ |
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| Specific information on reaching your trip’s start in... |
Pisa |
| Specific information on departing from your trip’s end... |
Florence |
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departure dates
try is relatively recent, but unity has reigned in Tuscany since the 15th century. Etruscan heritage, climate, light, richness of the agricultural lands, geography, natural beauty... all are advanced as explanations of the “Tuscan Miracle,” an extraordinary concentration of artistic and philosophical talent that made this tiny land the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, and today leaves a mark throughout western civilization. Every Tuscan walled town, city square, or church window is an art history case study.
Services