|
Day-by-Day
Itinerary: Tuscany
|
|
Day of the
Week
|
Description
|
Typical
distances, in km
|
|
Saturday
|
Pre-trip independent night in Pisa.
The
“LAM Rosso” (Red bus line) will get you to the
famous tilted Torre. Go. No, really.
|
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.
|
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…. And
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! Coast back down to the station 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 ch_teau 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
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
|