Cycling in Southern Tuscany A Week’s easy-going tour (7days)
This tour s designed for those who are not used to cycling and therefore may not be tremendously fit. You will be followed by a support vehicle which will help anybody in need of assistance. Tables will be set up in the open in delightful spots for picnics. Every day you will be offered different traditional dishes accompanied by white or red wine from the areas we have passed through.Wine and water will be well chilled, even in the summer. Bicycles will be available with saddle bags. Guests will be looked after by qualified guides, knowledgeable about the country and able to deal with any problems with the bicycles. This is an easy tour, and is also suitable for cyclists on their own as there are detailed maps available.
DAY 1
Arrival at the hotel in the late afternoon - and a cocktail to welcome you. Dinner with local, traditional dishes with fine wines from Montalcino, Montecucco, Scansano and Montepulciano.
DAY 2
Tour of Montecucco. 42 k.ms.
In the morning, meet you guide who will allot bicycles according to height and size. A short familiarization course before setting off on the first day’s trip. We leave from Le Macinaie through beautiful beech woods. After a brief halt in a Medioeval village we continue on a steeply undulating road. In anther village we stop for a beer and a refill of water before visiting a Museum where one sees what living conditions were like for country people a century or so ago. We go on towards Cinigiano, which we reach after about 10 k.ms entering the area of Montecucco DOC. It is typically hilly country with cultivated fields, olive groves and vineyards, interspersed with oak woods. After a few kilometres we reach a Castle, recently restored, which is worth visiting. We start off again, but before facing the final part of the route with its deep valleys, we pause in one of the vast stubble fields with a view that covers the lower part of the Orcia valley. Refreshed, we can tackle the short climb and then country roads to the slopes of a Medioeval Village. The brief haul up is tiring, but worth the effort! Having got to the top we can pause in the park with its amazing view over the Val D’Orcia and the Maremma. Here we shall visit the Museum of Vines and a wine estate where we can taste, and perhaps buy, some of their fine wines. Return to the hotel for dinner.
DAY 3
Tour of Monte Amiata. 32km.
Today we shall glimpse some of the country close by. From the Macinaie we head in the direction of Valley. The first part of the route is tarmac, passing through beech woods and then chestnuts. We take a wooded track to a famous village for its mushroom festival, which takes place every year in the autumn. On then for a few kilometres, all downhill, to a medioeval village, the pearl of Amiata. The visit to the old part of the town, the church with della Robbia glazed terracotta, and the part with the large fishpond is fascinating. From there a short climb takes us to the Tibetan centre of Merigar, which we visit. From here a short ride takes us to the valley where a tasting of local produce is waiting for us in the old village cellars. We shall sample the wines of Montecucco, oil and cheese from Seggiano besides salumi (salamis, sausages, hams, etc.). The last bit of the route leads to another old village, where, ready to welcome us, we shall find a medioeval castle. The visit to the old castle, the cellars converted from the old stables, is fascinating. Lunch with our hosts will be in the Devil”s Hall. Return to the hotel in the afternoon.
DAY 4
Tour of the Val D’Orcia 40k.ms
We leave the Prato delle Macinaie and after a brief descent reach the oldest village of the area. A visit to the old part of the town and the Abbey. We then set off on a fairly level road, with a lovely view over the Val D’Orcia, wiht the characteristic village perched on a hill. The route follows the ridge which divides the two sides of the Val d’Orcia. Here lunch will be served in the shade of an ancient oak tree. And then a short bike-ride to the hot spring where a bathe brings the day to a close. Return to the hotel for dinner.
DAY 5
Free day to explore Amiata
The fifth day will exclude cycling commitments; guests can visit places not yet included in the itineraries. A taxi service will be available to take guests rapidly to all the different places. A picnic lunch is on offer.
The hotel Reception Desk can supply information and maps.
The following visits may be of interest:
The old medieval villages with their churches and castles
Parks and nature reserves
Hot springs
Farms and estates with local produce
DAY 6
Today is the day of the Etruscans who inhabited the area bordering Monte Amiata in the eighth century B.C.
We leave le Macinaie passing though beech woods. Up an down road between beautiful castles. We arrive on a road which goes up and down through Etruscan lands. In a medioeval village we shall have a picnic in the park over looking the village. After the visit, having crossed to the other side of the valley and tackled a short climb uphill, we reach another village, famous not only for its Etruscan past, but also for its excellent cool white wine. And finally, on a road which cuts through the sandstone, we arrive at Sovana where we shall visit the old medieval village with its famous square, and the cathedral. Return to the hotel in the late afternoon.
DAY 7
Tour of the Hot Springs 46 k.ms.
From the Prato delle Macinaie we descend the mountain. After about a kilometre, gently uphill, we find ourselves on the side of the valley of the river Fiora with a magnificent view of the Amiata massif and the valley which stretches as far the north of Lazio. Pedalling easily, we take the road past the foot of hills. Here we leave the valley of the river Fiora and look out over the valley; on a clear day it is possible to make out the Tuscany islands. With the change of valley comes a change of scenery, which, as we go along, gradually assumes the characteristics of the northern Maremma, with olives, vineyards and wide wheat fields. We also pass a castle. We continue on through the medioeval villages og the area. After a halt for picnic we continue direction hot spring and a rapid descent which will take us to the cascades of the old mill, where a bathe in the hot sulphurous water will cancel every trace of exhaustion. After the bathe, return to the hotel for dinner.
DAY 8
Departure after breakfast