Tuscany (116)A couple from Utah travels to Italy's Tuscany region for a spectacular Butterfield & Robinson bicycling tour. The eight-day trip takes riders through the area's rolling hills with stops in the region's villas, castles, abbeys and vineyards. In Radda-in-Chianti, the cyclists visit a former monastery Badia a Coltibuono—now, an estate that produces wine, olive oil and honey. The famished travelers stop at a local farmhouse for a home-cooked lunch in Poggio San Polo. They even learn how to make their own bruschetta.
The riders are delighted when they stop to walk the grounds of Monteluco Castle in Lecchi. The castle has been updated and is an available rental. Accommodations include a stay at La Collegiata, formerly a Franciscan convent, in San Gimignano. Known for its medieval towers, San Gimignano has been called the "Manhattan of Tuscany". The tour also takes riders to Siena for local sightseeing. Siena, which twice a year is the site of the famous Palio horse race, is a medieval time capsule. The city's sense of tradition lives on in the preserved churches and palaces.
Tuscan Bicycling Tour Facts:
- The Butterfield & Robinson bicycling tours can last up to eight days and seven nights.
- Most bicycling tour operators offer trips that vary in level of difficulty.
- Most transatlantic flights arrive in Milan or Rome, but direct flights also land in Pisa.
- The accommodations on this Butterfield & Robinson bicycling tour include Hotel La Collegiata—formerly a Franciscan convent that was built in 1587—in San Gimignano.
- Tuscan honey makers produce flavors that include bush heather, wildflower and chestnut.
- When packing for a bicycling trip, think "layers" and lightweight cottons that breathe.
- Raingear is suggested. It is important to keep your torso warm and dry while bicycling.
- The Palio horse race in Siena is run every year on July 2 and August 16. The average length of the race is a mere 90 seconds.
Contact Information:
Butterfield & Robinson
70 Bond St., Toronto, Ontario M5B 1X3
Canada
800-678-1147 www.butterfield.com
Resources:
Tourist office for the Tuscany region
www.tuscany.net/tourist/tour2.htm
Italian Country Hideaways: Vacationing in Tuscany and Umbria's Private Villas, Castles, and Estates
by Kelley F. Hurst, Stefano Hunyady (Photographer)
Federazione Italiana Amici Della Bicicletta (The Italian Federation of Urban Cyclists and Bicycle Tourism)
www.fiab-onlus.it/english/index.htm
)
