Cycle through Tuscany

Tuscany is best done on a bike. Built when it was more difficult to travel over great distances, the towns and villas here are close together and off the tourist routes, as your bike will allow you to go you’ll enjoy more of the traditions of the place and the people. Obviously, it’s stunning countryside as well, with moderate climbs to hill top villages and winding rust dirt roads through valleys of olive groves and vineyards leading into pretty towns with squares and fountains. Another draw is the excellent food and drink. There are lots of great scenic one day round trip rides in the region including Maremma Park and Talamone, Capalbio and Orbetello and Pitigliano so you can have a base in one of the towns or travel though the whole region. Personally I wouldn’t miss Siena off your trip, though it is probably counted as a city as it’s so big, the Crete Senese made famous by the film ‘The English Patient’; remember all those tall, narrow pines, the yellow colours of the fields and the traditional looking villages and Montepulciano, like the wine, which has a maze of narrow roads running through it. I would suggest you plan your itinerary ahead and select your hotels in advance; it is easy to become sidetracked in Tuscany and if you have limited time, you should plan out the places you’d really like to see.