TUSCANY - Hills and Sea

Duration: 7 days (6 nights)

People: maximum 7

Daily km: 65/75 (total 325 km)

Diffuculty: MEDIUM

Departure Dates 2021: April 5th, May 9th, September 19th, October 3rd

DAY 1: Arrival in Siena, welcome from the staff.Presentation of the bike tour, preparation of bikes, welcome drink and then dinner Monteriggioni Castle.
Overnight at Sangallo Park Hotel

DAY 2: Siena – Chianti Hills Loop. 72 km
There is no better way to get in touch with this extraordinary region, than start our unique tour
with a cycling day through the famous and breathtaking Chianti Hills.These rolling hills are famous all over the world for their delicious wine.
We’ll start our day pedaling towards Radda in Chianti, an enchanting old Tuscan village.Our road will be an easy and constant ascent, surrounded by a lot of vineyards and pristine
nature.After leaving Radda in Chianti we head to Castellina in Chianti, when we arrive in the village
we’ll take a delicious capuccino to recover energy for our last effort, coming back to Siena.
A typical acclaimed restaurant is waiting for us to close this unforgettable first day.Overnight at Sangallp Park Hotel

DAY 3: Siena – Volterra 78Km
Starting from Siena, crossing small hillside villages and with a view of the castle of Monteriggioni on the way, we reach Abbadia a Isola, which was an important stop along the Via Francigena, the ancient route that in medieval times connected Canterbury to Rome. We then continue to Castel Pietraio and Colle Val d’Elsa, an ancient Etruscan town that owes its development in the 15 th century to glass production. Pedaling, we reach San Gimignano at 324m a.s.l., in the Val d’Elsa, a small medieval town whose many towers, still intact, dominate the landscape. Finally, we arrive in Volterra, an ancient town with over 3,000 years of history. Situated in the province of Pisa, Volterra is considered, with its Acropolis, its surrounding walls and its “gates” to the historic center, one of the Italian municipalities that has best conserved its Etruscan origins. The cathedral, the imposing Medici Fortress and Palazzo dei Priori instead date back to the medieval period. And, for fans of the “Twilight” saga, it was here that the fascinating vampire Edward Cullen gives himself up to the dreaded Volturi.Dinner and time to visit the town.Overnight at Hotel Le Fonti

DAY 4: Volterra – Castagneto Carducci 80 Km
We leave from Volterra, with our bikes, after an excellent breakfast to ride through a small hamlet, Saline di Volterra, famous for its salt water springs and for salt production. Through Pomarance and Montecerboli, important areas for the development and utilization of geothermal energy, up and down through historical villages such Sarezzano, Monteverdi Maritime and Doronatico we arrive at our destination: San Vincenzo.On the Ligurian Sea on the famous Etruscan Coast, San Vincenzo developed as a town in ancient times and is therefore of extreme historical and cultural importance. In 1971 the Giro d’Italia started and finished in San Vincenzo which is now an important tourist resort. After settling into your room you will have time to relax and get ready for an excellent dinner with the rest of the group based on typical local produce.Overnight at Villa Le Luci

DAY 5: Portoferraio – Procchio 60.6 Km
Eastern part of Elba island.After breakfast and transfer by ferry from Piombino to Portoferraio on Elba Island we leave to explore the island by road bike. Green oasis of the Tuscan archipelago, Elba island is a mixture of beaches and cliffs, terraces overlooking the sea, villages perched on the hillsides with magnificent colors, flavors and fragrances that give the impression of visiting places where time has stood still. The third largest island in Italy, Elba was, thanks to its iron deposits, the heart of the Etruscan civilization and the remains of outposts and the Necropolis can still be seen today. After passing from Roman rule to that of the Ostrogoths and the Lombards the Island is full of testimonies covering thousands of years of history. And keep your eyes well open when you look at the horizon because if you see a ship flying the “skull-and-crossbones” flag it could well mean that the Ottoman corsairs, dreaded by the island’s inhabitants in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, have returned…
From the Volterraio road (Bagnaia, Nisporto, Nisportino) we will arrive in Rio dell’Elba, a typical medieval hamlet where a rushing stream worked the many mills. Soon after, continuing up the road which offers breathtaking views at every turn, we will reach Capoliveri, a beautiful medieval village perched on a hill at 167 m a.s.l.. We then return to Portoferraio, a Medici town with museums, mansions and fortresses; capital of the island, it was founded in the sixteenth century thanks to the Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo I. After arriving at our hotel there will be time to check our bikes, relax and enjoy the local food for dinner.Overnight at Hotel del golfo-Procchio

DAY 6: Procchio – Procchio 61.40 Km
Western part of Elba island. The day starts with breakfast to give us energy for the day’s cycling before heading off in the direction of Procchio and the smallest municipality on the island: Marciana Marina. As we climb up through the hills, we go through the hamlet of Poggio, nestled among century-old chestnut woods, until we reach Marciana, one of the most ancient inhabited areas of the island at a height of 375m a.s.l.. Descending in the direction of the most famous beaches, we go through Chiessi, a small hamlet situated on the “Costa del sole”, to the far west of the island. Cycling towards our next stop, we reach Marina di Campo, a village situated at the foot of two hills, in the plain called Maremma dell’Elba. “Maremma” is also an area on the mainland, between Tuscany and Lazio, mentioned by the famous Italian writer Dante Alighieri in his works. Thanks to its prehistoric, Roman and Etruscan settlements, over the centuries the Maremma areas, both on the mainland and on the island, offer visitors stunning scenarios. Returning to Procchio we then arrive back in Portoferraio. An excellent dinner in the company of the group concludes our superb stay on the Island, a land of diverse landscapes which we have been able to appreciate better riding our bikes.Overnight at Hotel del Golfo-Procchio

DAY 7: Breakfast and transfer by minibus back to Siena.

EXTRAS: Single room option 350€, Rent of carbon racing bike 190€, rent of e-roadbike 440€.