Why Tuscany is your next destination!
By Ed of Bike Villas Travel
Pictures by asismismo.eu
Mont Ventoux, Alpe d'Huez, Stelvio and also Mallorca are popular destinations for cycling holidays for most cycling lovers. Rightly so, because these are mythical mountains and beautiful areas where many people have already written their own (cycling) stories.
Tuscany is currently mainly known for a wonderful summer holiday. Only recently, this region has come on the radar of more and more cyclists. The growing interest for the Strade Bianche/Eroica and the stormy rise of the gravelbiking makes Tuscany your next destination for a cycling holiday. But why? We give you 5 reasons why...
1. Breathtaking landscapes
First of all, Tuscany has an amazing and impressive landscape. The rolling hills with beautiful views, the vineyards, the deserted backroads and unpaved roads. It is picturesquely beautiful. And this combined with the historical cities such as Lucca, Pisa, Florence, Siena, the characteristic villages that are often situated on top of a hill, the Mediterranean Sea on the west side, the Alpuan Alps on the north side and the famous clay hills on the south side make Tuscany a "must be place to go". It is a region where everyone can find something to his taste!
2. The gravel bike paradise in Europe
In Tuscany, you will find the famous endless white gravel paths, which go up and down (steeply), through rows of cypress trees, vineyards and olive groves. The striking Siena is the "capital" of a region in Tuscany that is made for gravel biking. This area is also known for its "crete". These are clay grounds where hills have been created by wind erosion. You may recognise this from the beautiful TV images you see when the Strade Bianche is broadcast. Gravel biking through this area feels like an endless playground. For gravel lovers, Tuscany is the gravel biking paradise in Europe!
3. No masses of cyclists yet
Whether you cycle around Lucca and in the Apuan mountains or you go gravel biking in the Siena region, chances are you won't meet many cyclists. This is partly due to the vastness of Tuscany, the amount of beautiful inner roads (both road and gravel) and the multitude of different routes you can cycle. On the other hand, it also has to do with the fact that Tuscany is not yet a popular cycling destination. Unknown makes unloved shall we say. This region has an excellent climate with many hours of sunshine and little rain. Easy to reach by car and plane (Florence and Pisa) and the people in Tuscany are very friendly and make you feel very welcome. As soon as the masses discover this, it is bound to get busier and busier. So for now just enjoy...
4. Delicious food and drink
If something is an essential part of the Italian lifestyle, then it is food and drink. And by drinking, we mainly mean wine and coffee. With food, especially lunch and dinner are important meals. Also in Tuscany you take your time to enjoy all the culinary delights this country has to offer. Wine, the best coffee, ice cream, pasta or pizza... and try the typical dishes of Tuscany: pappa al pomodoro (tomato bread soup) and/or panzanella (bread salad). The Italian cuisine is reason enough for many to go on holiday to Tuscany!
5. The beautiful authentic accommodations
Tuscany has an ancient history with a great artistic heritage (think of Michelangelo or Leonardo da Vinci). This is also reflected in the cities, villages, churches and houses. For a cycling holiday, Tuscany offers beautiful authentic villas and especially agriturismos. The latter are (former) farms that have been converted into tourist accommodations. We ourselves use agriturismo Pieve a Salti as Bike Villa for our arrangements. Here you can also book an appartment for your own cycling holiday. Pieve a Salti, a former wine farm, is located in the heart of this gravel bike paradise (Buonconvento) with fantastic views of the rolling Tuscan hills and vineyards. This place breathes a rich history in everything!
Have you already become enthusiastic?
From 17 till 24 September we are organising an amazing Gravel Camp in Tuscany. Only 4 spots left to join! All information you can find on our website!
You can also book one of our Tuscan Bike Villas for your own cycling holiday in Tuscany. Make sure you use the services of our local hero and team member Alessandro. He will be happy to help you with routes and a guided tour (road and gravel).
Ci vediamo in Toscana!
