Saturday, August 31, 2024 - Saturday, September 7, 2024
Tuscany,
International,
Italy
When you picture Tuscany and you see rolling green hills with a lone cypress at the top or gentle yellow covered hills with rolls of haystacks spread across the fields, you are picturing the breathtaking landscapes of the Val d'Orcia valley in southern Tuscany. Medieval castles, hilltop towns, charming rural farmhouses, rows of vineyards or of cypress trees and golden wheat fields are just some of the elements that complement the fantastic landscapes of the Val d'Orcia! Our 8 day, 7 night cycle trip combines daily moderate/advanced cycling (approximately 30- 35 miles a day) through Tuscany's Val d'Orcia gorgeous rolling countryside with emphasis on enjoying and learning about the renowned Tuscan food and wines. The first five nights we stay in the hilltop Renaissance towns of Pienza and San Quirico, and our focus is food! Our rides take us past farms, vineyards and olive groves. We have a cooking class at a villa and make our own dinner including our own freshly made pasta and tiramisu! We visit organic farm Podere Il Casale, have a tour and then a cooking class in which we prepare our lunch with fresh farm ingredients including the famed Pecorino cheese. The next two nights we stay in the medieval hilltop town of Montalcino and our focus is wine! Our rides take us past vineyards of the Sangiovese grape which make the world renowned Brunello wines. We tour and have tastings at two outstanding vineyards; Padelletti, owned by the Padelletti family since 1571 (you will meet owner Susanna Padelletti ) and Ciacci Piccolomini D'argona, which has ties to Pope Pius 2 and the current proprietor sponsors a cycling club.
