A bike trip through the Crete Senesi means putting your energies back into equilibrium.

A bicycle trip to the Crete Senesi has the flavour of a daydream with your feet placed firmly on the ground, because “anatomically” they are the impalpable soul of a fascinating body, sometimes expressed in the sculpted forms of a Greek statue, sometimes in the curves of a tempting siren.

The Crete Senesi, then, as a voyage of the soul, an itinerary of discovery to be followed in the same spirit as the Grand Tour, without seeking destinations that are as mystical as they are useless. Sailing through the earth waves of the Crete Senesi, each of us finds places that “speak” with the breath of the wind and the magic of unpredictable lights.

There are no icons such as piazzas, cathedrals or castles that identify this territory. Only intimate corners like that cypress, that old smallholding, the curve of that dirt road, the window of that bed & breakfast. Or moments linked to powerful sensations such as the smell of sheep’s-milk cheese pervading a little grocery, the relaxing warmth of spa waters, the mystical simplicity of a small Romanesque parish church.

The landscape of the Crete Senesi is a triumph of essentialness and harmony, a timeless image, a picture that blends the forms of an Etruscan graffito and a sign of modern art. It is a harmony that gets inside you and has the power to bring your energies back into balance: emotions and sensations transform and dilate in the calm of space.

The flavours of old-time gastronomy survive and are fully exploited by a cuisine that does not betray its own roots.

In order to speak of traditional cooking one must obviate the risk of any equivocation: peasant food was essentially a question of survival. The sharecropper’s diet included little meat and was rich only in farinaceous foods and seasonal vegetables from his garden. Bread too, the nutriment par excellence, was an across-the-board concept, which is to say made not only from wheat but also maize, oats and barley. The watchword at the peasant’s table was: eat with very great moderation.

This rule was broken only for certain festivities and special occasions. And it is precisely this festive dimension that today lies at the heart of revivals which, under the name of festivals, are rediscovering peasant cooking. One cannot but think of the " panella " of Rapolano, a thinly rolled bread dough fried in olive-oil, or of " pici ", the long thin homemade pasta typical of the Crete and variously served depending on the locality. Given the lack of protein it is no surprise nowadays to find a festival consecrated to the animal which for centuries was the main “donor” of meat to the peasant’s table: the pig.

In Rapolano, barbecued " costoleccio " - costole di maiale alla brace - ricorda l'abbondanza di – pork ribs – recall the abundance of that single day of the year when the peasant family enjoyed the luxury of a meat-based meal. Hunting only rarely supplied the sharecropper with protein because landlords considered it a distraction from the more necessary work in the fields. At Rapolano, where the hills are once more wooded, the Wild Boar Festival marks the end of the hunting season and is a moment to be shared by all.

At Buonconvento the Crete Senesi become wide and sunny, leading your gaze towards a horizon that touches the sky with the distinct profiles of Montalcino and the broad shoulders of the Amiata.

The energy provided by water and man have always given power to the genius loci of this area which marks the confluence of the Arbia and the Ombrone rivers and, above all, the ancient via Francigena which passes through the town. On the façade of the town hall you can still see no less than 25 coats-of-arms of the Podestà who governed Buonconvento until 1270.

An evocative stop-off in Buonconvento is undoubtedly the Museum of Sacred Art in Val d’Arbia where, in a splendid Art Nouveau environment, you can view works from churches and parish churches throughout the Crete Senesi territory. Among other works worthy of mention are those by Matteo di Giovanni , Sano di Pietro , Duccio di Boninsegna and Guidoccio Cozzarelli .

Abbeys and monasteries
One of the greatest expressions of asceticism took the form of monastic orders, founded in accordance with strict rules, such as that of the Benedictines which spread throughout Europe. Among the reforms inspired by the Benedictines was the order created by the Blessed Bernardo at Monteoliveto in the Crete Senesi. Unlike the Benedictines, a special feature of the Franciscan monasteries was that they were built in towns rather than in the isolation of the countryside. It is no accident that the only Franciscan monastery in the Crete Senesi is in the important centre of Asciano .

A bike tour in Tuscany is everything you can imagine.  Tuscany is blessed by nature.  Vineyards, rows of single filed cypress trees, rolling hills, villa, farmhouses and castles, and hilltop villages. Every inch of Tuscany has been sculpted, making the it a wonderful place to bicycle, drink, eat, sleep all week long  The amazing life of Tuscany awaits you and your bike! 

To be in Tuscany by bike is heaven, on a stretch where town and country, sunlight and seascape exist in spectacular harmony, one will be struck by the near certainty that here lies the most perfect spot on Earth. We embellished a bit more, with exclusive wine tastings, exquisite cuisine, lodgings of timeless elegance and routes amid a quintessential Tuscan landscape of vineyards, hill towns and cypress-lined country lanes. With our intimate knowledge of the region, it all adds up to a grand biking trip.

 Call today: 888.396.5383

Tuscany biking provides deluxe cycling holidays in Italy. Our bike tour includes gourmet food, authentic wine tastings and lodgings for your bicycle trip. This Tuscany bicycle tour visits Piezna, Chianti, and Siena.

Tuscany Bicycle Tour Itinerary   Tuscany Trip Lodging
Request a Bike Trip in Tuscany Brochure