Bicycle Trip in Pienza
The Ideal City: In October 1405, in the mediaeval castle of
Corsignano, Enea Silvio was born into the aristocratic
Piccolomini family who had long been leading figures in Siena
political and economic life. For political reasons they had been
obliged to take refuge in Val d’Orcia in the mid 14th century.
A lively, versatile spirit and a great traveller, young Enea soon
began to frequent the humanist circles in Italian cities, from Siena
to Florence, Padua, Ferrara and Milan, and later the places of great
European dialogue: the council of Basel, the imperial and Roman
courts. He became an expert in classical and juridical studies,
poet, man of letters, a refined diplomat and excellent orator: a
true Renaissance man.
At the age of 40, after an active life experienced intensely, he
began his rapid ecclesiastical career which led to his becoming
bishop of Trieste, then of Siena, cardinal and lastly, in 1458, pope
with the name of Pius II.
The new pontiff was an enthusiast of the beauty of nature and the
remains of antiquity. He hoped to discover new and perfect forms
that would lead to the rebirth of ancient wisdom. The humanistic
utopia of the return of classical civilisation, a new harmony
between nature and history, seemed on the point of being
implemented.
Pius II, who was still in love with his birthplace, the wide open
spaces of Val d’Orcia and the Amiata which he describes poetically
in his “Commentaries”, wanted Corsignano to become a laboratory to
give well-constructed forms of the ideal town.
And suddenly, generated “by a thought of love and a dream of beauty”
(as Giovanni Pascoli would put it), Pienza came into being, the town
of Pius: dreamt of by the pope, inspired by Leon Battista Alberti
and designed and created by Rossellino in the space of just three
years, from 1459 to 1462.
Pienza pecorino (o cacio) tells a fine story of encounters
and cultural mixes. For some time now it has been acknowledged
international fame. Finding the great earthenware boilers
demonstrated to archaeologists that this cheese was also produced in
prehistoric times.
In the 1960’s the abandonment of many smallholdings and the arrival
of dozens of Sardinian shepherds with their flocks led to a partial
transformation of the produce. Today you can buy Pienza pecorino
throughout Italy. What makes it unmistakeable – today as many
centuries ago – is the presence on the pastureland of a unique and
perfumed mixture of herbs that includes summer savory, wild thyme
and wormwood.
Bicycle trip
to Tuscany. Enjoy 6
days biking in Tuscany, wine tasting, eating gourmet cuisine, and staying in
typical Tuscany accommodations.
A Marvelous
cycling tour in the heart of Tuscany
through timeless villages, covered by vineyards and olive groves
flowing with wildflowers.
There are hills to
bike, but your
hard work will be well rewarded with deluxe lodging and
authentic Tuscan cuisine.
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
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