Bicycle Trip through
VAL D’ORCIA
In the heart of Terra di Siena you find a perfect, essential
landscape consisting of hills, erosion furrows, the winding course
of the river and cypresses which, in isolation, crown the high
ground or, in ordered rows, follow the progression of the roads. On
the hills, hamlets and isolated monuments of extraordinary charm
overlook oak woods, olive groves and vineyards where Brunello
and other great Tuscan wines are produced. To the west the landscape
is closed by Monte Amiata, the highest extinct volcano in
Italy. But emotion comes first and foremost from the hills. Because
Val d’Orcia is first and foremost nature.
The river from which it takes its name is little more than a torrent
for much of the year, almost drying up in the summer heat. But with
the autumn rains it becomes an impetuous river that seems to want to
sweep everything before it. The source is in the hills between
Radicofani and Sarteano, and it descends into the centre
of a wide hollow. It then winds progressively westward, skirting the
hills of Pienza, San Quirico, Montalcino e
Castiglione. It dodges Mount Amiata and plunges into a wild
ravine before continuing among the hills of upper Maremma.
Lastly, it flows into the Ombrone.
Of course the water is not only that of the Orcia and its
tributaries. At Bagno Vignoni and Bagni San Filippo,
the spa waters rising from the heart of the volcano come powerfully
to the surface and form concretions of rare beauty. For millennia
these waters have offered well-being and health to a public willing
to travel a very long way to enjoy them.
Saffron is a highly perfumed spice obtained from the stigmas of
crocuses that have undergone decades of selection and
cross-pollination. Praised for its curative properties by Pliny the
Elder and Galen, saffron was grown in Val d’Orcia in the middle ages
when it was exported mainly to Germany. Production ceased in the
16th century and was resumed only a few years ago. Most Italian
saffron today once more comes from Val d’Orcia.
Olive-oil is a pillar of Tuscan agriculture. Produced in Val
d’Orcia as in other parts of Sienese territory, extra-virgin
olive-oil DOP (Protected Denomination of Origin) “ Terre
di Siena ” is obtained from the olive varieties Moraiolo,
Frantoio and Leccino. The odour is fruity and the taste bitter and
slightly spicy. The landscape of the valley’s five municipalities is
characterised by beautiful olive groves. As with other Val d’Orcia
products, you can taste and purchase everywhere.
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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