Florence Sightseeing

With clients arriving at different times of day this will be a non riding day. Most will want to visit the tourist attractions of Florence and city sightseeing is best done on foot.

Florence is a facinating and busteling city. Each person will have differing interests whether that be visiting places of worship, museums, markets and shops or just wanting to absorbe the architecture Florence will have something that shall appeal to each and everyone.

The hotel is located to about two miles from central Florence which makes it ideal to escape by bike into the surrounding Tuscan countryside. There is a bus stop at the door and the journey into town can take about 20 minutes at the busier times. Those interested in walking can reach the historic centre in under an hour and for a more scenic walk you can stick to parkland and the riverside which adds about a further 15 minutes to the journey.

Popular tourist attractions in Florence include; The Historic Centre with it's Piazzas (Piazzale Michelangelo, Piazza della Signoria, Piazza del Duomo etc.) famous statues (Statue of David, Perseus Statue etc.) and art galleries such as the Uffizi, places of learning (Galleria dell'Accademia, Bargello Museum) beautiful churches (The Basilica of San Miniato al Monte, Duomo Cathedral of Santa Maria dei Fiore) and an abundance of lovely buildings such as the Cupola del Brunelleschi. So, there will be no shortage of things to do and see. Some of the highlighs are marked on the map.

Florence, Pistoia, Lucca, Castelfranco di Sotto (146 miles)

We depart Florence heading north west skirting along the lower mountain roads to arrive at the medieval town of Pistoia where we take our first break of the day.

As we depart Pistoia we head north climbing up the mountain roads as they twist and turn and pass through many villages before turning to the south west and making our way to our lunch time stop at Lucca. These roads can be technicall challenging at times but are great fun.

Lucca is another ancient city. It was founded by the Etruscans around 180BC. Lucca's walls and Piazza Anfiteatro are among the city's many attractions.

We depart Lucca heading south and into mountainous roads to give riders another spate of multiple hairpin bends and technical curves then we deviate to the east to Castelfranco di Sotto, another ancient medieval village, where we take or refreshment break of the day.

The final leg of the journey brings largely follows the course of the Arno river to take us back to our hotel in Florence. This journey will involve about 6 hours in the saddle.

Florence, Rocca San Casiano, San Marino, Pieve Santo Stefano (210 miles)

This trip takes us from Florence up into the Apennine Mountains and through another national park, Parc Nazionale della Foreste Casentinesi beyond which we reach the village of Rocca San Casiano. The village is host to a Pagan festival "Festa dei Falò" around late April each year where two competing teams light huge bonfires on each side of the river bank. The festival end in a fireworks display and street party.

After our morning break we continue our journey to the world’s oldest constitutional democracy; the Republic of San Marino. Try to ignore the abundance of tacky souvenir shops and businesses selling counterfeit goods and experience the wonderful views especially from the battlements. It makes a convenient lunch break stop.

After lunch we make our way back to Florence via Pieve Santo Stefano a small village whose main claim to fame was that the Virgin Mary appeared to a Shepherd her in the 14th century. I wonder how he knew it was her? Anyway the road there is great and it makes a convenient stop for out afternoon refreshment.

The relatively traffic free road west to Bibbiena is another filled with twists and turns but from there we pick up a more major road to continue our journey back to the hotel

Although one of our longest day trips the time in the saddle will be about 7 hours.

Florence, Castel del Rio, Bologna, Parco del Laghi Suviaia (174 miles)

Heading north from Florence we first pass through Borgo San Lorenzo where we make a brief stop before continuing to Castel del Rio. The 16th century castle with a WWII plan parked to the side is of course interesting but it is the road through the mountains we take to get there that is very scenic with some great bends along the route that we want you to enjoy.

Italian city traffic is notoriously difficult and so the next stage in this route may be altered depending upon the ability of the riders in the group. We plan to travel into the city of Bologna, famed for its food, for our lunch time break. With a population close to 400k Bologna is a sizeable city and in modern times is famed for high tech and light engineering but there remains a plethora of magnificent buildings and monuments making it one of the most attractive cities in the region.

We depart bologna and continue our journey back across the mountains stopping at Lago di Suviana in the Parco del laghi di Suviana (National Park). The lake is manmade and used to power the hydroelectric power station. The campsite of the western shore of the lake is a picturesque and convenient point to stop for a rest break.

The traverse through the park to Lago di Brasimore is a narrow road but not as challenging as some we will have experienced so far in this journey. As we leave the park we completee our return journey returning to Florence. This journey will involve about 7 hours in the saddle.

Florence, Colle di Val d'Elsa, Casciana Terme , Pisa (173 miles)

Today we head south from Florence travelling mainly on minor roads to Colle di Val d'Elsa which in English is “Hill of Elsa Valley”. The town has ruins dating back to the pre Christian times and makes a lovely stopping point for our first break of the day.

We then head west almost to the coast before deviating into the mountains to Casciana Terme famed for the thermal lime-sulphur waters that constant flow at 37 °C (99 °F). This pleasant village makes an ideal lunch break stop.

We then take a relatively short 25 mile (40km) journey (about one hour riding) into central Pisa for a look around the leaning tower and other city sights.

The final leg of the journey brings us back to our hotel in Florence via the major road the sS67. This journey will involve about 6 hours in the saddle.

Florence, Siena, Lago Trasimeno, Arezzo (200 miles)

Although 200 miles this is a more relaxing route that some of the mountain roads we ride on this tour. We begin by riding south to Siena. Behind the medieval walls you will find the semi-circular Il Compo piazza where bareback horse racing takes place. This featured on a Bond movie Quantum of Solice and arriving early in the city gives a chance to wander the back streets and appreciate what Siena has to offer.

Our next stop in this journey is at Lago Trasimeno where we stop at Castiglione del Lago for lunch. The peninsula that the town rests upon was once an island but over the years the land between island and mainland was filled in. There is an unusual shaped 12th century castle. The lake is quite picturesque and depending upon how long we spend in Siena or taking lunch we can circumnavigate the lake as indicated on the route plan or take a 25 mile short cut following only part of the northern shoreline.

On the return journey we pass the hilltop town of Cortona on our way to Arezzo where the frescos are the town’s main tourist attraction. The town has long been a trading post with many roads through the Apennines converging at the town and to this day you will find Arezzo host to many antique fares.

The final leg of this route skirts along the edge of the mountains and passes through vineyards and several villages and towns as we make our way back to our Florence base.

Despite a 175 -200 mile route the time in the saddle will probably be under 6 hours because these roads are much straighter and wider than others on this tour.

Florence, Volterra, Follonica, Castellina in Chianti (200 miles)

You cannot have a holiday in Italy and not visit the beach and so today we head for the Med. Enroute our first stop of the day is at Volterra, home of the Roman Poet Persius. We shall pay a visit to the ruins of the Roman theatre.

After a short break we continue toward the coast meeting the Mediterranean at Cecina where we head south down the coast to Follonica which is in a natural bay with additional breakwater and shelters created to help perfect the beach. We will stop here for lunch and let those who wish have a paddle or a swim before beginning the return journey.

As we cross the hills we reach the famous Chianti wine region. We shall stop at Castellina in Chianti for a short rest break before completing our trip back in Florence.

This will be about 6 and half hours riding time.