
SIENA, PIENZA, VAL D’ELSA AND
THE VAL D’ORCIA
A 5 or 8 days cycling tour
in Tuscany
This tour starts and
finishes in the beautiful and fascinating town of Siena. You will pedal
in one of the most famous landscapes of Italy: the Val d’Orcia and Val
d’Elsa. This land is full with enchanting towns where there is a
merging of unspoilt nature, marvellous art and the pleasures of
excellent cuisine. You will cycle along good dirt roads and quiet
asphalted country roads between fertile fields, woodland and the
vineyards of the Chianti area. You will have time enough to admire the
art towns Pienza, Montalcino, Volterra and San Gimignano, abbeys with a
glorious past like the abbey of Monte Oliveto and S.Anna a Camprena with
its frescoes of Il Sodoma and the castle of Brolio.
Programme
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Day
1
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Individual
arrival at Siena.
Siena is a town we
could call a masterpiece of art, full of treasures such as the
cathedral with the Piccolomini Library and its frescoes by
Pinturicchio, the cathedral museum ‘Museo dell'Opera del Duomo’,
the ‘Museo Civico’, the ‘Palazzo Pubblico’ ,a lot of
other impressing palaces and churches…and the Piazza del
Campo. It is also well known for the Palio, the most famous
historical horse race in the world, and for its culinary
tradition with delicious plates as ‘i pici’, la zuppa
ribollita served on toasted bread and cakes like Panforte,
Berricuocoli and Ricciarelli. Overnight stay in Siena.
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Day
2
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Siena
– Brolio – Castelnuovo Berardenga – Asciano
After
breakfast you leave Siena and cycle surrounded by a beautiful
scenery of the hills of the Chianti Senese and le Crete with
unforgettable panoramas of the Chianti vineyards and woodland.
Worthwhile to visit is the castle of Brolio, surrounded by
vineyards, which has Lombard origins. The tour of today finishes
at Asciano. It has a nice medieval centre with a famous museum:
the Museo Archeologico of Palazzo Corboli is classified by the
Daily Telegraph as one of the fifteen Italy’s best small
museums.
Distance
49 km / 30,4 miles –differences in altitude 830 m– 13km of dirt roads
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Day
3
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Asciano
– Monte Oliveto – San Giovanni d’Asso - Pienza
Today
you enter the Val d’Orcia with wide open skies, rolling hills
lined with cypresses and meandering roads disappearing into the
horizon. You pass the abbey of Monte Oliveto with its chiostro
(cloister) decorated by Luca Signorelli and il Sodoma, the
church renovated in Baroque style and the beautiful library. You
can plan to make a stop in the medieval village of San Giovanni
d’Asso, where you could visit the truffle museum. Another stop
worth while is at the ex- monastery of S.Anna a Camprena, where
other frescoes of Il Sodoma can be admired. Pedalling between
fields with nice views you arrive at Pienza, a pearl of the
renaissance.
Distance
52 km / 32 miles –differences in altitude 800 m– 12km dirt roads
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Day
4
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Pienza
– S.Quirico – Montalcino – Buonconvento – Murlo
A
scenery with soft rolling hills, never ending grain fields,
vineyards, olive groves, hay meadows and pastures for livestock
will accompany you all day. Very interesting is the historical
centre of S.Quirico d’Orcia with its 13th century hospital of
S.Maria della Scala. This hospital offered shelter to pilgrims
and travellers passing along the Via Francigena. The other two
charming towns you will pass today are Montalcino, where you can
enjoy a good glass of Brunello di Montalcino, and the medieval
village of Murlo.
Distance
56 km / 34,7 miles –differences in altitude 750m– 15km dirt roads
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Day
5
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Murlo
– Radi – Sovicille – Monteriggioni – Colle Val d‘Elsa
Today’s
ride is following for a big part the Via Francigena, a
pilgrimage way which in 79 stages connects Canterbury with Rome,
crossing France and Switzerland before entering in Italy.
Already from afar you will see the impressing town walls of
Monteriggioni. These walls are covering a length of 570m
alternated by two town gates and 14 towers. Here you could make
a lunch stop to taste some of the local specialities like
Panzanella, la Finocchiona and baccelli, funghi in gratella
(mushrooms) and l’agnello arrosto con piselli e patate alla
ghiotta (lamb meat with peas), combined with a good Chianti.
Your overnight stay will be in Colle Val d’Elsa.
Distance
64 km / 39,7 miles –differences in altitude 680m–mixture of dirt roads and
asphalted roads
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Day
6
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Colle
Val d’Elsa – Casole d’Elsa – Ulignano – Volterra
Some
uphill and downhill cycling will bring you to Volterra, an
Etruscan town famous for its alabaster production. From Etruscan
times remain the two town gates Porta all’Arco and Porta Diana
and numerous tombs. In the centre you can visit 4 museums: the
Museo Etrusco, Pinacoteca Civica, Museo d'Arte Sacra and
l'Ecomuseo dell'Alabastro.
Distance
47 km / 29 miles – differences in altitude 1110m– mixture of dirt roads
and asphalted roads
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Day
7
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Volterra
– Il castagno – San
Gimignano -
Certaldo (transfer con il treno a Siena)
This
last day you will cycle to San Gimignano, famous
all over the world for the skyline of its medieval towers. This
town dominating the Valle d’Elsa was very important during
medieval times because of its position along the Via Francigena.
In the surrounding countryside we find the cultivation of
saffron. By bike you will reach Certaldo and from here you take
the train to Siena, end destination of this tour.
Distance
47 km / 29 miles – differences in altitude 600m– mixture of dirt roads
and asphalted roads
|
Day
8 |
Departure
after breakfast |
This
tour has also a 5 days version:
Day
1 Individual arrival at Siena.
Day
2 Siena – Brolio – Castelnuovo Berardenga – Asciano (48 km / 29, 8
miles)
Day
3 Asciano – Monte Oliveto – San Giovanni d’Asso - Pienza (52 km /
32,2 miles)
Day
4 Pienza – S.Quirico – Montalcino – Buonconvento – Murlo (55 km /
34,1 miles)
Day
5 Murlo – Siena, the tour ends in the afternoon (46 km / 28,5 miles)
Included
in the price:
Not
included in the price:
Period
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daily from 1 March to 15 October
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Level
3
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typical hilly landscape with uphill and
downhill cycling. There are sometimes steep climbs, but short. For
the biggest part you’re cycling on quiet dirt and asphalted
roads. The dirt roads (5-15 km every day) are in a good condition.
Daily rides are between 40 and 60 km A tour for cyclists with some
experience. |
Participants
|
Minimum
two persons (single traveller on request)
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Prices
p.p. 2018
|
8
day Standard Tour
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|
In double room
€ 765,00
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In
single
room € 945,00
|
|
High
season supplement (21/04-31/08)
€ 40,00
|
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Bike rental
€ 125,00 |
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Ebike
rental € 230,00
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8
day Deluxe Tour
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|
In double room
€ 835,00
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|
In
single
room € 1.080,00
|
|
High
season supplement (21/04-31/08)
€ 45,00
|
|
Bike rental
€ 125,00 |
|
E-bike rental € 230,00 |
|
5
day Standard tour
|
|
In double room
€ 440,00
|
|
In
single
room € 570,00
|
|
High
season supplement (21/04-31/08)
€ 30,00
|
|
Bike rental
€ 95,00 |
|
E-bike rental € 160,00 |
|
5
day Deluxe tour
|
|
In double room
€ 505,00
|
|
In
single
room € 650,00
|
|
High
season supplement (21/04-31/08)
€ 30,00
|
|
Bike rental
€ 95,00 |
|
E-bike rental € 160,00 |
On
request
|
extra
nights in Siena,
Pienza
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