Cypress-lined gravel roads link the medieval hill towns of central Tuscany, and a bicycle is the perfect pace to ride between them.
The pace of a bicycle
Cypress-lined gravel roads link the medieval hill towns of central Tuscany, and a bicycle is the perfect pace to ride between them — fast enough to cover ground, slow enough to smell the wild fennel and stop for the view of the next town stacked on its ridge.
Set off early from Siena before the heat, climbing gently through vineyards and olive groves toward the famous towers of San Gimignano on the horizon.
A day in the saddle
- Mid-morning espresso in a piazza where the barista knows every passing cyclist.
- A long lunch of pici pasta and a glass of the local Chianti, then a shady rest.
- The gravel Strade Bianche between Asciano and Montalcino for the classic ride.
The afternoon is mostly downhill home, legs tired and camera full. You do not need to be fast here — a gravel bike, a rough map and a willingness to climb are enough to make Tuscany feel, for a few days, entirely your own.
