Discovering the Tuscan Countryside on Bike

By Donald Miller, Staff Writer

October 2007

Visitors to Florence encounter an amazing array of museums, churches, art, cathedrals, architecture and history.  It can be an overwhelming experience.  Sometimes you reach a saturation point where you simply need a break from all that culture.  What do you do?

Through prayer and divine inspiration (we were in Italy), we found our answer on the internet with a company called I Bike Italy.  Their ad promised no churches, no museums and no annoying crowds.  The last week we visited London, Zermatt, Switzerland, Rome and now Florence (all of which had huge crowds).  This bike trip sounded intriguing.  Their offerings included one or two day bike rides through the Tuscan countryside as well as a single day guided walking tour out of Florence.  We chose the one day bike ride.

Initially two facets of their operation made us a little suspicious.  The first involved prepaying to an address in Vero Beach, Florida.  How do we even know this company exists and why do we send our money to Florida?  The second was meeting our tour guide at 9 a.m. at the first bridge south of the Ponte Vecchio, a famous bridge in the center of Florence.  Shouldn't they have a storefront, a bike shop or some sort of regular business establishment?  We finally decided nothing ventured, nothing gained and everything did work out well.

Our group of six plus ten fellow bikers from all over the United States arrived at the appointed time and place to meet our Italian guide Nico.  We experienced some difficulty understanding Nico because of his heavy Italian accent.  We finally figured out he wanted everyone to literally pile into the back of his van for the ten minute ride to the bike storage facility.  We had no idea how adventuresome the biking would be but if it was anything like Nico's driving we were in for some thrills.  As the day progressed, we began to understand Nico's speaking a little more easily.  Were we immersing ourselves in Italy so thoroughly we were beginning to understand the locals or were we detecting a little southern drawl?  We began teasing Nico about being from Sicily or Southern Italy.  Finally he admitted to being Nick from Atlanta but he affected the accent because the tourists enjoy thinking they have an Italian guide.

The first three miles were the most difficult but definitely not grueling.  Periodic stops were arranged at scenic viewpoints for the obligatory pictures and more importantly time to enjoy the views of the Tuscan countryside--the rolling hills, the trees, the skyline of Florence dominated by the giant dome of the Duomo (cathedral) and the earthly tones associated with Tuscany.  To Nico's credit, he organized the ride so the faster riders could speed ahead but us slower folks never felt we were holding up the group. 

It took about thirty minutes to reach the village of Fiesole which hovers in the hills above Florence.  Time to rehydrate and enjoy a stroll through town.  Perhaps the most intriguing site was Leonardo Da Vinci's workshop where he actually had a semi-working model of an airplane (actually more of a hang glider).  The real treat was meandering through a small hillside Tuscan village and enjoying the sights, sounds and smells.

Continuing onward and upward we soon arrived at the unexpected highlight of the day.  I Bike Italy has an arrangement with a small restaurant to accommodate their biking groups.  Mama Mia.  Everything was served family style.  The bruschetta, the gnocchi, the breads and olive oil, the various pastas complimented by copious amounts of red and white wine provided a unbelievable lunch. 

We had now reached the easy downhill part of our ride.  Hauling my healthily sized body uphill is always a challenge but the tradeoff is I can really fly going downhill.  This was fun and to further add to our enjoyment, we shortly stopped at a small, out-of-the-way vineyard for more wine tasting.  What a great idea!!  Since I have a tendency to occasionally over consume any spirits and ride bicycles excessively fast downhill, stopping at a vineyard to drink more wine after all we had just drunk at lunch seemed positively brilliant.  We were virtually the only guests at the vineyard so we had ample time to sample, enjoy and purchase a few bottles if desired.  Once everyone had made their purchases, people began to debate how to carry the wine and ride downhill at the same time.  It was a fast ride.  Nico to the rescue.  He had a couple of huge bags he filled with all the wine bottles and threw them over his shoulder.  He looked like Santa and I am still in awe at how he could carry all that wine and ride as fast as he did.                    

Back in Florence, most of us went out for a drink together and later met for dinner (Nico included).  The point of my final remark is when participating in these small day trips (which are available all over Italy and Europe), you have the opportunity to enjoy some activity that people in huge tour groups will never experience.  You also have the chance to make some new best friends---even if for only a few hours. 

Would I recommend I Bike Italy.  Absolutely!  The bikes worked well (21 speed), the scenery was awesome, our lunch magnifico, the vineyard added an extra touch and our Italian guide was great fun.

**All photos by  Donald Miller

If You Go

I Bike Italy

www.ibikeitaly.com

Florence Tourism

www.florence.ala.it

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