Secrets of San Gimignano Cycling

• 8 Nights, hotel-to-hotel
• 4 Days cycling
• E-bike hire available on request (supplement applies)
• Management by your Headwater appointed agent

All continental breakfasts and 6 evening meals included Italy’s most famous export is probably its cuisine and the traditional dishes of Tuscany are the most influential and revered. The region’s food is based on cucina povera, ‘poor/peasant cookery’, a rural cuisine based on available natural ingredients: olive oil, unsalted bread, pulses and vegetables, wild mushroom or porcini, and salt-cured meats such as salame and prosciutto. In particular, Tuscan olive oil is renowned for its quality and is the most important ingredient in the region’s cookery. You will find it in almost every dish - as a salad dressing, poured over vegetables and into soups and even as a replacement for butter on bread (very nice with a sprinkling of salt!). Of course the Chianti region is best known for its regional wine (the very best ones are Chianti Classico and have a black cockerel stamped on the label). Chianti is produced in the vineyards dotted around the Tuscan hills; we actually visit the hills to the north of Siena, where the Chianti Colli Senesi wine is produced. Made from the Sangiovese grape, this is an excellent light, fruity red. Although best known for its red wine, a good white wine is also produced in the Chianti region. Made from the Vernaccia grape, the Vernaccia di San Gimignano is a crisp dry white which has greatly improved over recent years. It is best drunk young.

April and May departures can expect warm days and although rain is possible, it seldom lasts long. Nights may still be rather cool. We strongly recommend a fleece-lined jacket or warm sweater in these months. June sees the start of summer and July and August can become quite hot by mid afternoon, so this time is kept free for lunch. Although rain is unusual, torrential cloudbursts are not unknown. September and October are cooler and wetter, yet visibility is often better. Swimming is usually still possible at this time.

You'll start off in Volterra, a beautifully preserved hilltop gem whose eclectic mix of Etruscan, Roman and Renaissance art and architecture has inspired artists and writers for centuries. From here, you pedal north east along quiet, rolling country lanes as you coast towards honey-coloured Pancole, nestled in the Tuscan hills. The cycling is truly glorious as you continue, via fortified towns and hill villages, to mediaeval Colle, from where you can also head to Florence and Siena for day trips. Then it's on to Pescille, which is perfectly positioned overlooking San Gimignano. Your final stretch takes you through a timeless and kaleidoscopic landscape of ochre-coloured hills and verdant vineyards, giving you a real sense of achievement as you loop back to Volterra for your final night. This is a self-guided cycling trip for those who like to cycle independently, but with back up to take out the hard work and planning. We arrange your accommodations, provide you with a map and route notes so that you can cycle at your own pace, while your bags are transported from one hotel to the next.Activity Level: 2 (Leisurely/Moderate)Please see the introductory pages of the cycling holidays brochure or our website for more important information on classification and grading.Av. daily ride: 38km (24miles).No. of days cycling: 4Terrain & route: The suggested cycling is along quiet, tarmac roads (mainly traffic-free). There are a few ascents and descents along the way. It is important that you are happy reading maps and following route notes, we make these as accurate as possible and they are regularly checked. Where possible we stick to cycle tracks and quiet roads to make the journeys as pleasant as possible, however, on occasion we have to use busier routes. As this is a self-guided holiday there is no group and no leader. There maybe others on the same departure date as you, but you will not be organised together. The route notes contain an emergency assistance telephone number should you need it and in emergencies.