ReadyToGo586

Hi Yall!
I just want to start off by thanking everyone for the wealth of knowledge that is shared on this forum, esp for international travel newbies such as myself i've planned an entire 2 week trip to Italy using this site (and think Ive done a darn good job too! lol)

Anyway, I would like to finally ask a question. If this is a silly idea, just lay it out there for me I know there are a million other ways to do what I'm thinking.

So my best friend and I are both 25 and will be in Florence for four nights in early October. One of those days we plan to take a SITA bus into one of the wine regions. Ideally (in our little Italian-vacation fantasy) we would rent bicycles and stop by 2 - 3 winerys for tastings, and maybe a small hour or two long tour at one. I fully understand that Tuscany is very hilly (we are pretty fit) and that the distances may be large. I have google mapped a couple of winerys to see what distances we would be looking at, and I have found a couple that are about 5 km apart... not bad at all in my opinion!

So my question is... For those of you who have actually SEEN Tuscany, is renting a bicycle and riding around to winerys even logical? Or is this too far fetched? The idea of a wine tour on a bus doesnt really suit us, but some of the horse back rides have caught my eye, but to a much lesser extent than the biking. Has anyone used any of the rental shops, or have suggestions for towns or esp winerys to visit?

Thanks in advance!!
Julie

yorkshire

I think it may not be the distance of the rides so much as logistics--i.e., getting out of town and knowing which roads are safe. When I was researching my trip, I came across some guided bike tours of wineries in the vicinity of Lucca. I'm sure there must be some in the area you are visiting.
By the way, if you do go to Lucca, biking is supremely popular there. In addition to biking the town walls, you can go out of town and ride along a canal/stream. It made for a lovely day, but it was slightly hairy getting from town to the trails, hence my caveat above.
Best of luck--I look forward to hearing about this, as it is just the kind of thing I like to do!

jnjfraz

You question really depends on the wine region you are planning on visiting. Lucca area is very flat, some of Chianti is very hilly so to ride from winery to winery would take a little more time. Give us an idea of which direction from Florence you will go....

ReadyToGo586

Thank you Yorkshire! After reading you reply I immediately looked on the map for Lucca... it looks to be about a 2 hour bus ride, which sounds totally feasible, however perhaps a little too far. Maybe next time :/ it sounds perfect!

jnjfraz: Greve in Chianti was where I was focusing my research. unfortunately, the Tuscan countryside is so vast I am having a hard time narrowing down places to focus so I can, in turn, find wineries to suit my itinerary.

Jean

My husband is an avid cyclist who once had dreams similar to your Italian vacation fantasy. Then we drove around Tuscany and Chianti, and he decided conditions weren't ideal for safe riding. Mostly curvy roads with not much shoulder and too many tourists paying more attention to the scenery than the road. I would be concerned about your plan of drinking wine (rather than truly 'tasting') and then riding around in unfamiliar surroundings.

FWIW, I'd rather be tasting Brunellos in Montalcino than Chiantis in Greve, but that's not a day trip from Florence. Where are you spending the rest of your two weeks?

ReadyToGo586

Thanks Jean! Thats definitely great advice to consider! We have booked 5 nights in an apartment in Rome near Campo De Fiori, 2 nights in Manarola, Cinque Terre (I think many people have heard of it, Arpaiu), 4 nights in an apartment in Florence and our last 2 nights in Venice. Trains all around. Our only other main goal in Florence is a day long market and cooking class, and of course climb to the top of the Duomo. Im wondering if we would be happier bussing into a town and strolling around to one winery, finding a good restaurant and local market...

kybourbon

Many wineries require an appointment. You usually can't just drop by as most don't have an all day tasting room like California wineries.

I'm not aware of somewhere to rent bikes in Greve, but there are quite a few in Siena and Florence.

http://bici.terresiena.it/index.php?...emid=4&lang=en

http://www.cooperativaulisse.it/cms/

If you want to bike and visit vineyards, you might need to look for a tour. I usually see more bikers in southern Tuscany (Pienza area) and have run into racers coming through Montalcino.