Few areas of Italy can boast so many itineraries of extraordinary beauty, as tourists from all over the world can easily confirm. Vineyards, hills, olive groves, abbeys and castles will be the backdrop to your cycling holiday.
Enthusiasts will find soft hills immersed in the vineyards and dirt roads full of climbs and descents able to satisfy the most demanding cyclist.
A jump back in time
Cycling in Chianti is like stepping on a time machine, returning to a rural and genuine Italy, with a human face, increasingly difficult to meet.
For those who love cycling, the difference is the many dirt roads, which make you think of the daily use of the bike in the working and peasant world of the time that was.
The bike as a work and everyday life tool.
The immortal charm of the Eroica
The apotheosis of the Tuscan dirt roads you can find it on the path of one of the most fascinating events in Italy: the Eroica, a cycling event that evokes the great cycling events of the early 1900s: a legend immersed in dust, fatigue, uncontaminated nature.
The routes of the Eroica (which can be tackled in every season, beyond the event) cover 200 km of white roads touching Chianti, Crete Senesi, Val d'Orcia Valle dell'Arbia.
These are various routes, with different difficulty and length (205 km, 135 km, 75 km and 46 km). The complete route, starting from Radda in Chianti, touches Castellina, Volpaia, Brolio, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Pieve a Salti and Montalcino. The routes in detail can be found here, on the Eroica website.
Since 2007, with different routes, the Nova Eroica takes place, another event with similar characteristics, equally immersed in the Tuscan landscapes.
Praise of slowness
The choice of the dirt roads forces the cyclist to slow down, discovering a more man-made rhythm, which involves fatigue, sweat and dust, a bit like in the old days.
That said it could sound tiring, but this way of cycling (recommended trekking and mountain biking) helps to immerse yourself completely in nature, in the territory and in the deep sense of an ancient culture.
Pedaling in history
Which path to choose? You are spoiled for choice.
One thing is certain: some stages are unmissable.
For example, the ancient, delightful village of Montefioralle, the dip in the Middle Ages of Volpaia, the historic villages of Radda, Greve, Castellina and Gaiole, the magic of the abbeys, such as Badia a Passignano and Badia a Coltibuono with its millennial vineyards, castles of Brolio and Albola.
A particular dirt struck us: the one that goes from Panzano to the small, ancient village of Volpaia.
Finally, if you are well trained, we recommend a challenging 185 km Chianti Classico Tour starting from Florence to Badia a Passignano, Panzano, Volpaia and Radda, joins the route of the Eroica in Brolio and Gaiole and ends in Florence with a stop in Greve.
Are you planning your two-wheel holiday? Contact the Albergo del Chianti, you will find a location with all the comforts, from the swimming pool to a prestigious fish restaurant, Diversus, located inside the structure.
A perfect starting point for your excursions, right in the heart of Greve, the Door of Chianti!
Reference sources and other routes on Chianti.it and Viaggiareinbici.it.
But also cocktail bar, because in addition to wine, however good it may be, there is more
