Tours using road, hybrid or touring bikes:
Tours using mountain bikes:
On this tour, you'll explore 3 of Italy's regions: from Tuscany through Umbria into the Latium region. From the Renaissance metropolis of Florence through the agricultural countryside to Caput Mundi Rome. You'll enjoy dream landscapes, rivers, and lakes as well as rich history and culinary highlights. This is a guided bike trip into the pulsing heart of Italy.
Day 1: Arrival
At 5:00pm. we meet in the hotel lobby for a guided city walk around the capital of the Renaissance. The rest of the evening is free to spend.
Overnight in Florence
Day 2: Florence – Piazzano (18 miles/30 km)
After breakfast we are leaving Florence by train and reach the fertile Chiana Valley of which beauty already Goethe raved about. On small side streets we pedal southwards. The smooth ridges are often crowned by mighty forts which go back to the Etruscan settlement. One of the oldest and for sure the most beautiful settlements is Cortona.
This place stretches high above the lowlands, enchanting with an incomparable panoramic view over the Chiana Valley and its tangle of alleyways and squares. We invite you to lunch before we ride our bikes back to the valley. In the afternoon we reach our destination.
Overnight in Piazzano
Day 3: Piazzano – Perugia (21 miles/34 km)
Just like Hannibal with his Punic army, we approach Lake Trasimeno. Soon we roll across the battlefield where he vanquished the Romans in 217BC. Our 16-mile ride along the lake reveals beautiful views on the sea and its islands. In the afternoon we get to Perugia, where we are going to stay the night. Also the nice spa area invites you to relax.
On a guided city walk we get to know the extraordinary city with its crooked streets and numerous cultural monuments. A special highlight is the underground part among the Rocca Paolina. There is enough time for an aperitif on one of the lively places before dinner in one of the best restaurants in the city.
Overnight in Perugia
Day 4: Perugia – Montefalco (20 miles/33 km)
In the morning, we take the bus to Assisi. Hardly any other town in Umbria has preserved its medieval character as well as Assisi. The highlight of our city tour with a local guide is the Church of St. Francis, decorated with the wonderful frescoes by Giotto.
In the afternoon, our cycling tour starts with a panoramic route through the olive groves on the flanks of Mount Subiaso to Spello. Situated a little below Montefalco, our secluded accommodation has its origin in the 16th century. The wide parks have the ideal setting for finding relaxation and rest.
Overnight in Montefalco
Day 5: Montefalco Loop (10 miles/16 km)
In the morning, we visit Montefalco. This majestic hilltown offers some of the most beautiful panoramic views of central Umbria, inviting the beholder to enjoy the quiet serenity of the area and we are visiting an oil mill founded by Estruscans. We stroll around the narrow streets before a pleasant descent takes us down the hill on our bikes.
In the afternoon, we will taste some of the exquisite red wines of the area in one of the numerous vineyards, not far from our hotel, where you can enjoy the amenities of this charming place. We'll spend a second night in Montefalco.
Overnight in Montefalco
Day 6: Montefalco – Rieti (30 miles/48 km)
Our morning route to Spoleto passes mostly on flat terrain. We load our bikes and take an escalator to get to the old town. A round walk takes us through a maze of narrow streets and places to the cathedral and the Ponte delle Torri. After that a bus takes us to a place called Piediluco, situated directly on a beautiful lake. After having lunch, you could even take a refreshing bath before our bikes carry us on southwards.
Soon we will have reached the border to the Latium region. The landscape seems to be wilder here. Our destination for today is the beautiful city Rieti which luckily was spared from the earthquake in August 2016. As on Sunday, since lunch is included in the tour price, the evening is free to spend. There are numerous excellent restaurants.
Overnight in Rieti
Day 7: Rieti – Rome (19 miles/30 km)
After breakfast a bus takes us up to the Sabine mountains to the Lago del Turano. Craggy cliffs tower high in the air all around the lake. It is hard to believe that we are just a few miles away from the rolling hills of the Tuscany and Umbria region. Passing the little town Castel di Tora, we cycle along the lake.
Our route continues through cliffy landscape before our bus takes us to Rome. There is enough time for a city walk to the Colosseum or to take an aperitif before we meet for dinner in a typical restaurant.
Overnight in Rome
Day 8: Departure
In the morning we do a city walk through the antique part of Rome. We visit the Colosseum (from the outside) and the Forum Romanum. Our walk ends at the statehouse with a wonderful panoramic view over the city. By noon our trip ends at the hotel. From there you can get to the train station or different airports by public transport or a cab.
Maps are for information purposes only and reflect typical routes between overnight locations. They may not reflect your actual route.
Our ride was a wonderful way to see the Italian countryside from Florence to Rome. The riders were similar in skills (7 of 8 retired) and the routing matched our skill set. The guides (furnished by Rotalis) were knowledgeable and accommodated requests from our team quickly and to everyone’s satisfaction. There were a few very short instances where the ride was on busy roadways when we transitioned from one backroad to another. The guides did not rush the transition and were focused on safety during those transitions.
At each stop things were in place and there was no confusion. Meals and lodging provided by the tour were greatly appreciated.
If you want to see Italy at a human scale (not at 60 mph), this is a wonderful way to do it. We will go back!
