Happy Thursday!  I have obviously been less than stellar about posting reviews of some of my recent travels and for that I apologize. I am still trying to find a balance between sharing TOO many travel posts and not enough. As many of you may know, Bo and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary with three nights in Florence at the end of November. While the entire trip was amazing – incredible renaissance art, amazing food and wine, and wonderful accommodations – one of the highlights was our bike tour through the Tuscan countryside with I Bike Italy. We booked the “Active Full Day Tuscan Group Bike Tour” and showed up at9am dressed in our bike shorts ready for action. When we arrived, we were greeted by Bill, the owner of the company an American, who has lived in Italy for almost 20 years and is an avid cyclist.

 

 

We were expecting a group of people but, since it was off-season, we ended having an incredible private tour. Bill was the perfect tour guide. He began by asking us questions about our cycling experience and ability, in order to make sure he could cater the ride properly. He quickly concluded that we were there to not only take in the beautiful scenery, but also to break a sweat and burn some serious calories. He told us that once we hit the countryside we would just “hammer” for a while and see how far we made  it before lunch.

 

 

The ride out of Florence was a little dicey as riding through a busy city often is, but once we hit the outskirts of town, the scenery changed and we immediately knew that this would be a special experience.

 

We rode through the countryside and up into the hills and, since Bo is a more experienced rider; he rode ahead while Bill gave me a private lesson on how best to tackle hills on a bike. This was so helpful as I’ve never been fully comfortable shifting gears with changing terrain. Bill was a great coach, and I now feel completely comfortable riding aggressively on hills.  We rode almost 40 kilometer (add the mile equivalent)before lunch and, considering the fact that the entire tour is usually only 35 Km, we certainly felt like we earned the pasta that was soon to be on our plate.

 

 

The lunch (included in the price of the tour) was amazing and ranks among the best pasta that either Bo or I have ever eaten. Lunch started with lots of water (the small water bottles that we brought with us didn’t really cut it), a local chianti, bruschetta, and chicken liver pate on toast (a very common Tuscan appetizer). We were ravenous and as we ate, Bill entertained us with some anecdotes about living in Italy – such as the difficulty of passing the driver’s test.  He also told us a few other great stories including how he met his wife.  Just as he was finishing that one, she showed up, and we met her, her mother and his beautiful daughter. This is one of the things that we love so much about Italy. Family and sharing are such an ingrained part of the culture that you can’t help but feel right at home (nothing against the Swiss, but it presents quite a cultural counterpoint).  After two types of pasta – a potato-filled ravioli with a rabbit ragu, and a vegetarian tagliatelle – we were loaded with carbs and ready to continue our journey.

The afternoon was a bit more relaxing and included a visit to a local chianti producer that also makes its own olive oil, a nice, long downhill ride back into town, and at Bo’s request, a trip to the top of the Piazzale Michelangelo for the most stunning views of Florence.

 

We ended up doing a total of 36 miles or 57 kilometers, which was most definitely a bicycle PDR for me.

 

If you are planning a trip to Florence, make sure it includes at least a half day with iBikeItaly. The ride is a great way to learn about the region with a local while also getting exercise!

YOUR TURN – If you could take a bike tour anywhere, what would be your destination of choice?

 

*We were not compensated nor provided a discount in exchange for the review. We just loved iBikeItaly that much!