It is just over 40 miles from Siena to Florence by the direct route, but who wants direct when you’re in Chianti? We divided it into four stages – three nights, three hotels, three dinners – a slow progress northward on the skinniest roads, some paved, others dirt tracks.
How much cycling we tackled was a matter of debate over breakfast each morning. There was always a choice of routes – on day one they varied between 11 and 28 miles. And the one we chose was invariably a little longer than planned, thanks to wrong turns and detours. But distances were not the point. We were cycling through some of Europe’s most delectable countryside, crossing steep hills and blessed valleys, sloping vineyards and rocky scarps – and passing some of the most coveted real estate in the world. It is easy, with all that has been said and written about Tuscany, to forget just how seductive the place can be. It was a delight to be reminded.
