Through Tuscany on two small wheels (2TU2302)
The weather is on our side, the scooters are ready and the hotel has prepared us for the day with a super breakfast. The start of the tour is exciting and challenging, as we first want to get out of beautiful Florence. There is a lot going on, the traffic is typically Italian: a sympathetic chaos. We just swim along here and let ourselves drift out of the south of the city while at the same time familiarizing ourselves with the Vespa and BMW scooters. Out of the hustle and bustle we dive into the quiet, picturesque landscape of Tuscany. We are on the edge of the Chianti region, famous for its wine. On our route, we first stop in Greve in Chianti, a quiet little town where we treat ourselves to a cappuccino. We continue south. We enjoy the hilly landscape of Tuscany. What must not be missed, of course: Excellent Italian food. We treat ourselves to excellent antipasti and homemade pasta for lunch. The only problem: it tastes too delicious to restrain ourselves. In the afternoon, we stop in San Gimignano, our main destination for today's driving day. The medieval town delights with its silhouette marked by numerous towers. A walk through the narrow streets, an Italian gelato or an espresso in the town square. This is the way to enjoy life.
Today in a nutshell: curves, mountain passes and fantastic views We drive to the north of Tuscany, the Mugello. The name will quickly remind motorsport fans of the Mugello Racetrack, which we of course pay a visit. After that, it's curves, curves, curves for us. The Passo del Giogo brings us up to 2900ft. The scenery in which we are moving sometimes makes it difficult to focus on driving. One would prefer to stop every 100m for a photo. More great country roads lie ahead of us, winding through and over the Apenin. Time for an extended lunch break in the Senio Valley. The refreshment in the form of formaggio, prosciutto, pasta and espressi comes in handy. Because a wonderful stage still lies ahead of us: the Passo dela Sambuca brings us back to the heights, geographically as well as emotionally. The view from the 3300ft high point on the mountain landscape of the Mugello, indescribable. Roads as if they were built for us. Yes, even with a scooter you can enjoy the technical hairpin turns and sharp curves with pure driving pleasure, even if they are quite challenging for some. After this 12mi of winding section, we move on to the leisurely last part. Relaxed, long-drawn curves bring us back to Florence. We follow the river Sieve - again and again great views open up in the river valley - which after a few kilometers flows into the Arno. This signals us: we are shortly before Florence and thus shortly before the goal. We refuel the scooters for the next day and arrive at the hotel with broad grins and pride at having mastered the challenging sections. It's nice that we still have enough time before dinner, which some use for an excursion into the Florentine city center, some for relaxing at the pool or in the spa area.
After yesterday's demanding day of driving, today will be a bit more leisurely. However, this should not be equated with boring. Today we dive deep into the Chianti region. Gentle hilly landscapes, fantastic views over vineyards, cypresses and Tuscan country houses accompany us towards Siena. We make only a short stop in the morning for a cafe or cappuccino in Castellina in Chianti, so we can do an extended sightseeing tour in Siena. This is also worthwhile, because both the Piazza del Campo and the cathedral, as well as the many small streets are very worth seeing. On the way home we stroll through the small town of Radda in Chianti. Situated high on a hill, one has a great view. We quickly begin to distribute the most beautiful houses and properties that we discover in the valley and on the other side of the hill. Yes one comes here actually fast on the thought to return more often. In the evening there is still reason for us to celebrate in the hotel. On the one hand Michelle and Nic have wedding day. On the other hand Simma has birthday. Of course she gets a serenade from us and we toast together with regional wine on the special occasion. As a surprise, a birthday cake is waiting for her, which knocked everyone's socks off. Quote Simma: "That was the best birthday cake I've ever had." So a beautiful and eventful day comes to an end. We are already looking forward to the next one :)
At the morning briefing we can again look forward to the best scooter weather. The sun will accompany us all day and with pleasantly warm temperatures our stops will be all the more beautiful. Today we start in the east of Tuscany, 100mi lie ahead of us. One of today's highlights awaits us shortly after leaving the city: the Passo dela Consuma. Pleasant curves with good road surface bring us to the top of the pass at just under 3600ft. On the way downhill, one or the other driver loses sight of the beautiful landscape. No wonder, because the pass really offers pure driving fun. There were even drivers who had to stop briefly because they were overwhelmed by their emotions ;) We continue leisurely to the second highlight of our day: the jewelry town of Arezzo. We park high up on the city walls of the city and take our time for an extended walk. It's much quieter and less touristy here than in the other towns we've visited so far. Afterwards we meet for pizza in a traditional trattoria. Really a day to enjoy. On the way back to Florence, the road is winding again. Along the olive plantations near Regello, the curves seem to never end. The road winds along the hillside to our next break. After so much Italian pleasure, one thing must not be missing, of course: Gelato. But what is also needed: patience and tolerance regarding Italian opening hours. The owner of the ice cream parlor seems to enjoy an extended siesta. We do the same and enjoy the short break in the sunshine. When we no longer believed in our luck and just wanted to leave, the doors of the ice cream parlor open and we still come to our creamy refreshment. In the evening we meet the others, who have treated themselves today to a day of rest in downtown Florence or a guided tour of a winery. We drive to Piazza Michelangelo. Situated high above the city, here you have a super view of Florence at night. Right next door is the restaurant, where we dine on the terrace at still pleasant temperatures and report on our experiences.
On our last day of driving we take it easy and have only planned a short round for the morning. The road winds uphill through a quiet forest with almost no traffic. For one or the other pillion rider the partly tight curves are quite a confidence test for their riders. But arrived at the top of the viewpoint all are happy to have driven the route. It's a little easier going downhill again, and in the small town of Reggello we stop for a coffee. At lunchtime we are back at the hotel as planned, and so everyone still has time to do something on the last day. Of course there was also the option to go for a ride on the scooter. Ulrich gladly accepted this offer and so we set off for a real treat for two-wheelers: the Passo del Muraglione. It's the weekend and we are still spoiled by the weather, so of course we were not the only ones who came up with the idea. At the top there is a lot going on, the cafe and the viewpoint are a popular meeting place in the local motorcycle scene. We let our eyes wander for a while over the National Park Foreste Casentinesi, enjoy the sun rays and then make our way back to Florence. A short gelato stop is of course possible. And that was unfortunately already our last driving day. Yes, time can pass quickly when you spend it doing what you love to do. We sit together again at dinner and review the tour. It was a week with a lot of impressions and a lot of driving fun, and everyone had their own personal highlight. And that was it, our Tuscany Scooter Tour. Unfortunately, we also had two accidents on our tour, which meant that not everyone could take part in the full tour. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the great cooperation within our group. Even if there was a problem we all helped together and everyone had understanding when there was a delay. It was a really special tour, numerous experiences, many and beautiful impressions, lots of driving fun and a sympathetic, relaxed and constructive togetherness. Many thanks to all of you and hopefully we'll see each other soon at the next tour. Stefan