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2TU160A - Il Migliore Degli Amici - Tuscany by Scooter

Sunday, October 9, 2016 | Laurens Corijn | Europe

And the tour is over! We had such a wonderful time, the weather was on our side, and the Tuscan countryside proved to be the perfect playground for our scooters. And while this is goodbye for now, we had too much fun not to do this again another year, in a different location!

Day 5 - Cooking, Consuma & Ponte Vecchio

What a fantastic last day! We woke up to some grey skies and rain, and 7 of us headed to the pasta cooking class in Villa Pitiana. We had a great time helping to prepare our own lunch, and by the time we were done, the skies were blue and sunny again! So we headed up the Passo Della Consuma again, and were treated to a great view this time around. We even had some of our self-made Cantuci biscuits with the coffee.

Once we got back, 4 of our bravest scooterista's joined tourguide Laurens for a final ride to the Ponte Vecchio, fighting their way through the craziest Florentine traffic, on a scooter, that actually is a lot of fun!

Everybody kneading their pasta!
Emanuel, our chef and teacher, with the finished Cantuci biscuits
Tom pulling his pasta dough out of the machine.
Lunch is served! I think it was the best pasta we had so far on the trip!
How fun was this cooking class?1
The majestic Villa Pitiana
Susan doesn't want to let her pretty little scooter go, so of course she jumped at the opportunity for a little more riding.
Our last sight for the trip; one of the most famous bridges in the world, the Ponte Vecchio.

Day 4 - Arezzo

Another great day is behind us! It was a nice blend of the previous days: a taste of the Appenine mountains going over the Passo Della Consuma (where the view was hidden by the clouds unfortunately), then hitting our highlight of the day, the city of Arezzo. Such a contrast with Siena; it's not as grand and bombastic, but it's also not overrun with tourists, making it very nice to walk around the little alleyways.

Then back through rolling hills with vineyards, ending the day by rolling down some of our favorite streets in Settignano back to the hotel. The clouds in the sky didn't even bother us today, it's nice to have a cooler temperature, and no sun glare in our eyes!

Mark coming back from taking his "Special Request" photo of a vineyard.
We made a new friend in Arezzo! This gentleman showed up on his1962 Vespa 125cc, and was verry happy to talk to us and show his beautiful, vintage scooter to us.
Susan and Linda exploring Arezzo's alleys.
Dr. Rod and all our lovely ladies.
Peace and quiet in Arezzo.
Another nice vintage Vespa!
The view over the Arno valley on the way back.

Day 3 - Siena & Chianti

Back to cruising through the rolling Tuscan countryside it is for day 3! We started our day with a familiar section through the Chianti region to Greve again, and then continued past Castellina into the province of Siena and its capital city. Instead of braving the steep, small Siennese alleys, we parked our scooters at the gate and walked around the city for a few hours, seeing the main highlights of the Piazza and the Duomo. After that  more curvy roads lay up ahead to the sleepy town of Montevarchi where we had coffee, after which we headed on back to Florence. This evening we then went to the famous "Perseus" restaurant, known for it's beef and steaks!

The Greve marketplace
Look at the angle on those doorsteps in Siena!
The main square in Siena, where part of the famous Palio horse race is held twice a year.
The ladies' new friend 'Renzo from Montevarchi, who taught them some proper Italian pronunciation!

Day 2 - Mugello & the Passo Muraglione

Oh my, what a day! No sightseeing or shopping today, just 120 miles of curves through the Appenine mountains. We headed straight North in the morning, avoinding the Florence morning traffic, and were woken up instantly by a bit of autumn morning chill! First highlight was the Mugello circuit, famous for its MotoGP race. We were lucky to get free access and took in the sights and sounds of Lamborghini's roaring over the track. Then on we went to Firenzuola and Pallazzuolo, before heading back south again of the mountain roads that took us over the well-known Passo Muraglione!

Our friends in front of the Mugello Circuit entrance!
Italian curves and horsepower!
View from Passo Giogo
Thomas and Linda having a coffee
We had an awesome lunch at La Bottega Dei Portigi. Pasta will never be the same from now on!
Our ladies atop the Passo Muraglione
Scooters In Paradise!
Heading down the Tuscan hills towards Florence at sunset.
Through the tiniest and bumpiest roads!
To enjoy some well deserved Martini's!

Day 1 - The Towers of San Gimignano

We had a great first day, cruising through the famous Chianti region (known for its wine), while taking in all the typical Italian sights that Tuscany has to offer. Our highlight of the day was a visit to San Gimignano, a UNESCO World Heritage site, known for it's medieval streets and buildings, as well as the 14 surviving towers that can be seen from afar. At the end of the day we braved the Florence traffic up towards Piazza Michelangelo, and eventually made it to the hotel. Well done everybody!

Vespa's lined up in Greve in Chianti for our first coffee stop. Excellent capuccino's there!
Lunch in a little side Street in S. Gimignano, away from the tourist crowd.
Piazza della Cisterna, one of the squares in S. Gimignano.
Some really good gelato served at the square!
We're not sure who's best though... One shop is "world Champion in 2009", the other claims to be "Best In The World". Who to trust...
Some of the famous fine towers.
Coffee stop in the afternoon.
The well-known view over Florence from the Piazza Michelangelo.

Arrival Day

Our beautiful Vespa's are ready for touring
Our lovely customers from Colorado are getting acquainted with their rides!
Susan and Linda with their scooters. Susan already loves her Vespa 300, she wants one for at home!
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Add a comment Rate this post
Brock Johns
Monday, March 13, 2017 at 02:34

Hello. My wife and I are participating in the Tuscan tour in May '17, and I wanted to know if you felt you had plenty of time to explore Florence, or in hindsight, would take time after the formal tour (of the areas around Florence) to dedicate time to seeing it in more detail. I guess what I'm asking is did you have time in the evening to visit/explore the city, or were you riding dawn to dusk daily and pretty well exhausted by nightfall. Thanks again for your comments and photos. Brock
Laurens
Tuesday, March 14, 2017 at 19:28

Hey Brock,

I think it's unlikely you'll get enough time to see enough of Florence. I think most customers on this one had at least one extra day before or after the tour to see the city.
Bart
Monday, October 3, 2016 at 21:15

Once again, excellent photographs, Lau!
Eva Köfler
Monday, October 3, 2016 at 00:16

Hey Susan and Jeff have fun and enjoy it....

Susan...Perfect hair

Greetings Eva
Jeff & Susan Benjamin
Monday, October 3, 2016 at 22:16

Thanks, Eva! We miss you on this trip! Next time!!
Eva Köfler
Wednesday, October 5, 2016 at 08:17

...next Time threw the ALPS-my homeplace

have fun... your S Eva

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