SECRETS OF SAN GIMIGNANO CYCLING

This 8-night cycling holiday is, quite simply, outstanding in every way: the rich scenery, the fantastic hotels, the local cuisine, the exceptional wines.. the list goes on!

You’ll start off in Volterra, a beautifully preserved hilltop gem whose eclectic mix of Etruscan, Roman and Renaissance art and architecture has inspired artists and writers for centuries. From here, you pedal east through a timeless and kaleidoscopic landscape of ochre-coloured hills, verdant vineyards and stunning rolling countryside towards San Donato, a sleepy wine hamlet overlooking San Gimignano. The cycling is truly glorious as you continue via mediaeval Colle – optional day trips to Florence and Siena – and coast on towards honey-coloured Pancole, nestled in the Tuscan hills. It’s then on along traffic-free strade bianche, shady forests tracks and high undulating ridges – sweeping views out as far as Corsica on a clear day! – and a real sense of achievement as you loop back to Volterra for your final night.

Superb *** and **** hotels – all with panoramic sparkling swimming pools – are an added highlight throughout this holiday. In Colle, you stay in a fabulously restored c14 Benedictine abbey, complete with original frescoes, while Alessandro’s friendly hotel in Pancole is renowned for its gastronomic cuisine – see if you can spot the photo of Tony Blair eating here last summer! Of course, you are in the heart of some of Europe’s finest wine country too, so you’ll never be short of tasting opportunities.

For more infomation about this holiday, including hotel descriptions, travel options and full holiday itinerary, please see our new 'further details' section.