A Taste of Tuscany Cycling

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Our second Headwater cycling holiday - we definitely needed e-bikes as well as mountain bikes as some tricky terrain and steed gradients. We had a great time but there were moments which were challenging.

Rosemary Dean, 4 May 2024

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Excellent from first to last contact. The decision to upgrade to e bikes was not regretted. There are a lot of uphill in the routes and we managed these with ease and comfort, even at the end of a long day. The charge was easily sufficient and even after a hard day's cycling had loads of charge and range left. The bikes were heavy beasts though! The Headwater app, route notes and voice commands were very good.....a couple of times the voice command contradicted the route on the app but wasn't a big issue as we re-routed quickly. Stephano was a wonderful host. The specially prepared vegan meals for my partner were superb and generous ( as we're all the meals at La Pietriccia ). Our room was super comfortable and the cycle trips fantastic. I gave Stephano a 5* review independently only because l couldn't leave a 10* review!

Norman Crutchley, 6 Apr 2024

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Very well organised

David Hrouda, 5 Apr 2024

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We are not regular cyclists so self guiding using the app allowed us to go at our own pace but with backup from the local host. The app was easy to use, the routes were excellent, and the hotel a lovely place to relax at the end of the day.

Clare Nicholson, 23 Sep 2023

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‘For our first e-bike holiday we were challenged by the first route and length of ride( 41km) and would prefer the option of more rest days - perhaps have Day 3 as rest day. There was no information for activities/ sightseeing information on rest days and we were fortunate that our host Stefano was amenable and very knowledgeable of the area and assisted us in transport and background information of the areas to visit.

Veronica Hudson, 15 Sep 2023

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Overall an excellent holiday. The hotel was in a beautiful location with easy access to facilities in the town. Good routes and great e-bikes which were essential for this region in our opinion. The hotel staff were very friendly and quintessentially italian ! They did all they could to accommodate one of our party who does not eat meat.

TRIVEDI, 10 Jun 2023

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Excellent, although some of the cycling was tougher than expected. Would get an Ebike next time!

NEALE, 10 Jun 2023

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We had an excellent overall experience

PETCH, 3 Jun 2023

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Overall our holiday was excellent, aided very much by the attention of our host Stefano Mazzetti

JONES, 13 May 2023

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Wonderful welcome and support from Stefano and his team. Beautiful rides with some amazing views through varied terrain in the Val d'Orcia, challenging at times but not too much to handle. Lovely pool, ideal for a wind down after a day in the saddle. We looked forward to dinner every night, cooked with love from local produce. Excellent value home produced wines. We highly recommend this holiday. The Headwater team were incredibly helpful and efficient in answering our queries and arranging transfers. It is so refreshing (and so rare nowadays) to be able to speak to named helpful people who know what they are talking about.

Mr Ross, 17 Sep 2022

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We have travelled with Headwater pre and post dependent children for over 25 years and loved every trip. Locations and itineraries alwasys spot on.

Mr Wermann, 3 Sep 2022

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Good cycle routes through lovely countryside. Accommodation in Rome was excellent, with very attentive staff. Accommodation at Agriturismo La Peitriccia was disappointing, but Stefano was very helpful.

Mr Vaesen, 4 Jun 2022

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For me this was to an excellent cycling holiday in the heart of the Tuscan Val d’Orcia, considering I was an ‘senior’ solo rider in early season. The hire of an E-MTB bike was a boon for the hilly ’strade bianche’ (gravel roads). A week at the Agriturismo ‘La Pietriccia’ was a very good choice. Stefano, the main host and his brother Simone, were extremely helpful in everything. From organising me on and off the suggested App routes, to giving me a beer when I got back and providing tasty 4 course meals in the evening. The ‘tasting’ at BradiToscani food/wine shop and the Chianciano Thermal Spa arranged visits were a delight. The cookery session was unfortunately cancelled because of Covid restrictions but was substituted with an enjoyable local pizzeria visit.

Highly recommended to any cycling Italophiles.



Dr Myatt, 16 Apr 2022

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We had an amazing week with Stefano and his family and team. The equipment was excellent and the cycling amazing, pretty challenging, but we got to see the beautiful countryside and villages of the region. The food at La Pietriccia was outstanding. Despite the Covid restrictions Stefano did everything he could to help us keep our plans flexible so that we could complete all the routes. We would certainly recommend this holiday for people like us, who like their cycling, wine and food in equal measures.

Mr Perryer, 19 Sep 2020

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Headwater holidays definitely seem to include the eating experience as very important. They are well put together and well located.

Mr Polge, 21 Sep 2019

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Excellent centre for exploring rural Tuscany that was off the usual tourist trail.

Mr Suddes, 14 Sep 2019

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Great trip, cycling is relatively challenging due to steep Tuscany hills and gravel roads but the scenery more than makes up for it! The food and welcome is fantastic, if you have the opportunity do the cookery course. Stefano is both educational and passionate.

Thoroughly enjoyed my stay

Ms Dean, 7 Sep 2019

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Great holiday if you like mountain bikes and fairly rough terrain. Beautiful countryside and friendly people, wonderful Agriturismo accommodation.

Mrs Michael, 31 Aug 2019

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The location is perfect for quiet (often off road) cycling. Roads and gravel tracks gave access to a variety of stunning scenery. There was plenty of opportunity to experience the culture, local food and drink.

Our base for the week, Agriturismo ‘La Pietriccia’, a small family-run farm, was idyllic and the hosts very friendly, welcoming and entertaining!

Excellent mountains bikes were provided and were ideal for the hilly, gravelly terrain. We greatly enjoyed pedal cycling but the option of e-bikes would be a very good alternative for those less confident or fit. The routes gave a splendid variety and were never repetitive. It was a fabulous week.

Mr Baston, 31 Aug 2019

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A great taste of Tuscany - scenery, food and wine were all lovely! Stefano was very helpful, ensuring that the holiday would cater for each individual's needs. The fact that about 50% of the recommended routes were on gravel tracks (varying from flat, easy to ride sections, to quite steep and slightly more challenging sections) made the provision of mountain bikes most welcome.

Mr Powell, 31 Aug 2019

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Excellent organisation. Extremely enjoyable. Highly recommended!

Mr Garraway, 22 Jun 2019

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This was a wonderful holiday in all respects. We loved the family atmosphere at La Pietriccia, everyone was very friendly and helpful and the food was delicious. Stefano is passionate about the food he serves and was very happy to share his knowledge and expertise. He also helped us to amend the cycling routes to avoid some of the more difficult terrain, which was greatly appreciated. We expected hills but steep gravel tracks were challenging until we swapped to electric bikes for the last two days and it was a completely different experience. We would wholeheartedly recommend this holiday.

Mrs Sergeant, 22 Sep 2018

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We had a wonderful holiday. Tuscany is beautiful and La Pietriccia a little gem. Stefano (the owner) runs a highly efficient setup with his helpful and friendly staff. He is one of those rare men who can multi-task (!) whether it’s reorganizing our cycle routes, finding new routes for others, briefing groups, getting bicycles mended, cooking and so on and all with a smile and quick wit. We were impressed that groups were given GPS locators in case they got lost and so clearly a lot of thought had gone into making the best experience for guests. I would thoroughly recommend this holiday.



Mrs Stanley, 8 Sep 2018

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This was a really good holiday, the cycling was challenging in the heat so we would recommend early morning starts or later in the day cycling! Stefano the agritourismo owner could not have been more helpful and informative, the hotel was charming and all the staff very good and helpful. The food was really excellent and we would definitely recommend taking up the option of the wine and food event in the local town. Have already recommended this holiday to friends.

Mrs Kenn, 18 Aug 2018