Within a day or two of arriving here, I abandoned my idea of renting a bike and cycling around on my own. Although I had come prepared with some routes loaded on my cycling device, I quickly realized that the only way out of the busy part of Florence is up (and up and up) some long hills, sometimes steep. I could probably manage those hills, but the idea of huffing up those very narrow streets with cars trying to pass both ways …. do-able maybe, but not fun.
However, I really wanted to get out on two wheels somehow, so I ended up booking a day-tour with a nearby company. It turned out to be really great, though not the exercise experience I was seeking.
There were 10 of us signed up for this Saturday excursion under the supervision of Giovanni, our cycle/guide. The tour company convinced us all to use e-bikes and that was definitely the right thing to do. The hills are far less scary and the traffic far less intimidating when you’re not laboring to get up them. I’ve been postponing buying my own e-bike at home, but this experience brought me one step closer. They are just so fun!
We pedaled up the hills with little effort and wound all around through beautiful Chianti region terrain before arriving at La Pia, a “boutique biological farm” that grows olives and grapes, and makes its own olive oil and wine. We were given a tour of the grounds and then served a multi-course meal that included tasting several olive oils and wines. I had been under the impression that the bike tour included a light snack somewhere, so this far exceeded my expectations (as well as everyone else’s). The farm is not open to the general public, so it was just us cyclists enjoying this special treat.
The farm name, La Pia, comes from Pia de' Tolomei, a real Siena noblewoman who came to an unfortunate end and makes an appearance in the Purgatory part of Dante’s Divine Comedy. When the current owners of the farm bought it, they discovered an overgrown but extensive garden area (now largely restored) that, at one time, featured a statue of La Pia. Their olive oils and wines are named after aspects of La Pia’s story and have very cool labels.
We had a bunch more cycling after lunch and arrived back in town by around 4pm. Here are a few more photos of this fun outing.
Lunch and tasting setup.
Thomas, our farm guide and tasting 'manager'
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