Oct 15, Siena

During the last week I cycled from Florence to Siena through the Chianti region.  I stayed at Impruneta for two nights and one each at Panzano and Gaiole before arriving at Siena where  I will have spent three nights.  Each day’s ride was  very short in distance and time but long in effort as I struggled with steep hills. I stopped at many other villages along the way for coffee, mid morning snacks and lunch.   Greve, Radda, Strada – in Chianti were some of  them.

Vineyards and olive groves are sprinkled throughout what I would call mostly a deciduous forest.  I often rode through canopies of trees, keeping the warmth of the early morning sun away as I did all of my riding early.  The only coniferous trees that I noticed were the stately tall Cypress trees planted to line some roads and surround some farmsteads.  The small roads I was riding wind through the valleys, up and over the hills without regard for the strength of an old has-been cyclist.  The many must-be younger cyclists that whiz by on their fancy gravel bikes with no load might love the challenge of 15% climbs, but the climbs have done me in.  Of the 150 kms that Bike Friday has recorded on route, I imagine that I pushed him uphill for about 15 of them.  I had hoped to do some exploring on bike at each stop, but I was so exhausted and sweaty by the time I arrived at each destination that all I felt like was a beer, shower and a rest.  Tuscany is lovely and I have had a taste of what a biking destination it is, and so perhaps that is enough. 

The conditions have been wonderful.  23C mid day, down to 10C at night and about 12C when I started out in the morning.  I would begin to sweat heavily soon into the morning, but it was never oppressive.  There have been a couple sessions of rain, but never while I was riding.  As in Florence, a prime attraction for me has been the food. A couple of my stays have included breakfast, and I usually have one other meal and many snacks.  Gelato twice, but I ordered too much both times, it is so rich and filling.  Learning how to eat is part of the fun.

Panzano is a little strip of bars and bistros perched along a ridge that seemed to attract cyclists, bikers, and drivers on my Sunday afternoon visit.  After dropping my bike off at my accommodation I sat in one place for a while with a beer re-hydrating and another with a light meal.  All the activity gave me the anonymity that allowed me to watch and listen to Italians, maybe even primarily Tuscans relaxing,  Monday morning there was no one out and for the rest of my ride to Siena I saw only a fraction of the traffic as well

Siena is, like Florence, a prime tourist draw.  Its Piazza del Campo, the site of its annual ancient horse race, is a wonder. The centre of the plaza is a bowl shaped with interlocking bricks.  During the races people sit in the bowl and the races go around the outside.  The ancient buildings everywhere in the city centre must date from hundreds of years ago.  Walking the cobbled streets with thousands of others your attention is continually drawn as it is when walking in a narrow canyon, I th

A killer for me, as I pushed my bike up to the piazza when I first arrived, was how steep the roads are.  I was hoping for something flatter, but like so many of the towns in Tuscany, Siena is built on top of a hill.  It is this that makes these places with their old buildings and narrow winding roads so charming, but is now driving me away.  To cap it off, my Siena hotel is down these steep roads and up onto another hill with roads just as steep.  So tomorrow I am getting on a train heading for flatter country.

I am enjoying my time reading, walking, eating and talking with a few people more in the small towns.  Central Florence and Siena have been very hectic and while architecturally interesting I expect to largely focus on small towns.  Hopefully I can find a few where I can ride my bike.

Buon Giorno

Ken