Tuscany & Umbria Hike, Bike, Food & Wine
Trip Itinerary
Day 1
Location: Pienza
Lodging: Piccolo Hotel la Valle
Activities: Shuttle to the cute town of Montefollonico and walk the valleys and ridges back to Montepulciano where a wine tasting and cellar tour awaits us.
Day 2
Location: Pienza
Lodging: Piccolo Hotel la Valle
Activities: Visit the walled city of Monticchiello for a wine tasting, looking over the beautiful Val d'Orcia. We'll enjoy a causal talk about Italian culture and an outdoor dinner.
Day 3
Location: Pienza
Lodging: Piccolo Hotel la Valle
Activities: We walk towards the west, following dirt roads and farmer's paths to the Roman town of Bagno Vignoni. The town is known for its natural hotsprings and you can choose to soak in the local spa if you choose.
Day 4
Location: Spello
Lodging: La Bastiglia
Activities: Today we'll begin our biking through Umbria. We shuttle to the quaint town of Torgiano and enjoy the fantastic views as we bicycle to the town of Spello.
Day 5
Location: Spello
Lodging: La Bastiglia
Activities: Start the day with an incredible ride across a hillside through olive groves stopping for a tour and tasting at a local olive mill. Continue to Assisi, a town full of winding streets and amazing architecture.
Day 6
Location: Spoleto
Lodging: Hotel San Luca
Activities: Today we cycle along the valley floor, with options to visit several interesting hillside towns. We celebrate our last night together with an Italian cooking class.
Day 7
Location: Departure Day
Activities: In the morning you will have several possible loop rides that will take you out of town and into the rolling rural countryside.
Tweet
Dates: May 5 - 11, 2014
Trip Length: 7 Days & 6 Nights
Activities: Hiking & Biking
Trip Difficulty: Moderate
Guides: To Be Assigned
Other Info: Optional Bicycle Rental €25/day for 4 days
Hike Tuscany and Bike Umbria – How to See Italy’s Two Best Regions
Our Hike, Bike, Food & Wine Adventure takes place in two fantastic regions of Italy: Tuscany and Umbria. Hiking in Tuscany and biking in Umbria allow us to experience each area in the most appropriate method for each landscape. We think this “human-powered” transportation is by far the best way to immerse ourselves in the Italian culture!
The hills of Tuscany are difficult for biking, but provide a wonderful backdrop for weaving our way by foot across the astonishing countryside, and hiking offers so many opportunites to talk to the locals and sample the flavors of the area (particularly the gelatos and vinos!).
The relatively flat Umbrian valley is perfect for cyclists of all abilities (with optional rides to hilltop towns that will challenge even seasoned bikers) and it is easy to imagine living here forever — getting on our bicycles each morning, fueled by the incredible pastas and bruschettas from the previous night.
We believe these are the two of the best regions in Italy to visit. Here’s why:
- Beautiful landscapes with rolling hills, vineyards, and waving wheat fields.
- Incredible cuisine: pastas, pizza, and bruschetta…fresh-from-the-farm Pecorino cheese…olive oil like you have never tasted before…all capped with a tiny gelato or limoncello!
- Medieval hilltop towns embedded with history throughout their winding streets and inviting shops.
- Charming country paths and roads you share only with a few locals
- And oh – the vino! Brunello from Montalcino, Vino Nobile from Montepulciano, and Sagrantino from Montefalco. From a plethora of house wines available with dinner each night, to formal tastings led by sommeliers and winery owners, to informal tastings led by our Italian guides, you will have many occasions to sample some of the best wines in Italy!
“Amazing – Tuscany and Umbria are unbelievably beautiful. The luxury of having the accommodations and meals taken care of as well as logistics and luggage transfer is invaluable and much appreciated. The extra touches like being able to visit the ceramics factory and olive oil press were great too.” (Linda J.)
Hiking in Tuscany
We start our adventure with three days of hiking in Tuscany (the province made even more famous by the book and movie “Under the Tuscan Sun”). Tuscany is hilly but you will hardly notice as you hike through family vineyards, on small farming roads, and high atop gorgeous ridges, drinking in the postcard-like scenery.
Tuscany’s historic towns provide perfect justification to do a little shopping, sample the local delicacies, and learn about the history of the area. We also take time to hike to a local organic farm and share a dinner that includes their special Pecorinos (sheep cheese), soak in thermal waters at Bagno Vignoni, and even visit one of the area’s only microbreweries.
Biking in Umbria
After exploring Tuscany by foot, we transfer to Umbria and board our sturdy Italian bicycles and continue our journey. Although less well known, Umbria is just as beautiful as Tuscany. In addition, it boasts the Valle di Umbria, a flat valley that makes for a perfect complement to the rolling hills of Tuscany. During our days in Umbria, we visit a small, family run olive oil farm where we learn to taste the world of difference between the stuff we get at home and the wonderful oil the Italians keep all to themselves, have a fantastic Umbrian wine tasting led by the colorful folks at Enoteca Properzio, and have the chance to learn how to make the local pasta of Spoleto (strangozzi) and a killer red sauce to go along with it!
The routes during our biking days in Umbria are generally flat. However, for those seeking more strenuous activity, Umbria also offers plenty of enjoyable climbs to beautiful hilltop towns (and corresponding coasts back down to the valley floor).
Accommodations
We stay in three fantastic towns, one in Tuscany and two in Umbria:
- Nights One, Two & Three: Piccolo Hotel la Valle, Pienza: a new hotel perched on the edge of Pienza with a view of the incredible Orcia Valley below.
- Nights Four & Five: La Bastiglia is set in a peaceful and panoramic location in the historic center of the medieval village of Spello.
- Night Six: Hotel San Luca, one of the nicest hotels in the hip city of Spoleto
Trip Photos
View all photos from Tuscany & Umbria
For More Information
See our Italy Frequently Asked Questions or Towns We Visit in Italy pages.
I highly recommend this tour for an amazing workout that is safe and you get to see the most beautiful parts of the country. The guides Desiree, Kris Thomas and Giovanni are highly skilled and informed me about the history of every city, made incredible maps and the best food at five star hotels and restaurants those were no 4 star hotels!!! Amazing service knowledge all along seeing the most beautiful countryside in the world!
What an awesome adventure. There was never a dull moment and I have never tasted pasta that had such flavor. I don’t think I will ever eat pasta in the states again. This was a fantastic trip and my first biking excursion and I am ready to do more. There were many times when I wondered if I was walking in a painting and then would inhale and realize it was so real. The guides were the best and I can’t wait to plan another trip with Zephyr and another trip to Italy.
“This was my fourth solo journey with Zephyr Adventures. I’ve come to think of the guides as nourishing extended family that I just love to visit. You show up on the doorstep of a new destination, they take you in and fill your plate with adventure and exercise; unforgettable local cultural experiences; gorgeous scenery; amazing food and wine as well as incredible accommodations in an inspirational and fun group dynamic. Seeing Italy in this intimate way engaged all five senses and my heart. Don’t wait to give yourself the remarkable gift of this Zephyr trip to the Tuscany/ Umbria region of Italy! Every meal is composed of succulent morsels of fresh food, olive oil and drink, and seeing the undulating landscape up close is true “color therapy” for the mind and soul. The abundant raw beauty of the cities and country is as intoxicating as smell of the ginestra broom flower in the breezes. Garlic, spices and the scent of expresso envelope you as you pass picturesque cafés and gelaterias in the slender cobblestone streets seemingly decorated by a florist gone mad. The crunch of the white gravel roads under your feet encourage you to keep going up the hill or enjoy the downhill. When you look ahead or glance behind, you smile knowing that you are existing and moving through a living masterpiece. Aside from all the hiking and biking: I also had the opportunity to participate in a painting lesson and complete my own small piece of art; had an in-depth cooking lesson; visited 4 vineyards/ 1 farm and an olive oil connoisseur; won a scavenger hunt; attended a postcard party; had time to shop for gifts; took a bath in a thermal spring; held a baby lamb; shot over 2,000 pictures, made 23 new friends and laughed non-stop. Life is short, prioritize adventure…prioritize yourself.”
I can’t really say what part of the trip was the best because all of it was spectacular. This trip was a perfect balance of activity, sight seeing, private tours of wineries, breweries, Organic Farm, restaurant kitchens, medieval towns, Tuscany and Umbria countryside, learning history and culture and meeting a wonderful group of fellow adventurers. Worthwhile is an understatement, trip of a lifetime appropriate, but certainly hope it won’t be my last… :-)
There are too many favorite moments to choose just one. But the overall way to describe my favorite time was when I was sitting around with family and friends enjoying a good glass of wine while tasting delicious food.
We have been on 11 Zephyr tours, and as much as we have loved them all, this one stands out as our absolute favorite. We feel like we got to experience this part of Italy in a way that very few do – while our travels in other parts of Italy before and after the tour felt very touristy, this felt much more real. The visits to the organic farm, the wineries and the olive farm added greatly to our experience. Every single day had outstanding activities, outstanding meals and outstanding accommodations.
Had I taken a trip of this area without this group, I’d have never gotten a real feel for the country and its people. This trip offered a hassle-free complete experience. Meeting others from the group made it super enjoyable too. All the companies that provided tours of their facilities seemed genuinely happy to talk about what they do and share a bit of their world with us. We saw more and experienced more in a week than I could ever have imagined. Those experiences I enjoyed the most are: Visiting Assisi. The great pictures we took outside of town with the city in the background. Walking around all the quaint towns throughout the week. Meeting all the wine makers, olive oil field owners, organic farmers and getting a glimpse of what they do. Having Zephyr people handle everything for us, dinner locations, etc.