Tuscany & Umbria Hike & Bike Wine Adventure
September 26 - October 3, 2008

Price $2,700
Single Supplement $950 (always optional)
Length Eight Days & Seven Nights
Activities Hiking and Biking
Guides (Tentative) Giovanni and Kris
Difficulty Level Moderate
Navigation Required Detailed Route Directions
Other Optional Bicycle Rental E25/day

Our Italy Wine Adventure takes place in two fantastic provinces: Tuscany and Umbria. Incredible pastas, pizza, and bruschetta. Beautiful scenery with rolling hills and waving wheat fields. Hilltop medieval towns with winding streets and inviting shops. Country paths and roads you share only with a few locals. And oh - the vino!

We start our tour with four days of hiking in Tuscany, the province made even more famous by the book and movie "Under the Tuscan Sun". The wines, including Vino Nobile and Brunello, are some of Italy's best - and any Italian will tell you Italian wine is the best available. The scenery is spectacular and the historic towns provide the perfect excuse to do a little shopping or sample the local delicacies. Perhaps most importantly, Tuscany is hilly and hiking is a great way to see the area's postcard scenery.

We then switch to Umbria and our bikes. Umbria is just as beautiful as Tuscany, although less well known. In addition, it boasts the Valle di Umbria, a flat valley that makes for a perfect complement to rolling Tuscany. The short routes during our biking days are generally flat with an occasional climb to a worthy hilltop town. The long routes head off to the valley's sides for more strenuous cycling. You choose the route but, either way, you'll be rewarded with incredible food and local wines, including the delectable Umbria Sagrantino.

Including both Tuscany and Umbria - and hiking and biking - provides us with the best of the area and the most suitable activity for each province. We don't know why more people don't do it this way.

Accommodations
It's a tradeoff. On the one hand, we get to see a lot more of Tuscany and Umbria by moving from one town to the next each day. On the other hand, we do have to unpack and repack most days. The towns in this region of Italy are so beautiful, we think it's worth it.

  • Night One: Albergo Il Marzocco, Montepulciano
  • Night Two: Piccolo Hotel la Valle, Pienza
  • Night Three: Hotel il Giglio, Montalcino (note we use a nearby overflow hotel if necessary)
  • Night Four: Fattoria Pieva a Salti, Buonconvento
  • Nights Five & Six: La Bastiglia, Spello
  • Night Seven: Hotel San Luca, Spoleto

  • For More Information

    See our Italy Frequently Asked Questions, Itinerary, or Towns We Visit pages. Also please visit our Travels With Wine blog.