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Home , Arbia, Chianti (region), Chiusi, Crete Senesi, Gaiole in Chianti, Radda in Chianti

HEART OF CLASSICO Ability Level: Intermediate / Duration: 7 days / 6 nights PEDAL YOUR PASSION

ITINERARY OUTLINE Heart of Tuscany Trip Essence / Page 2 The quintessential bicycle touring Daily Itinerary / Page 3-5 experience in our home away from home Arrival & Departure / Page 6

From the quaint town of Radda in to San Quirico D’Orcia, we cycle Bike Information / Page 6 through the Tuscan countryside along Via Chiantigiana (literally, Chianti Terms & Conditions / Page 7 Street), a classic and rustic route that passes through the heart of the Chianti wine region. Here the landscape resembles a Renaissance painting Reserve Your Space! / Page 7 alive with wildflowers in the spring and crushed grapes in the fall. Our Italian bike trip also features a visit to , where a medieval air lingers amidst the twisting streets of warm, brown brick. Strolling Siena’s narrow maze of cobblestone walkways is an amazing architectural journey – with its incredible masonry, delightful piazzas, a marble cathedral, and Torre del Mangia, and breathtaking views from Siena’s famous tower!

Ciclismo Classico 1-800-866-7314 | [email protected] | www.ciclismoclassico.com 1 HEART OF TUSCANY CLASSICO Ability Level: Intermediate / Duration: 7 days / 6 nights PEDAL YOUR PASSION

TRIP ESSENCE TRIP DETAILS Ability Level • Stay in luxury hotels and countryside inns • Intermediate

• Learn more about Tuscan cuisine, wines and olive oil in exclusive visits Summary of Daily Distances to the home of local producers (a Ciclismo guide at Il Molinello!) • Day 1: 14/20 miles • Day 2: 30/44 miles • Memorable rides in the Chianti area • Day 3: 30/32 miles • Day 4: optional 24 miles • Ride the “Crete Senesi,” one of the most beautiful rides in Tuscany • Day 5: 43 miles • Day 6: 33/45 miles • Discover the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Val d’Orcia and Siena • Day 7: Arrivederci

• Immerse yourself in Tuscan life with a cooking lesson Optional extra loops available

• Ride to , hometown of the most famous Tuscan red wine, the

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• Use of carbon road bike (see page 6 for details)

• Service of local, professional guides throughout the program

• Ciclismo jersey and water bottle

• All accommodations

• All breakfasts, 3 lunches + 1 picnic, and 5 dinners

• Cooking lesson by local chef

• Olive oil tasting Have something else in mind? • 2 wine tastings • Itinerary available as a private tour or... • Guided walking tour of Siena • Create a custom itinerary with help from our experienced • 3 cycling clinics travel consultants!

• Shuttle at the beginning and end of the tour Contact Us 1-800-866-7314 [email protected]

Ciclismo Classico 1-800-866-7314 | [email protected] | www.ciclismoclassico.com 2 HEART OF TUSCANY CLASSICO Ability Level: Intermediate / Duration: 7 days / 6 nights PEDAL YOUR PASSION

DAY 1 Highlights

RADDA WARM-UP Benvenuti to Tuscany!

Daily Mileage - 14/20 miles We’ll get together at 12:30 pm in the hotel lobby for lunch and a brief introduction talk. In the afternoon after a bike fitting, we’ll ride to Castellina Riding Terrain - Rolling with a in Chianti to have a coffee in the main square or stroll around town. An few hills optional extra loop will take you to Lucarelli after a long and fun descent immersed in the Chianti vineyards. Hotel - Palazzo Leopoldo • Location: Palazzo Leopoldo is a wonderful villa in 1800 style in the historical center of • Duration: 2 Nights Radda in Chianti. The building dates back to 1300. • Website: http://www. rosshotels.it/eng/palazzo- leopoldo-siena/index.html

Meals - L, D DAY 2 Highlights Today we’ll ride on the Chiantigiana road through the Chianti region of ! THE CHIANTI Our landscapes are farms and vineyards, towering Cypress trees and olive Daily Mileage - 30/44 miles groves, and ancient and historic buildings. This is the land of the Gallo Nero, the symbol of the Consorzio Chianti Classico, the organization that protects Riding Terrain - Rolling hills the Chianti Classico wine and its trademark. Greve and Panzano in Chianti with one long climb are the two destinations of our ride: we’re literally immersed in the Chianti, an exceptional wine that benefits from a great terroir that creates some of Hotel - See Day 1 the best reds in Italy. An extra loop takes you to Badia a Coltibuono (Abbey of the Good Harvest), an abbey founded in 1051 by Vallambrosa monks who B, D Meals - developed a flourishing wine production and commerce. If time permits, we’ll stop in where we’ll visit the famous Eroica shop.

DAY 3 Highlights Today we’ll leave the Chianti region for another beautiful ride and an extra SIENA loop to Castagnoli. We’ll cycle to the medieval city of Siena. En-route, we’ll stop for lunch and a wine tasting at the Felsina Vineyard. Siena’s heart is its Daily Mileage - 30/32 miles central piazza known as Il Campo, known worldwide for the famous Palio run here (it’s a horse race run around the piazza two times every summer). Hilly, and a Riding Terrain - This afternoon, a friend of ours will invite us to her family’s villa in the longer climb on the extra loop countryside where we’ll meet her family. You’ll learn how to make pasta from Hotel - Palazzetto Rosso scratch, costine (skewers), or tiramisu. You’ll truly enjoy your stay here while • Location: Siena listening to live, traditional Tuscan folk music! • Duration: 2 Nights The Palazzetto Rosso is located in an old building completely made of • https://www.palazzettorosso. bricks, and was most likely a locanda, meaning that it already hosted com/en/ travelers during the Middle Age, as Tuscany was an intense trade and Meals - B, L, D business center in Europe. The Palazzetto Rosso’s brick façade’s lay out follows multiple shapes such as large ribs and geometrical patterns, skillfully organized upon old planning regulations dated from the Middle Age, and distinctive to Siena.

Ciclismo Classico 1-800-866-7314 | [email protected] | www.ciclismoclassico.com 3 HEART OF TUSCANY CLASSICO Ability Level: Intermediate / Duration: 7 days / 6 nights PEDAL YOUR PASSION DAY 4 Highlights Today is a rest day in Siena. There is an optional loop ride out of Siena to SIENA & the medieval walled town of in the morning. MONTERIGGIONI LOOP This afternoon our local guide and friend will take you for a tour of this Daily Mileage - 24-mile UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tonight, we’ll dine at a friend’s villa, where optional ride you’ll savor an authentic Tuscan feast!

Riding Terrain - Rolling

Hotel - See Day 3

Meals - B, D

DAY 5 Highlights We’ll ride through the “Crete Senesi,” a range of clay hills situated SIENA TO SAN QUIRICO between Siena and the Val d’Orcia. With its ever-changing seasonal D’ORCIA colors, its winding roads and the lunar landscape of its clay ridges, this ride is considered a cycling classic in this part of Tuscany. Lunch today will 43 miles Daily Mileage - be at the home of our guide Sandro and his wife Elisa at their beautiful Agriturismo il Molinello, a family-run farm stay that combines agriculture Riding Terrain - Undulating with some climbs and tourism. You’ll be treated to traditional Tuscan cuisine prepared by the family and after lunch, Sandro, an official ONAOO (National Organization of Hotel - Palazzo del Capitano Olive Oil Tasters) taster, will guide you through a tasting of their own olive • Location: San Quirico D’Orcia oil. End the day with a final ride to San Quirico D’Orcia. We’ll have dinner • Duration: 2 Nights tonight together at a local restaurant. • Website: http://www. palazzodelcapitano.com/en/ The 4-star Palazzo del Capitano is a restored ancient mansion from the 15th hotel-borgo-in-tuscany/ century and combines tradition with modern comforts.

Meals - B, L, D

DAY 6 Highlights Today we’ll ride in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Val d’Orcia. We’ll LOOP TO MONTALCINO ride to Montalcino, hometown of the famous Brunello di Montalcino Tuscan red wine. From the top of the town we are rewarded with views of the Asso, Daily Mileage - 33/45 miles and Arbia valleys, dotted with olive groves, vineyards and small Riding Terrain - Lots of ups and villages. downs with some long climbs After a picnic-style lunch prepared by the guides, we’ll head to the home Hotel - See Day 5 of the Parisi’s, close Ciclismo friends. The family owns a small winery called Nostra Vita. Here, they produce the best Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso Meals - B, Picnic, D, R di Montalcino. After the wine tasting, the extra loopers have the opportunity to ride some of the gravel roads of the vintage race Eroica. The rest of the group heads back to the hotel.

At our delicious farewell dinner at one of the best restaurants in town, we’ll celebrate the unforgettable memories made on this bike tour of Tuscany!

Ciclismo Classico 1-800-866-7314 | [email protected] | www.ciclismoclassico.com 4 HEART OF TUSCANY CLASSICO Ability Level: Intermediate / Duration: 7 days / 6 nights PEDAL YOUR PASSION

DAY 7 Highlights

ARRIVEDERCI! After breakfast at 9 am we offer a 45-minute group shuttle to - Chianciano train station. From there you can connect to or Rome in less than 2 hours. Meals - B

Ciclismo Classico 1-800-866-7314 | [email protected] | www.ciclismoclassico.com 5 HEART OF TUSCANY CLASSICO Ability Level: Intermediate / Duration: 7 days / 6 nights PEDAL YOUR PASSION

ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE OTHER INFORMATION For Flight Reservations GETTING TO RADDA Valerie Wilson Travel Call: 1-855-780-2022 or Fly to Florence (FLR) and take a 15-minute taxi to Santa Maria Novella train E-mail: [email protected] station. Take a 30-minute train (www.trenitalia.com) to to catch our only group shuttle* on day 1 at 11:30 am to the first hotel (40 minutes). Travel Insurance * Please inform the office if you plan on taking this scheduled group shuttle at least one MH Ross month in advance via this form: www.ciclismoclassico.com/travel-plans Call: 1-800-423-3632 http://bit.ly/MHRoss_Insurance

DEPARTING FROM SAN QUIRICO D’ORCIA Transportation Rome2rio There will be one 45-minute group shuttle around 9 am to Chiusi http://www.rome2rio.com Chianciano train station. From there you can connect to Florence or Rome in less than 2 hours.

BIKE INFORMATION ON THE BIKE Included: Bianchi Intenso and Vertigo • Ciclismo Classico water bottle • The carbon frame guarantees maximum performance with minimum stress • Two water bottle holders for the riders, thanks to Bianchi’s special C2C (Coast to Coast) frame design/ • Map holder on handlebars geometry and different material combination. Carbon bikes are equipped and a Garmin Edge GPS with compact crank and 11/32 cassette. • Handlebar bag • Bianchi Vertigo included free on all Easy and Athletic Beginner tours. • Tire pump • Bianchi Intenso included on all Intermediate and Advanced tours. • Combination bike lock • Gel-padded saddle Bianchi C-Sport 2.5 • Choice of pedals • More relaxed riding at a look-around-you pace, this is a highperformance • Card with your tour leaders’ aluminum hybrid bicycle with straight handlebars. It has a sloping design for mobile phone numbers superior comfort and bigger tires and hydraulic disc brakes. Included on all tours. Pedal Options: • Flat pedals Tandems • Half-toe pedals (without • Cannondale RT 2: Racing position with 700 c wheels. Available for $400, straps) limited availability. • Toe cage pedals • Honey bicycles: Racing position with 700 c wheels. Available for $400, limited availability. Things to Bring: • Co-motion Periscope: Racing position with 700 c wheels. Accommodates • Helmet smaller team or even children. Available for $400. • Optional: clipless pedals with • Cannondale Hybrid MT800: Upright position with 26 c wheels and straight shoes handlebars. Available for $400. • Optional: your own saddle

E-Bike: Bianchi Manhattan • Available on all easy and athletic beginner tours, some intermediate and advanced tours. Please contact us for more information. Available for $400.

Bike type outside of Europe may vary, please contact us at 800-866-7314 for more information.

Ciclismo Classico 1-800-866-7314 | [email protected] | www.ciclismoclassico.com 6 HEART OF TUSCANY CLASSICO Ability Level: Intermediate / Duration: 7 days / 6 nights PEDAL YOUR PASSION INSURANCE, TERMS & CONDITIONS

Insurance Ciclismo Classico will not assume responsibility or liability for any loss or damage of personal effects or for any injury or loss during the duration of the tour. Therefore, we highly recommend that you obtain travel insurance. Information on travel insurance will be sent to you via email once trip deposit is received. We recommend MH Ross, but travelers may choose the insurance carrier of their choice.

Cancellations and Refunds All requests for refunds must be submitted in writing as soon as possible to Ciclismo Classico. Exceptions to their cancellation policy cannot be made for any reason, including weather or personal emergencies. There is no refund for unexpectedly leaving a trip early or arriving late. The purchase of short-term travel insurance policy is strongly recommended. Cancellation fees are determined as follows:

Days before departure – Cancellation fee 121+ days - 50% of the deposit* 91-120 days - 100% of the deposit* 61-90 days - 30% of the trip price 31-60 days - 60% of the trip price 0-30 days - 100% of the trip price

*You may transfer your trip deposit to another departure in the same tour season up to 90 days before your original departure with payment of a $100 per person transfer fee. Prices quoted are subject to adjustment without prior notification. OR your deposit (currently $600) may be carried forward to the following year as a credit toward the final balance of a tour. At the time of booking, we will ask for another $600 deposit to secure your spot. Carried-forward credits expire at the end of the year to which they are applied.

Alterations to the tour itinerary Sometimes modifications may be made to the itinerary. We will notify you of any changes that may affect your arrival, departure or lodging. Any changes to the program are made in the best interest and safety of the group.

To review our policies, please visit http://www.ciclismoclassico.com/plan-your-trip/policies/

RESERVE YOUR SPACE!

To reserve a space, call Ciclismo Classico at 800-866-7314. Or, mail your deposit and contact information to:

Ciclismo Classico 30 Marathon St Arlington, MA 02474

At the time of registration, a deposit of $600 per person is due, payable by Visa, MasterCard, American Express or check, made payable to Ciclismo Classico, along with your full name, mailing address, phone number(s) and email address. We cannot confirm reservations without a deposit. Final payment is due 90 days before departure payable by check, credit card, wire transfer or money order. All travelers must review and sign a terms and conditions statement and a waiver form.

Ciclismo Classico 1-800-866-7314 | [email protected] | www.ciclismoclassico.com 7