In a word, “YES”; the actual scenery throughout Toscana is (a lot) nicer than is captured mid-ride on my sweat-coated, iPhone camera lens. The photos make for great blog posting, to be sure but they’re also my memory triggers for just how vast and uniquely beautiful this region of the world really is.
And so – I imagine my future as such; me reminiscently rambling on about my road-bike rides while scrolling through my photos of Chianti, CURSING the Midwest topography as my catatonically disinterested Grandkids (or friends?😜) slowly drift into stasis.
There a lot of pics in this post; I had a hard time omitting any of my digital scrapbook … all these were taken over the past month. They’re organized by topic for your more pleasant viewing experience!!
Ciao!! 😘❤️🚴🏻♂️🇮🇹
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SELF PORTRAIT
It was typical in the 13th-15th century for Florentine Aristocrats to have their portraits done in profile. The bike says, “Why not?”The working side of my bike’s persona. Lugging groceries on the cobblestones.
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PERSON-A-PERSON ENCOUNTERS
As fortuitous timing in February would have it, my Lovely was returning from her power-walk just as I was also returning from my ride. The unexpected encounter had us both feeling happy to run into, “a friend who also is out and about.” Hannah ran from our Villa to the Via Abramo Lincoln all by herself! Mad nav skills!!! After this photo I gave her a head start back home and we rendezvous’d at the Caffe!This is Gianni, he’s from nearby Impruneta. I gave him a friendly, “Ciao!” when I was riding by and he replied, “Come-a me.” Beyond that explosion of verbosity, Gianni doesn’t speak a lick of English. Nonetheless, we rode for about 80 miles together with him tolerating my broken Italian the entire way. He taught me that eating a creme-filled brioche chased with espresso is the real way cyclists refuel. He also introduced me to his bike-shop buddies in case I ever needed anything. Grazie Mille, Gianni!!The slurry of pedestrians, cyclists, scooters, motorcycles, cars, buses and trucks breeds a healthy coexistence on the stradi. I didn’t run over this guy despite his being square in my gunsights. 😬
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BRICKS & MORTAR
Here are two shots of the Badia a Passignano… near Sambuca. It’s a working convent set up in the vineyards owned by world famous Antinori Vineyard. The picture below is taken much farther away and at increased elevation.
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There are shrines everywhere in the countryside gracing the olive tree fields and vineyards. This one is near San Casciano. It’s clear by the generally good condition of these things they’re still revered within the culture.There are three roads I can take in/out of our neighborhood, “Bagno a Ripoli.” This wall runs pretty continuously throughout two of them and this section is a hill that screams at me, “The FINAL push… what’s left in the tank?”This is taken way, way to the north of Florence in Scarperia. There’s also a Grand Prix Motorcycle track in the same town which would have made for another awesome pic. Sorry, don’t have one.To the South, in a little town of San Donato rests this quaint little abode. The old man who lives there came out to water his flowers as I was clicking away. He seemed happy and I mentioned that I liked his flowers.Taken in Calenzano, this Campanile (Bell Tower) is in the hills North of Firenze. I haven’t ridden there much because the prevailing winds are our out of the NE … the climbs are steeper / longer and the terrain offers less natural shield from said gusts.
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ARTSY-FARTSY THINGS
The fortress in San Casciano in Val di Pesa has a deer patrolling the parapet. I don’t know why it’s there but I love how this picture came out. The sun’s corona sure makes the deer seem divinely placed, no?“Oh. That’s what it is.”The American Cemetery in nearby Tavernuzze is beautiful in it’s conception and how it has grown in. This dam is at the end of a series of small, shallow canals on the cemetery grounds. The golden hills/grass you can see center/right in the pic through the trees are where American WW2 casualties’ are buried.
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ROADS I RODE
Along the Greve River near Fallone.This is in the ‘rugged’ north mountain range near Borgo San Lorenzo. It was a windy day, my friends. Cool sidebar… I rode through the town of Galliano. Yup, that’s the town where the famous aperitif in the tall skinny bottle was created and distilled.This descending switchback/hairpin is just BEAUTIFUL… and also VERY slippery when wet.Typical town WELCOME sign.
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ROOSTERS & HENS & PORCUPINES
Just outside of Scandicci is a pretty large shared public garden. I see the locals regularly tending to the their plants… and their fowl. This pic accurately reflects how Anne (hen) chases me (rooster) through Firenze’s crowded streets.These roadside porcupine quills were scattered all over the place… each measures about 5”-8” long. I’d like to have seen the prickly critter but they’re nocturnal and scared of guys on bikes.
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VINEYARDS. IN PRAISE OF BACCHUS 🍷🍷
Still, it looks better in my glass.
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ELEVATED PERSPECTIVES
In Fiesole, this hill offers to my mind the ultimate, “on a clear day” view of Firenze. It’s about 1000 feet of elevation and 5-6 miles from the Firenze Centro. Looky, looky! There’s Il Duomo; with it’s reddish-brown hemisphere erupting up from the town like a forehead pimple.The monastery Certosa di Firenze, in Galuzzo. That smoke on the right side of the picture is normal; it’s likely a lot of tree and vine trimmings… these kinds of fires are common all over the area.Big rolling hills full of olives and grapes – near Panzano. See the little Duomo? The hills of Pratolino, north of Firenze.
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LIKE A PRO, BUT NOT A PRO
All the local shops have teams and riding groups outfitted with custom kits. Gianni from BiciSport in Firenze and Palodino from Chrono in Lucca were happy to sell their jerseys to this American enthusiast. 🤑🤑🇺🇸🇺🇸This was cool to come across on a hill up to Fiesole… it’s a certified climb used for pro races and time trials. It took about ten weeks of riding, but the Italian roads finally baptized my ‘bici’ with a flat.
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VIDEO CLIPS
In the clips below you’ll get a taste of riding in Toscana.
Clip #1 was taken when my bici-buddy, Gianni and I came up on some riders he knew. They were cruising fast so we drafted behind them for a while at about 25-30mph. A Thrill! I’m sure they wondered if I was going to shoot videos the whole time or take a turn pulling on the front.
Clips #2 and #3 are me first approaching then crossing the Ponte Vecchio’s crowded and cobbled surface. It’s still early enough in the day (10:30 ish) that I could maintain my mount and maneuver around personages of various size, speed, direction, origin and purpose. However, once the tour buses disgorge their swarming, selfie-stick wielding masses (around noon) onto the streets it’s walkin’ time. “HEY! You could put an eye out with that thing!”
The Brandt Blog 
March 24, 2022 at 19:09
Jeff and Anne, its great reading about your adventures abroad. Once in a lifetime opportunity! It brings back good memories.
March 25, 2022 at 01:49
THX for writing!! For our next once-in-a-lifetime experience would you let us spend next winter living in Darren’s old room?🤣🤣