Viadelsole Active Holidays

Enjoy the highlights of Via Francigena by bike, allowing you to cover more land in less time. Your journey will begin in Lucca, “the city of 100 churches” & a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From there you’ll continue through the province of Pisa, stopping in the romantic medieval city of San Miniato, encircled in vineyards & olive groves. Continue through the rolling hills of Tuscan wine country, passing San Gimignano, Siena & San Quirico d’Orcia. You’ll see unforgettable panoramas, great Renaissance masterpieces & medieval castles.

Then you’ll enter the Province of Lazio, where you’ll visit a charming town on the edge of a volcanic lake & the historic medieval city of Montefiascone, now a notable winemaking capital of Italy. The last section of the journey has the most spectacular Etruscan & Ancient Roman ruins, as well as breathtaking natural beauty. You will hike through dense forests & follow crystal clear streams from town to town. You journey will end in the eternal city itself, Rome, where you can enjoy a few days exploring everything Rome has to offer.

Highlights

• Lucca
• San Gimignano & Monteriggioni
• Siena
• Sant’Antimo & Bagno Vignoni
• Bolsena
• Viterbo
• Rome

Bike through the splendor of Umbria & Tuscany, Italy’s most famous wine regions. Your journey will begin in the town of Assisi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Perched high on top of a cliffside, this medieval town hosts some of the most important early Renaissance frescoes in the world.

Descend down into the verdant hills of Umbria past sun-kissed vineyards & ancient olive groves until you reach the sparkling waters of Lake Trasimeno. On the other side of the lake lies many of the most famous vineyards in Tuscany, where you can stop for a tasting, as well as the town of Pienza, another UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its Renaissance masterpieces & charming cobblestone streets. Enjoy exploring the many palaces & cathedrals, or a refreshing spritz in the main piazza. Then it’s onwards through the most famous hills of Tuscany (and yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site), Val d’Orcia. Your final destination is the town of Siena (your fourth UNESCO World Heritage Site!). Here you can taste the nutty-sweet “panforte” cake, artisan pecorino cheeses & the unbeatable wines. You can also see some of the most notable art & architecture from the 13-16th centuries & visit the piazza where the 400-year old tradition of the Palio horse race takes place.

Highlights

• Assisi and Bevagna – the most famous wine area of Umbria.
• Trasimeno Lake: Monte del Lago and San Feliciano fisherman village
• Nobile di Montepulciano” wine tasting in a local winery
• Pienza and Monticchiello
• Buonconvento and the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore.

This tour is a trip through time, from Etruscans tombs to Romans ruins, from Medieval hilltop towns to Renaissance basilicas. It also offers an incredible diversity of landscapes, from the vineyard-covered hills of Chianti & Brunello, to the cypress-crested mounds of the “Crete.”

Your journey will begin in San Gimignano. This walled medieval town has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its 14 feudal towers still standing & early Renaissance frescoes. From San Gimignano you will bike through the vineyard hills of Tuscany to Siena, another UNESCO World Heritage Site & home to some of the most remarkable art & architecture from the 13–15th centuries. In Siena you can enjoy a glass of wine in the piazza where the 400-year old tradition of the Palio horse race takes place, climb medieval towers, or indulge in the famous spiced cake, “panforte.” Then continue deep into the country to reach the peaceful abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, founded in 1313, before continuing on to the charming hilltop town of Montepulciano, where you can enjoy breathtaking views of the rolling hillside, splendid medieval architecture, & the exquisite DOCG Nobile di Montepulciano.

Highlights

• San Gimignano
• Visit Siena
• Buonconvento – Monte Oliveto Abbey
• Montepulciano

You will begin at the sparkling beaches of the Adriatic Coast. From there you’ll enter the mountains & flowering meadows of Sibillini National Park, with a breathtaking mountain landscape. Beyond the park lies the vine-covered hills of Tuscan wine country, where you can enjoy the charming medieval towns & taste the rich, diverse wines at beautiful vineyard estates. Continue to the medieval fortress overlooking the picturesque Lake Bolsena & onwards to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

Along the way you will also be able stop in the small towns to experience the best of Italian culture & cuisine: the Renaissance Palazzo Ducale of Urbino, the ancient Roman amphitheater of Spoleto, the churches of Assisi, the medieval streets of Pienza, the wineries of Montalcino & the magnificent piazza of Siena.

Highlights

• Urbino
• Città di Castello
• Montalcino and Brunello
• Pitigliano and the Etruscan Mysteries

Bike through the two most spectacular wine regions in Tuscany: Chianti, which produces some of the oldest & most notable wines in Europe, & Bolgheri, whose position between the mountains & the Mediterranean Sea provide the perfect conditions for producing deep, complex reds. Your journey will begin in the enchanting town of San Gimignano, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From there you’ll travel through the sun-kissed vineyards from one historic town to the next, stopping along the way to taste the exquisite wines, explore medieval castles, or admire the stunning panorama of the rolling hills. This tour can be done as an escorted group or as a self-guided tour.

Highlights

• San Gimignano and Volterra
• Populonia
• Bolgheri Wines
• Castagneto Carducci
• Etruscan Necropolies

This tour allows you to visit the most famous hill towns of Umbria, Cortona, Perugia, Assisi, Spello, Spoleto, Todi & Orvieto. Your journey will begin in the town of Terontola, easily reachable by train from almost any major city in Italy (Rome, Florence, Milan, Bologna, Naples). From there you will bike along the shores of the glistening Lake Trasimeno until you arrive at the city of Perugia, where you can visit Renaissance masterpieces & taste gourmet chocolates from the local artisan chocolatiers. Just beyond Perugia lies another Renaissance gem, Assisi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Explore Assisi’s magnificent churches & wander the cobblestone streets. Descend into the rolling hillsides, through the gorgeous vineyards & olive groves, & into the natural beauty of Umbria, the “green heart of Italy.” On the other side of the forests, you’ll reach the clifftop town of Orvieto, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. An ancient Etruscan and medieval town, Orvieto has a parallel, underground town carved out underneath it, a subterranean metropolis dug deep into the volcanic rock from the 5th century B.C.

Highlights

• Cortona
• Trasimeno Lake
• Perugia
• Assisi and Bevagna

Get your e-bike & take on the vine-covered hills of the Chianti region, from Florence to Siena & then back to Florence. Everyone knows Chianti for its exquisite wines. But the region also contains remarkable Renaissance churches, turreted medieval castles, artisan pecorino cheeses, ancient villages, picturesque farmhouses & elegant villas. Explore the enchanting hilltop town of San Gimignano, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Frolic through sunflower fields & drink rich, complex reds as the sun sets over golden hills. Wander through the narrow cobblestone streets of Siena & enjoy a refreshing spritz where the city hosts its bi-annual horse races, a 400-year old tradition. The heart of Tuscany waits for you!

Highlights

• Visit Florence
• Greve and Panzano in Chianti
• San Gimigano
• Stay in Siena

This tour provides you with the best of the area while keeping a more relaxed pace. While the distances are a bit shorter & the hills less steep, however, the wines are just as rich. After all, this is your vacation: your opportunity to slow down, relax, & savor every moment.

You will begin in the charming town of Cortona, famous for its Etruscan tombs from the 6th century BC. From there you’ll bike to the Renaissance jewel of Perugia, where you can taste its world-famous Perugina chocolates. Descending into the vineyard hills & olive groves, you then find the enchanting Deruta, where they have been making artisan ceramics since the 13th century. Your trip will end in Assisi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site & home to great early Renaissance masterpieces by Giotto, Simone Martini & Cimabue.

Highlights

• Cortona and Trasimeno Lake
• Perugia
• Deruta and ceramics
• Assisi and Bevagna