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Explore all sides of Tuscany
Lucca – Viareggio – Pisa – Livorno – Quercianella – Castagneto Carducci
This Etruscan Road cycling holiday, allows you to explore all sides of Tuscany. A land famous for the art cities, small country villages and medieval fortresses, the elegant seaside resorts of Versilia, and the wilder southern coast of Maremma. The rivers Arno and Serchio are followed and the route goes from the lake of Massaciuccoli to the sea again. Pedalling in a typical Tuscan countryside rich in family farms and prestigious wineries and across the endless pinewoods of the Etruscan coast, you will also have a unique chance to experience all the tastes of Tuscany… good cookery and excellent wines.
This bike tour is called “La via degli Etruschi” (the Etruscan road) because this tour crosses a large part of Tuscany, mostly along the coast, which in ancient times was home to the ETRUSCANS. They were peaceful and cultured people, in tune with nature and the surrounding landscape. They were also lovers of good food and beauty, as is testified by their refined ceramics, mosaics, wall paintings, and their sarcophagi depicting smiling faces. During this tour, imagine you are following in their footsteps… on a bike and with no hurry, following tracks and quiet rural roads known only by local people. Don’t miss this opportunity: dive headlong into this sweet Italian adventure!
The tour has also a 5-day version, ending in Pisa:
Day 1 Arrival at Lucca
Day 2 Round tour at Lucca (36 km / 22,4 mi or 59 km / 36,6 mi)
Day 3 Lucca – Viareggio (39 km /24,2 mi)
Day 4 Viareggio – Pisa (37 km/23 miles)
Day 5 End of tour
The daily program of the 8-day tour
Arrival in Lucca, in the evening meeting with one of our collaborators who will show you the itinerary and will give you the information material and the bikes in case of rental.
Lucca is a wonderful city in its views, its Renaissance palaces, its Roman remains, such as the amphitheater and the forum, and its “100 churches”, among which the Cathedral of San Martino stands out for its majesty and artistic linearity.
Visiting it will mean strolling through its elegant and elegant streets full of shops and typical places where you can taste the many gastronomic specialties, both sweet and savory, accompanied by an excellent Tuscan wine.
Overnight with breakfast in Lucca
The countryside of Lucca is worthwhile to discover. You will cycle along quiet country roads, far from touristic sceneries, among medieval hamlets, parish churches, small farms and old oil mills, where the famous extra virgin oil d.o.p. of Lucca is produced. You can choose between a shorter and longer ride. This day gives you also the chance to spend some extra time in Lucca and enjoy its history, art and culinary specialties.
Overnight with breakfast in Lucca
Distance: 36 km or 59 km /22,4 mi or 36,6 mi
Total ascent: 150m or 330m
Leaving the town centre you will pass an old Carthusian monastery and Nozzano, an ancient hamlet still preserving its original layout and fortifications. After an uphill stretch on a country road you will come to Massaciuccoli Park, at the lake of Massaciuccoli. From the hilltop you will have an enchanting view of the park, the coast and the sea in the background. From here your route continues up to Viareggio, Marina di Pietrasanta and the Versilia beaches, with pleasant biking in a totally different landscape.
Overnight with breakfast in Viareggio
Distance: 39 km /24,2 mi
Total ascent: + 150m
The third stage of this tour starts with a trip along the Versilia promenade, one of the most famous promenades in Tuscany. You will cross the small town of Viareggio, best known as a holiday resort for famous people, for its Carnival and for the building of yachts and luxurious boats. Changing scenery you will bike through the Natural Park of ‘Migliarino – San Rossore- Massaciuccoli’, enjoying the aroma of the sweet-smelling pinewoods and the view of the sand dunes. The ‘Torre del Lago Puccini’ is worth a visit. You will continue to pedal through the wildest part of the coast, between the sea and the countryside until you see the famous Tower of Pisa that will rise on the horizon.
Pisa is an art heritage spread by the noble Renaissance palaces and churches of ancient beauty, the majesty reaches its peak in the splendid Piazza dei Miracoli, a UNESCO heritage site, with the Duomo and its bell tower (the famous Leaning Tower), the monumental Cemetery and the fourteenth-century Baptistery.
Overnight with breakfast in Pisa
Distance 37 km /23 miles
Total ascent: + 15m
Enjoy the Ciclabile del Trammino (little tram cycle path), a track built on the route of an old railway. Ride along the Arno River to its mouth until you reach Marina di Pisa. Here you can join the waterfront cycle path to admire the beautiful view of the coast and the city of Livorno. The scents of the Mediterranean scrub will delight your senses along the entire route. After a quick tour of the historic centre – Bella Venezia district – pedal to the Livorno seafront. Arrived in Ardenza you can choose either to ride along the seafront on a busy road but with a breathtaking view of the Tuscan Archipelago and the cliffs full of hidden coves. Or you can take the Via del Santuario di Montenero, a panoramic climb of around 300 meters nestled in the green and followed by a road that goes downhill to Quercianella. It is up to you!
Overnight with breakfast in Quercianella
Distance: 46 km / 28,6 miles
Total ascent: + 280m
You will start your tour southwards always along the seaside. Enjoy the cycling on natural bike paths inside the centenarian pinewoods and you arrive up to several lovely sandy beaches: “The White – Beaches of Vada”, the “Mazzanta”, the “Marina di Cecina. Since the climate in this part of Tuscany is very pleasant also in spring and autumn, you will have the chance to stop and relax on the sand, enjoying the typical quiet of early/late season and going for a swim in the sea when sun still bright high.
Overnight with breakfast in Castagneto Carducci
Distance: 51 km /31,7 mi
Total ascent: + 280m
Today’s program is a ring route in the green countryside. This is an excellent day for people who love the combination of good wines and the beauty of the Tuscan countryside with old cypresses, inviting vineyards, big farmhouses; always with a backdrop of green rolling hills, will give you the impression living in a postcard! You will remain close to the seashore and therefore the ascent and descent is minimum. The route of today follows for a big part the famous Wine Road of the Etruscan Coast passing cultural interesting towns like Bibbona, Bolgheri and Castagneto Carducci and crossing the area where Tuscan wines such as the well known Sassicaia and Ornellaia are produced. You could make a stop at one of the many inviting wineries and taste some of these local wines. You return back to the same hotel as yesterday, where you can enjoy some well-deserved relaxation.
Overnight with breakfast in Castagneto Carducci
Distance: 35 km /21,7 mi
Total ascent: + 200m
After breakfast ends this cycling holiday. The hotel is 3,5 km from the Donoratico train station from where you can return to Pisa or Florence (leaving the rented bicycles at the hotel).
The Etruscan road and coast
Lucca – Viareggio – Pisa – Livorno – Quercianella – Castagneto Carducci
LEVEL 1,5
Easy cycling along quiet country roads or cycle paths. Although Tuscany is famous for its hills, this tour is mostly flat because the route follows the coastline and rivers. There are only some short uphill roads around Lucca and some parts with gently rolling hills along the Bolgheri wine road. This tour is suitable for everybody, who has some bike experience! However, children need to have cycling experience and know-how to move on roads.
Average daily distances: between 36 km – 59 km / 22,4 mi – 36,6 mi
Total km 5 days tour: 112 km /70 mi or 135 km /85 mi
Total km 7 days tour: 244 km / 151,6 mi or 267 km /166 mi
DEPARTURES:
Daily from March until the end of October (other months on request)
PARTICIPANTS:
2 or more people.
START / FINISH:
Lucca / Pisa or Castagneto Carducci
The treasures of the green Valley
You cycle through a landscape of gentle, rolling hills. This generally easy route, mostly flat, with short daily distances makes this an ideal tour for leisure cyclists. There are not too many climbs and if possible there will be offered an alternative.