08Dec 0 Strade Bianche of Tuscany, Italy Posted By: Anna Maria Baldini 40 Top Sights of Tuscany, Tuscany travel guide Strade Bianche of Tuscany, ItalyThe back roads and walking paths of Tuscany, Italy A typical country track in Tuscany “Strade Bianche” means “white roads” and in Tuscany this expression refers to the network of unpaved back roads that run among the vineyards and olive groves of the Tuscan countryside. The name comes from the colour of the dry earth and the limestone gravel and small stones of these roads during the Tuscan summer. These strade bianche provide an ideal means of exploring rural Tuscany by taking leisurely walks, bicycle or horse rides and also car excursions. (Car drivers – please drive slowly especially when you see walkers or cyclists ahead. They’ll appreciate not being covered in a cloud of dust!) The Montepaschi “Strade Bianche” Bike Race of Tuscany, Italy This wildly popular bike race was known formerly as the “Eroica”. In 2010, for example, the 190 km route featured eight sectors on the white gravel roads, the longest of which was 13.5 km, for a total of 57.2 km. In terms of scenery and history, the race is hard to beat. The 2010 course started in Gaiole in Chianti and ended in the Piazza del Campo of Sienna. There are also panoramic walking paths markered by the CAI (Club Alpino Italiano), which in many cases follow these roads. There are maps available, notably Kompass maps, that have these walking tracks marked but they are not always completely up-to-date. The strade bianche used to be regarded as an inconvenient relic from the past to be sealed as quickly as possible but awareness of their attractions for locals and visitors alike means that many are being preserved. In addition, they are in fact essential to farmers who have to drive their caterpillar tractors to distant fields since caterpillars are prohibited on sealed roads because of the damage the do to the surface. "Eroica" strade bianche, the epic Tuscan two day e-bike tour This is it! You can try the Eroica white roads route with the help of an electric booster bike. Two days cycling with all logistics arranged. Our bike tour leaders will guide you to discover this amazing track, mostly unpaved and mostly without traffic. They will also ensure you will enjoy a touring speed – this is not a race. The goal is to discover the dusty Tuscan back roads and have fun. In 2 days we will cover 183 km, 2850 mt dsl. More about the Tuscan white roads 2 day e-bike tour. Bird watchers and orchid fanciers will be happy after a day wandering these back roads. You can picnic almost anywhere in the woods or the olive groves as long as you don’t break off branches, pick fruit or grapes, light fires or leave rubbish behind. Take plenty of water with you. Feel free to pick wild berries, especially blackberries, which are plentiful in season. Please be very careful with cigarette butts and don’t light fires. The vegetation can be extremely dry for most of the year and scrub fires spread rapidly. The best way to enjoy the strade bianche of Tuscany? A horse and wagon tour! If you’re planning to stay in Tuscany anywhere near Montespertoli – and that means anywhere in Chianti or Florence – be sure to look into the possibility of taking a short or long horse and wagon ride with I Cocchieri di ‘ Chianti who are licensed to take you on an excursion through the beautiful Chianti countryside. A tour can include a wine tasting, a picnic, a lunch at a farmhouse and many other activities. More about horse and wagon rides in Tuscany. Walking and hiking trails near Greve in Chianti. Books on walking and hiking trails in Italy. Bicycle routes in Tuscany between Siena and Florence. Wild orchids of the Tuscan countryside. Here are some similar topics: The Maremma of Tuscany, Italy The Maremma is a geographical area covering part of western Tuscany, notably the Province of Grosseto, and a small part of northern Latium (Lazio). It can be divided into the Alta Maremma (upper or northern Maremma) which borders on the Provinces of Sienna and Pisa,… Read More » Tuscany Cooking Lessons If you are visiting Tuscany, don’t miss out on a chance to increase your experience of Italian cookery by having a personalised Tuscan cooking class at your vacation villa or agriturismo in Tuscany.… Read More » Tuscany Italy This is the site map for our Tuscany, Italy, website. To make the best use of our web site we advise returning to the home page or utilising the navigation menu to the left.… Read More » Map of Tuscany, Italy Here's an interactive map of Tuscany with links to the best websites for many of the most interesting cities, towns, villages and sights of Tuscany.… Read More » Transport in Tuscany The main Tuscan cities such as Florence, Pisa, Lucca and Sienna plus many of the smaller towns are connected by the railway network, but a great many towns and villages are served only by buses or by no public transport… Read More »
