San Gimgnano to Sant'Anna

Well, it was certainly another interesting day today. Dylan had promised us a full immersion into the delights of the Tuscan countryside. The day began with breakfast gazing out over said bucolic idyll before we mounted the steeds and dropped quickly into the valley below San Gimignano. After winding around the outskirts of Poggibonsi we pushed up a climb into the heart of Chianti. Picture postcard Tuscany, Dylan promised and it was indeed beautiful.

View from the window at breakfast in San Gimignano

A longish ride along the Chiantigiana (Chianti way) took us the the vineyards of Brunello di Montalcino. The temperature was starting to drop and the wind began to strengthen such that several of the riders with whom we had started out the day elected to forego lunch and press on.

I was glad to have stayed because shortly after Fredericka arrived with a swag of delights for a picnic lunch. After parking up to shield us from the wind we enjoyed stuffed capsicums, olives, cheeses, salamis, wild boar sausages, focaccia, fresh grapes and panforte. It was heaven. Were had just had our fill when a number of the others arrived and began to eat but, as we were beginning to feel the cold, elected to move on.

Thereafter followed quite a bit of climbing and descending and riding along exposed, wind-swept ridge lines. A couple of picture stops for some classic Tuscan scenes were obligatory, as well as one entry to the official l’Eroica ride. The Eroica is a sportive along the famed strada bianche (white gravel roads) on bicycles manufactured in 1975 or before. 

Ollie and David climbing up into the Chianti hills

Chrissy in her favourite outfit

Mick, Harold and Richard do the same

One of several entrance points to the Eroica ride along the strada bianche

The vineyards at Brunello di Montalcino. The chianti grapes were delicious. Is that a scare crow, or a scare chook?

Typical Tuscan countryside. Ridgekines with strada bianche lined by pencil pines, leading to some building on the top of the hill

I liked the visual appeal of the freshly mown wavy fields .

Another photo stop as we battled cross winds along a ridge

Finally we made it up the steep climb to the gravel driveway of the Sant’Anna di Camprena. This deconsecrated monastery, our home for the night was once used as a setting for the film “The English Patient”.

One of the many rooms inside the old monastery

A view from the courtyard

Looking out on the courtyard, Mick leans his bike against a pear tree and checks his bike: flat Di-2 battery!