Archive for 'Cycling'

If you have found a villa with pool in Lucca or a luxury villa in Florence and you are looking to plan daytrips to some of the impossibly scenic areas of the famously pretty countryside that surrounds this part of Tuscany then you will hardly be stuck for choice. There truly are endless great examples that you could pick. However, one area that has the great honour of having managed to catch the eye of the great master Leonardo da Vinci is the beautiful locality of Montalbano, in the province of Pistoia.

The seaside town of Viareggio is the coastal gem of Tuscany and an excellent holiday destination for many different reasons from her rich traditions to her beautiful beaches. If you have chosen a luxury villa in Viareggio you will find plenty of things to see and do in the city itself and that day-trips to other Tuscan towns and cities can be readily organised as well. However, if you are looking to get out and explore Viareggio, in particular, and aren’t quite sure where to get started, then we might suggest heading to the Parco Pineta di Ponente, or Pineta di Ponente Park (Western Pine Forest).

This past week, Tuscany has welcomed some rather high-profile tourists; Barack and Michelle Obama, who arrived in Tuscany last Friday for a six-day holiday at a luxury Tuscan estate. The former President of the United States of America and his wife stayed in a luxury resort called Borgo Finocchieto, a town located to the south of Siena, that was bought by a US ambassador in 2001.

The village is made up of a grand manor house with 22 suites and several villas all arranged around a central piazza, boasting facilities such as a 60ft-long oval swimming pool, a library, tennis court, wine-tasting room, cellar and basketball court. More than 800 years old, the village offers views across the surrounding hills and valleys and is located on the route of the Via Francigena, the ancient pilgrimage route that connected Canterbury to Rome.

Our last few articles have discussed activities in Tuscany that go beyond the usual trips to palaces, churches, museums, galleries and other cultural institutions. Instead, we focused on activities that you might not have thought of before and that will keep the entire family happy, not just the adults. This article also gathers together some child-friendly activities for you and yours to enjoy once you have found the perfect holiday rental in Tuscany.

If you are getting familiar with the city of Florence, for example, there are plenty of different sorts of tours that you can try, both conventional and more interesting and unique varieties. However, one of the most unique ways to see the city is probably by going on the water bike tour. While it may not be suitable for young kids and ten is the minimum age allowed, it's definitely something that older children and teenagers would enjoy and gets the whole family out and about together for an adventure. The bicycles are standard mountain-bikes which have been transformed into proper water-bikes. Tours depart at either 7pm or 9pm and last for a duration of two hours and an informative, friendly and professional guide takes small groups out, allowing for lots of attention and personalisation.