Motorcycle Adventures in Tuscany!
September 17th, 2022 (G)
So, let’s take a moment to rewind. Ever since I first saw the Italian countryside while I was on a high school art trip, I had wanted to ride a motorcycle through it. Tuscany was the perfect place to fulfill that dream. This dream compelled me to search for a rental company that offered motorcycles. There are plenty of car and scooter rentals, but slim pickings when it comes to motorcycles, so if you plan to check this off your bucket list, make sure to lock down a rental at least 3-6 months before your arrival date. I did my homework and after a great deal of searching, eventually found a rental company (Vintage Tours) which rented out motorcycles. Just two. Well, actually one of them had an attached side car so really, just one. One beautiful red BMW.
We had made our home base for Tuscany in the city of Siena, but the motorcycle rental location was in a town about an hour away to the southeast called Pienza. The weather the morning we were scheduled to pick up the motorcycle was chilly with wind and rain mixed in. Fortunately, the forecast called for it to clear around noon. We set out by bus to Pienza just after noon and the weather still had not fully cleared but seemed to be improving.
By the time we arrived at the rental shop, the weather had mostly cleared though it remained chilly. After a few minutes of paperwork and a quick motorcycle orientation, we were off. Well, we didn’t get too far initially. We just rode it back up the hill to the walled portion of Pienza where we stopped for lunch with the hopes that the weather would fully clear and the sun might warm things up a bit. T naturally runs cold and was freezing from just the short ride back up the hill.
We enjoyed a recommendation we had received from a local while on the bus. A place they affectionately referred to as Scissor pizza since a pair of red handled scissors were provided to cut the pizza with. After warming up a bit inside, and filling our empty tummies, we noticed that the sun had finally re-emerged and so we left to wander the small town of Pienza for a while before setting out for San Quirico d'Orcia.
Pienza was preparing a harvest festival and had decked out the town’s central well with all the fruits of the season. There were banners hung around the small central square. Upon seeing all this, we felt a few pangs of heartache that we would be missing most of autumn this year. We spoke about it briefly and decided that rather than longing for what we would miss, we would revel in the present. Absorbing the cool air, the sunshine through our skin, smelling deeply the woody herbal smell of the Tuscan hills that had found its way into the little streets of Pienza, hearing the jovial and dramatic jests in the Italian tongue, and feasting our eyes on their merriment was more than fair compensation.
We set off on the now dry, winding roads to San Quirico d'Orcia. We weren’t sure what exactly was to be found there, but half the fun is in the exploration. We were not disappointed. The ride there was gorgeous by itself, but upon arriving we found quaint streets, a historic trebuchet (catapult), and a fascinating sculpture garden which had a “love phone” that could be used for free to call anyone within Italy provided you tell them you loved them. The day had gotten away from us a bit, so after a short stay we pressed on to Montalcino.
Montalcino was spectacular. Perched on a small mountain, a fortress turned wineshop overlooked the Tuscan countryside we took in the views as the sun began its final magical hour of daylight, when everything turns those golden hues of sepia. Not wanting to return to Siena too long after dark, we soon found ourselves speeding through those golden rays. It was an unforgettable ride.
When we finally arrived at the gate of our hotel, it was well after dark and we were chilled by the cool night air. Tired but deeply happy, we returned to our room for the night.
September 18th, 2022 (G)
Not wanting to lose or waste any time with the motorcycle and the freedom of movement it provided, we rose for an early breakfast and set out in the morning for the Chianti region to the north of Siena. We had originally planned to attempt to make it to 3 of the small towns in the region. However, we realized the previous day, that this might be a tad too ambitious since we wouldn’t really be able to spend enough time in each location to really enjoy being there. So instead, we found Castello di Meleto, a winery founded in an old Tuscan castle on a hill in the heart of the region.
We arrived late in the morning and spent time simply wandering around the grounds of the castle, ate a light lunch on the castle’s front terrace, and then spent the afternoon touring the vineyards, castle, and wine cellars with a guide. To finish it all off, we enjoyed a light wine tasting. Now late in the afternoon, we began the return ride at a leisurely pace. We stopped often to take in the views, to snap a photo with a giant concrete wine bottle, or simply when anything struck our interest.
We arrived back at our hotel earlier than we expected so with an hour or so of light left we wandered over to a small local place called Charlie’s. It had a gritty feel mixed with odd aspects of Italian refinement. The outdoor seating was made from recycled oil drums, set with fine Italian leather cushions and the menu was a mix of cocktails and sandwiches that boasted ingredients you’d normally find on a charcuterie board. It was an intriguing spot and offered us equally fascinating people watching for the remaining hours of our evening.
September 19th, 2022 (G)
The final day of our motorcycle rental had arrived. We had big plans. Until this point, we had taken mostly small highways or back roads. Today, we were headed for the Saturnia hot springs, known as Terme di Saturnia or Cascate del Mulino (they were amazing, more on them in a bit) but they were over three hours away by the fastest route. This route called for us to use one of Italy’s main highways. I was excited since it would finally give me the opportunity to really open up the motorcycle to its potential, T was a bit worried for the same reason.
At 140 km per hour (87 mph) give or take 10 km we were certainly moving, but truth be told I may have pushed my motorcycle back home a bit faster than that… how fast exactly, who can say…(sorry mom). So I was a bit surprised by T’s nervousness. The big difference was that this motorcycle lacked a rear sissy bar (for those unfamiliar with the term, it is an addition to the rear of a motorcycle that allows the passenger to recline against it while riding). So, while flying down the Italian highway, T earned a new nickname, Koala. She was much relieved when we safely exited the main highway for a smaller, much slower one, with less semis.
Now, for the bit about Terme di Saturnia or Cascate del Mulino. You may have seen idyllic photos of them on Instagram, Pinterest, or a screensaver. In reality they are normally visited by other people since they are truly very pleasant and also completely free. We caught them in the late morning and due to their relatively remote location, they were not completely swamped with people. That said, they were still well occupied with at least one or two hundred bathers enjoying them. It’s a big place so while that sounds like a lot it still wasn’t terribly difficult to find a nice spot with plenty of space to enjoy the mineral rich waters.
A few things to be aware of though. First, the parking can be challenging. We had anticipated this and hoped that using a motorcycle would work to our advantage. It did. Second, it is true a hot springs, which from my experience usually smell like rotten eggs. It does, but there are affordable showers nearby if you would like to wash off the smell. Third, there are tiny little red worms that you will see moving around in the water. They are harmless mosquito larvae that don’t bite, ignore them and just wash them off in the shower.
We absolutely adored these hot springs, but with a long way to go to return the motorcycle and having reached full pruny finger status we collected our things and once again set out on the motorcycle. This portion of our ride was a maze of winding back roads. Crossing through golden fields and under the shade of still dark green trees the roads ranged from smooth to extremely rough (think riding over a washboard with potholes). At one point during the ride a large male pheasant appeared in the very center of the road. We slowed down as we approached until at maybe just a few meters it burst into flight, exposing all its bright colors and beautiful long tail feathers. It was gone in an instant, but the moment was moving.
More than once during this stretch of the ride we got a bit turned around. We found ourselves greeted by a pack of puppies after riding up an extremely steep hill that turned out to actually have been the entrance of a fortress courtyard which now functioned as a town square. Of course, T stopped to pet them. Another time we stumbled upon a deep gorge with a walled town built on the cliffs above. We stopped quickly at these and our appreciation of just how much there is to really see and experience in the countryside of even just this small part of Italy deepened. A person could spend a lifetime wandering here and never see all of it.
Eventually, we did find our way back to Pienza. Where we met Dario, the owner of Vintage Tours. He was a thin fairly tall Italian in his late 30s, with a sandy blond man bun, bright smile, and warm handshake. We had missed him when we first picked up the motorcycle but were glad to meet him. He was excited to see the return of the red BMW. It turned out that it had originally belonged to him personally and he had taken it on a grand tour of Greece years ago. He had just decided to start offering it out for rental when we contacted him. We had actually been the first customers to have taken it out for a ride. The motorcycle had been a joy to ride and I will remain forever grateful that he decided to rent it out.