Tuscany, Italy—In Search of Iconic Images
Ah, Tuscany. This magical region of northern Italy paints so many iconic images in the mind of anyone who has ever seen TV shows or magazine articles featuring it.
Rolling sun-kissed fields of velvet green with winding unpaved roads, lined with tall cypress trees leading to idyllic hilltop farmsteads. Medieval walled cities packed with narrow cobblestone alleys and quaint little picture postcard shop frontages. Complete castles with battlements and ancient tower blocks creating silhouettes reminiscent of modern cities. Last but not least, you’ll find some of the best food and wine in the world, from cheese to cured ham and sausages—and, of course, great coffee for around one euro per cup.
So it was, with images like these in mind, that my wife and I mounted our trusty steeds one May morning on the outskirts of San Gimignano in the south of the region. Our first journey in Tuscany. Would it live up to the hype?
Medieval Skylines
We are staying in a wonderful little farmstead called Fattoria San Donato just a few miles away from San Gimignano. There’s not a cloud in the powder-blue sky as we join SP47 and ride toward San Gimignano on a winding, narrow road flanked with yellow flowering broom bushes and occasional needle-sharp cypress trees. Traffic is light and the road is fun, although more tourist vehicles unsurprisingly appear as we get close to the turn-off to the town. San Gimignano is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Italy, with more than three million visitors annually. There are often up to 160 tour buses in the bus park at one time.
Motorcycles & Gear
2022 Kawasaki Versys 1000
2022 Yamaha Tracer 9
Helmet: Shoei Neotec
Jacket: Held Cool System Leather, Helite airbag vest
Pants: ProBiker Textile
Boots: Alpinestars New Land Gore-Tex
Gloves: Vanucci Viscolab
Luggage: SW Motech tankbag
Comm system: Sena 50S
San Gimignano can be seen from all directions over great distances due to its famous skyline of medieval towers. Although a rare sight today, pointy skylines were the norm in Tuscany in the Middle Ages, when feuding noble families ran the hill towns. Each family had its private army and viewed the world from the protection of their respective towers. Today, 14 of the original 72 towers still stand.
If you are riding in this region you will definitely want to spend some time off the bike exploring this gem of a locale. What’s more, it boasts to be home to the world’s best ice cream—and after sampling it, I have to say they are probably right. We spend an hour or so in and around the main square before remounting and heading off in the direction of Colle di Val d’Elsa.
Looking for the View
The route takes us back to whence we just came from on SP47. This really is a nice road through rolling countryside, passing fine Tuscan houses, groomed vineyards, and gnarled olive plantations. We soon reach the little town of Castel San Gimignano (not to be confused with San Gimignano), where we turn left onto SS68. This is a faster main road with smooth asphalt winding through open vistas of the agricultural land all around. A mosaic of red poppy flowers replaces the roadside broom bushes. We soon reach our next stop.