Val d'Orcia Gravel

Introduction

Val d'Orcia Guided Gravel Bike Tour is a 340 km (211 miles) guided bike tour that develops between the provinces of Siena and Grosseto along the characteristic white roads of Tuscany. It is a ring tour with significant differences in height and allows you to cross historic villages, areas with a strong landscape interest and valuable areas of wine production.

1^st stage: Buonconvento – Pienza

Under the bells of the church of Saints Peter and Paul, the adventure begins, which from Buonconvento in the province of Siena leads to the heights of the Crete Senesi, near the magnificent abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore. Continuing with alternating climbs and descents on gravel paths, we reach the base of the hill on which the famous town of Montalcino stands. Between fantastic hilly environments embellished with rows of cypresses, you cross San Quirico d’Orcia before ending the day in Pienza.

2^nd stage: Pienza – Ponte a Rigo

From the World Heritage Site where some scenes of the film The Gladiator were shot, we head first to the ancient Roman baths of Bagno Vignoni and then to the imposing Rocca Tentennano adjacent to Castiglione d’Orcia. Through the Via Francigena you reach the Rocca di Radicofani, which in effect represents the icing on the cake of this magnificent day on the pedals that will end a little further on, in Ponte a Rigo.

3^rd stage: Ponte a Rigo – Montalcino

From Ponte a Rigo you enter the lands that form the background of the most representative mountain of this magnificent area: Mount Amiata, which with its 1738 m of altitude dominates the Val d'Orcia and Val di Paglia delimiting the provinces of Siena and Grosseto. Continuing along its eastern side, you cross Abbadia San Salvatore and the village of Vivo d’Orcia before entering the province of Grosseto and resting your bicycle on the walls of Seggiano. Between pleasant ups and downs and imposing historical monuments you reach the gates of Montalcino, a Sienese town where the precious Brunello wine is produced.

4^th stage: Montalcino – Casciano

In this fourth stage the attractions will not be lacking, starting from the dirt roads and the permanent route of the Eroica that have made this region famous. You pass the Brunello di Montalcino production area and end the day pedaling on the daring route of the old railway of the Murlo mine, an experience that smells of a past linked to the extraction of lignite.

5^th stage: Casciano – Rosia

From the town of Casciano you enter the Basso Merse Nature Reserve located in the namesake valley. From the contiguous thermal area of Bagni di Petriolo, reachable through a fun gravel route, continue in the woods of the wild Val di Merse between climbs and descents on dirt roads until you reach the suggestive abbey of San Galgano and the village of Rosia, with views of the nearby metalliferous hills.

6^th stage: Rosia – Buonconvento

(41 km 500m D+: paved 40%; gravel 60%)(25,4 miles 1640 feet elevation gain)

On the last day of pedaling, you leave the Alto Merse Nature Reserve behind you and touch the medieval core of Stigliano and continue in hilly environments embellished by villages and fairytale settings. Once at the gates of Siena, turn south along pleasant dirt roads with excellent pedalability until the end of the gravel loop tour in Buonconvento.

• Buonconvento and the Crete Senesi
• The historic centre UNESCO site of Pienza
• The Strade Bianche and the permanent route of l'Eroica by bicycle
• Finocchiona and Brunello wine D.O.C.G., Cantucci and Vinsanto
• The historic abbeys of Sant' Antimo and San Galgano
• The old railway of Murlo
• Followinf Sigeric's path along Via Francigena
• The val di Merse Natural Reserve
  
• Bagno Vignoni and the ancient Roman baths
• The endless cypress trees rows in val d'Orcia

4 out of 5

The difficulty level of this Val d'Orcia Gravel Tour depends on 3 factors:

• daily distances between 40 and 65 km (24,8 and 40,3 miles)
• significant positive difference in height
• gravel ground for most of the route

If you're a demanding traveller/cyclist and want to test your training on challenging terrains and ascents, you'll be fully satisfied. You'll be able to mix the training together with views and a complete cultural experience.