Firenze to Radda in Chianti: Our first day in the saddle.
Day One of our planned six days of biking through Tuscany. It's difficult to describe how I feel about today. It ranks up there as one of the most difficult physical challenges I've ever faced. It was also one of the most fun and memorable days of my life. Where to even begin?
We said 'good-bye' to our adorable AirBnB just outside of Florence's original city walls first thing this morning.
After hearing so many good things from friends, locals and the Internet, we didn't want to leave town without stopping by La Managérè for breakfast. We were not disappointed! It's a café/bar/flowershop/late night music venue that's close enough to the city center to be convenient, but far enough away to feel quaint. David said it was the coolest place he'd ever seen; I tend to agree.
After our very un-Italian breakfast feast, we hit the road. Making it out of the Florence metro area was a bit stressful, but it wasn't long before the suburbs gave way to quiet country lanes -- and rolling hills. We huffed and puffed our way into wine country, and just before Greve in Chianti we stopped at Fattoria Viticcio for a wine tasting / snackfest that turned into our lunch. After 2+ hours of climbing, it definitely hit the spot.
We left Greve in Chianti in good spirits, fueled with wine, bread, cheese and Tuscan salami (just me on that last one)... only to face the toughest climb of the day, almost immediately. We sloughed on for miles, back-and-forth up seemingly neverending steep switchbacks.
Right about the time I had resolved myself to quitting, the hills finally opened up to Panzano (and adorable hilltown) followed by miles of easy downhill cruising.
If you've ever run a distance race, you can identify with that feeling of self-accomplishment and self-pride that comes with finishing -- no matter how tough it may have been. But it's the completion that's a victory for its own sake. I never understood (until today) the adrenaline high that could accompany defeating a formidable mountain foe, taking in the unbelievable views at the top, then enjoying the downhill glide because it's so well-deserved -- because you didn't quit, even though you wanted to.
After another sustained climb, we made it to our resting place for this evening, Radda in Chianti. Our ride today was 35 miles, and over 3500 feet of climbing. For comparison, our most strenuous training ride was 35 miles and about 1500 feet of climbing. 😵 We weren't totally unprepared or out of our element, but it was... very hard.
The exhaustion somehow didn't hold a flame to the desire to soak up this beautiful place where we've landed for the evening. Our Bed & Breakfast (pictured above) sits atop a beautiful ridge line that looks like something out of a movie. The Italian grandmother who plied us with wine and pastries upon arrival was one of the most endearing people I've ever met. (As it turns out, speaking Spanish pretty well makes communication with a non-English-speaking Italian pretty manageable.) After we showered and settled-in, we walked up to Radda in Chianti proper.
Did I mention the weather is unbelievably nice?
In such a small town, we were able to quickly narrow-in on 2-3 places that seemed best-suited for us for dinner. We settled on la Bottega di Giovanni... for the location, outdoor seating, reasonable prices and Veg options. We ate like kings.
And that's it! Tomorrow morning we ride for Siena -- which thankfully, should be pretty chill. Our second-to-last day is supposed to be pretty gnarly, and after the difficultly we faced today, taking a bus is not out of the question. We're going to keep taking it one day at a time!