TRAVEL | TUSCANY
While the temperatures in Germany are already hovering around freezing point, the mild weather in Tuscany in mid-November is still wonderful for touring. Perfect conditions for a little riding season extension with the new BMW R 1300 GS Adventure.
The fact that Tuscany is a worthwhile destination is no longer a secret, at least since Goethe's Italian Journey. Every year, millions of visitors from all over the world throng through the alleyways of the picturesque old towns, admire the palazzi, stand in awe of the works of Michelangelo and Da Vinci or indulge in the excellent cuisine.
But there is also a quieter side to this magnificent cultural landscape. When the crowds start to die down at the end of September and the streams of visitors dry up in the course of October, peace returns to the hills and around the ancient walls.
At eight degrees in autumn, we start the engines of our adventure bikes at half past eight in the morning. The tyres crunch on the gravel as we leisurely cover the first few metres. It takes us a few minutes on a well-maintained gravel road to reach the main road, then we plunge into the turmoil of the bends. The narrow country road winds up and down hills through wooded terrain. The tarmac is grippy and clean, and the traffic sparse. Ideal conditions for loosening the reins on the motorbikes. The forest soon thins out and from the hilltops we have magnificent views of the impressive silhouette of Siena.
Connecting road with a fun factor.
Unpaved roads branch off to the left and right. However, these are not dirt tracks that end in nowhere, but regular parts of the Tuscan transport network. Jo, who is responsible for all things digital at Touratech, also knows his way around the offline world. Especially here in Tuscany, which the keen enduro rider has been travelling extensively for many years. ‘These are the famous ‘Strade bianche’, they get their name from their almost white surface,’ Jo knows. Irene and I are happy to follow him along these well-maintained gravel paths. However, we keep our distance from one another, as each of us leaves an impressive trail of dust behind us.
However, if desired, one can go a few steps further down the hierarchy of roads. We lose ourselves on our adventure bikes in a seemingly endless tangle of smaller side roads that wind their way through woodland, follow gentle valleys or climb hilltops. Water channels, sections of rough pebble as well as steep climbs and descents add to the fun of these excursions. Even though November is already well advanced, the temperatures are in the double digits at midday. The more challenging the terrain, the more air we let into our suits.
Cypress avenue on a stately estate.
Cypress trees are an inseparable part of the clichés of Tuscany. In the landscape, which is often completely bare outside the wooded areas, they create striking accents with their pointed silhouettes - as groups high on hilltops, framing farmhouses or as elegant avenues along the winding roads.
Probably the most famous of these cypress avenues can be found in the Val d'Orcia, near Terrapille to be eaxct. Director Ridley Scott used the idyllic scenery in his epic film ‘Gladiator’ as a counterpoint to the hectic battle scenes in the city.
Once again, we leave the country road and turn off onto a dirt track. After a short downhill section, a stream crosses the way. Fortunately, the ford is not too deep and easy to see at the moment, so we drive to the other bank with a nice fountain of water without further reconnaissance. Immediately behind the stream, the remains of a mill can be seen before we pass under a viaduct the former railway line that connected the lignite mines of Murlo with Grosseto on the Mediterranean coast from the 19th to the middle of the 20th century. Immediately after the brick archway, a huge adventure playground for sports enthusiasts opens up on the right. Erosion has carved deep but wonderfully rounded gullies into the hardened sand. Steep ascents climb the 20 metre-high escarpment. Fresh tracks show that someone recently had a lot of fun here. With the large touring enduros, we wisely stay in the foot zone of the area and roll across the undulating terrain.
Today we are spared the ford...
The following forest track is much better suited to our massive motorbikes, which we follow winding up to the next country road.
Along the Strade bianche, we often come across signposts labelled ‘Eroica’. Here too, Jo's local knowledge helps. ‘The Eroica is a bicycle race exclusively for racing bikes with steel frames that were manufactured up to 1987,’ he explains. Almost 3,000 metres in altitude are covered by the cyclists on the most challenging and, at almost 150 kilometres, also the longest of the five available laps. Around 60 kilometres are on gravel, the rest on asphalt. This is roughly the same ratio as on our route. With the small but decisive difference that we don't feel the countless metres of altitude in our bones. Nevertheless, by the time we roll into the grounds of our accommodation at the last light, we are a little exhausted.
The sat nav helps us find our way through the maze of small paths.
‘Bimm, bimm, bimm’, the assembled team startles as landlord Angelo rings a bell. ‘Mangiare!’, he shouts in a booming voice. All of a sudden, we are wide awake again, having grown a little drowsy in front of the crackling open fire in the dining room of Agriturismo Viamaggio. Shortly afterwards, the first course appears before us, two small portions of gratin, one with aubergines and parmesan, the other in the style of a lasagna. Hmm, that feels good after a day on the motorbike - and arouses anticipation for the next courses.
Angelo De Mitri, our host's full name, grew up on the farm south-west of Siena. When he was a young boy, his mother bought the property and turned it into a horse farm. Angelo rode every corner of the 400 hectares of land on his enduro, perfecting his technique and eventually competing in the Italian championship and the Red Bull Romaniacs. When his mother retired, Angelo converted the business into an enduro guesthouse with a huge off-road area. There are around 60 kilometres of enduro tracks on the heavily relieved terrain. The spectrum ranges from flat meadow trails to steep and challenging climbs. The trails are divided into three levels of difficulty, with a colour coding system to help guests make the right choice. There are 12 accommodation options, from double to quadruple rooms, with a total of 30 beds.
‘Many of our guests come from German-speaking countries,’ explains Raffaele, Angelo's right-hand man. He once came as a guest himself on his enduro bike, but now he's kind of the go-to man for everything here. ‘But enduro fans even travel to us from Belgium and the Netherlands,’ says Raffaele, who speaks very good German.
Travelling on endless stretches of gravel in the hills.
But it's not just individualists who take advantage of the Viamaggio, manufacturers also book the location for their product presentations. Beta has been coming here since 2011, and last year Dunlop presented a new touring enduro tyre on the site. ‘It always gets particularly exciting before the start of the season,’ explains Raffaele. ‘That's when top international riders come here to train’. Thus, the dozen or so framed jerseys on the wall resemble a who's who of the international enduro scene. Gio Sala, Manni Lettenbichler, Alex Salvini, Steve Holcombe and many more have left Angelo their jerseys as thanks for his hospitality.
By the time dessert is finally on the table, the wine carafe has already been emptied a good bit. And then Angelo makes his way through the rows of guests with a kind of mega-flask that is more the size of a canister. It is fitting that he advertises the contents as ‘benzina’. However, well-informed circles claim that it is actually a good grappa. Fortunately, we found our way to bed early, as there was still plenty to explore around our accommodation the next day.
Dusk sets in early in late autumn.
After a few kilometres, we arrive in a more spacious landscape with less forest than the day before. Huge fields stretch across hills and valleys. The harvest has already been brought in, so pastel shades of beige dominate the picture in the mild autumn light.
We rely on Jo's navigation and follow him along bumpy country lanes through the gently undulating landscape. In places, there are deep gullies in the paths. Having been driven into the clay when wet, these structures are now as hard as concrete. During the apparently heavy rainfall, we wouldn't have stood a chance with our heavy motorbikes in the mud, but now we're having fun balancing along the ridges between the deep furrows.
Once we have passed the hilly terrain with its geometrically ploughed patterns, we return to more wooded areas. Where there are no holm oaks and other evergreen trees, the canopy is already thinning out. A thick layer of foliage covers the ground and the leaves swirl lively behind our motorbikes.
Tour of the old town centre of Motalcino.
Famous for its wines, Montalcino is enthroned on a hill, visible from afar. A resolute policewoman directs us to a car park on the edge of the old town and we set off on foot to discover the town. The squares and alleyways are now pleasantly empty out of season. Despite the summer mass tourism, Montalcino has retained its status as a town with a sophisticated way of life. High-quality shops selling delicatessen, leather goods and handicrafts line the main street - and of course countless enoteche, although their prices are well above our budget.
Wine tasting in Montalcino.
We discover the cosy restaurant ‘La Taverna di Baietto’. It serves small dishes accompanied by wine tastings, but we opt for the dry variety. Pinsa, the Tuscan version of pizza, is prepared here with different toppings. There is a choice of regional ham, mortadella, butter cheese, black and white stracciatella cheese and much more. If you're still hungry when you leave the restaurant, you can stock up on a huge refrigerated shelf with a wide variety of salami and ham, while those with a taste for the sweet things will find cakes and biscuits in abundance.
When we look at the distances we have covered so far on the map, we realise that we have not travelled too far from our accommodation despite the many kilometres we have covered. And that won't change on the third day of travelling. The highlights that Jo has marked on a Google map for the last stage are also within a radius of no more than 25 kilometres as the crow flies. Today's main destination is the impressive Abbazia San Galgano monastery ruins.
A relaxing stretch of road.
As has proved to be the case over the past few days, we also embed this POI in a varied mix of winding country roads, strade bianche and more challenging forest and field paths. And one could go on like this for many more days, varying the technical level of the routes almost at will and returning to the Viamaggio satisfied in the evening.
‘Benzina!’ As Angelo's voice booms through the dining room and he generously pours out his fuel, we realise that, after three eventful days, our late autumn trip through Tuscany has now come to an end.
ACCOMODATION
Agriturismo Viamaggio
Strada vicinale di viamaggio 953016 Murlo SI, ItaliaFon
+39 335 763 91 86
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