Carlo’s Chianti Classico
Badia a Passignano – Greve in Chianti – Panzano in Chianti – Radda in Chianti – Lecchi in Chianti – Siena– Monteriggioni – Castellina in Chianti – Badia a Passignano
This ride will start next to the 11th century monastery of Badia a Passignano. A super small town in the northern parts of the Chianti hills. From here the ride will take you for a full day out through the Chianti landscape and the characteristic Tuscan towns.
The Chianti area is nowadays mostly know for its red Sangiovese wine with the same name as the region: Chianti. Vineyards and olive trees cover large part of the Chianti hilly slopes that you will be riding today.
The ride will immediately go for a little uphill road after which a truly stunning downhill will pass through maybe the most characteristic of today’s towns: Montefioralle. Continuing through Greve and Panzano in Chianti, often visited by the Giro d’Italia, the ride will leave the province of Florence and continue for the larger part in the greater area of Siena.
Climbing towards Radda in Chianti and then descending through Lecchi in Chianti will bring you to Siena. Here you can ride the amazing and notorious streets of the Strade Bianche race. For cyclist unfortunately it is forbidden to ride their bikes on the Piazza del Campo, but from a small distance or a little by foot Siena remains a spectacular city.
After Siena the ride comes close to lunch, down below one of the few completely intact fortified villages; Monteriggioni. Advised dish: Pici al ragù di Cinghiale. Just ask Carlo. After lunch it’s time for the longst and last climb of the ride. From 85 meters of altitude the climb goes to Castellina in Chianti to reach the summit at 625m. The reward? Great views and a long decent back to the starting point. This ride for sure is an effort and long day, but it’s worth every drop of sweat!
