Where you say Tuscany, you say white gravel roads like the Strade Bianche, old historic villages, and the typical Cypress trees that tower above everything in the undulating landscape. Of course, we all know Siena as the epicentre of Tuscany when it comes to cycling - and nowadays gravelling - especially the Piazza del Campo where the Strade Bianche finishes. Pisa, in turn, is known for the Tower of Pisa. You know, that leaning tower that all tourists try to push straight with that one iconic photo. When in Pisa, be sure to look around, because you'll laugh your head off at how many rows of people are standing there with two arms out in front of vision and someone shouting 'No, a bit more to the left. Higher. Yes!' You will also see many more beautiful historical buildings than just that white leaning tower. Case in point: 'Trust me, I'm an engineer'.
Text and photos: Andrea Lodder
Terre di Pisa Biketrail
The Terre di Pisa Biketrail starts at Piazza del Duomo, in front of the Tower of Pisa. The route counts a whopping 524 kilometres before you roll back in here and can say you have successfully completed it. You can easily complete the route in 1 week, and also enjoy a bit of the beautiful surroundings I'll tell you all about later. You can go all-in and bikepack the route like a true adventurer, or go for the 'quick' option with a few items and ride from hotel to hotel. It's totally up to you! We now only have 3 days, so we'll get to see the most beautiful places you really shouldn't miss when you're in the Pisa region.
Casciana Terme
Our first day on the Terre di Pisa Biketrail starts in Casciana Terme. A village known for its thermal springs that, according to an ancient story, are said to have healing properties. As warm as the water that comes out of the ground here is, it will be cold and wet today. We start right away with a climb to warm up the legs and roll onto the first gravel path. OK, fair is fair. It is secretly a bit warmer than expected, and Italian rain does feel different from the cold Dutch rain. So the leg warmers come off quickly and the first ride in shorts of the year is a fact.
Foggy peaks
After an hour of climbing, we reach the summit, shrouded in fog. You can't see far ahead, but the view is bound to be beautiful. The descent certainly is! We are lucky to be able to put on a dry and, more importantly, warm suit at the bottom of the descent before making a loop around the lake 'Lago di Santa Luce'. A welcome change from this morning's muddy gravel paths. A watery sunshine provides some warmth on the way to our much-discussed lunch spot. Because you know, if there's one thing Italians are passionate about, it's food. And that's also in one word how to describe Dario. One of the passionate forces behind this so-called 'Agriturismo'. Everything you eat here at Il Poggio Della Pieve food is locally grown, and even the olive oil is made on the farm itself. There are numerous olive trees in the garden which are used for this purpose.
Further up towards Teatro del Silenzio
Bellies full, we continued on our way for an 8-kilometre climb and subsequent descent. Meanwhile, the watery sun has turned into a true Tuscan sun as we set course towards Lajatico where the finish line for today lies. And it is in a remarkable place. Namely Andrea Bocelli's open-air theatre 'Teatro del Silenzio'. Who was born in Lajatico. A musical piece of history, because who doesn't know Bocelli! We end the day with a little musical ode. Luckily, we still have the footage of this.
New day - even more beautiful strade
For day two, we descend to the southernmost tip of the Terre di Pisa Biketrail. A loop with start and finish in the geothermal area of Pomarance. You may be thinking; geothermal? Surely that has to do with volcanoes? That's right! Don't ask me too much about it, but there are a lot of active springs in the ground here from which a lot of sulphur gases emerge, which can be seen - and smelled - everywhere, and with them a lot of underground geysers which provide a lot of energy and leave the earth with the necessary force. A hugely impressive sight! Never knew this was possible in Tuscany. I think that is one of the nice surprises that the Terre di Pisa Biketrail brings. The route shows you a different, perhaps slightly undiscovered side, of Tuscany.
Villages, hills, nonnas
So are the small picturesque villages atop the mountains. Or hills. For us Dutch, they are mountains. Where an Italian nonna cannot believe her luck when she sees our group of 'beautiful young men' and tells us, with a smile from ear to ear, how nice she thinks it is that there are people in 'her' village. These are the moments you don't easily forget. As is the approaching climb which looks challenging on the Komoot profile alone. But first, lunch. We eat a nice pasta, with some 'geothermally' home-brewed beer at Vapori di Birra. Some will call it encouragement, others a welcome break. Nevertheless, a fine local enterprise with, once again, a great story to accompany their products.
Steep, steeper, steepest
We are approaching the steepest climb of the day. Just a little heads-up, on Komoot you can't see what the exact surface is. Neither does this true wall of boulders. I think this section is the '2.0' from the title. When, besides our group on gravel bikes, only locals on electric mountain bikes pass by, and also struggle with it, you know it's serious. But that is perhaps precisely what makes the challenge so beautiful. Here, you have to concentrate on riding the right line, keeping pressure on the pedals and, every now and then, screaming at yourself that you can do it. If not, turn around, descend a bit and redo the part you didn't make first. Just to show you can do it, which is true. I'm sure I won't be the only one doing this. Right? In the end, everyone gets to the top at their own pace, which is an achievement in itself. The final reward lies just over the top, where you can see the reflection of the sun in the Mediterranean sea between the mountain peaks. This is pure (cycling) luck if you ask me.
Sloping downhill
I won't soon forget the words 'from here it's downhill' either. Let's just say this is downhill by Italian standards. Anyway, no more long climbs but little bites in the calves where you just have to grit your teeth. We ride into the sunset, another beautiful sight on a bike. The sky turns orangey-pink as the little humming Fiat Pandas pass us on the motorway towards Pomarance. In just before dark. A bus ride to Volterra follows, from where we will start our last stage tomorrow morning.
Volterra as starting point for day three
So today we start from Volterra. The beauty of this place is hard to express in words. The city has a population of just under 10,000 and is one of the Etruscan cities, bringing with it a lot of history. This is reflected in the Roman theatre just outside the city walls and the recently discovered Teatro Romano di Volterra, which is still being excavated. Plenty to see when you are here!
We descend further before embarking on a nice gravel climb of about 10 kilometres, surrounded by the typical Cypresses, and yes..... finally the white Tuscan gravel! Top that with a bright sun and blue sky, and you get a smile from ear to ear. Today is a relatively easy day when it comes to the surface. Definitely a welcome change from yesterday. After kilometre 30 it's mostly downhill, followed by some rolling hills and an occasional calf bite before we arrive at kilometre 45 at perhaps the prettiest restaurant I've ever seen. Not necessarily beautiful as in - beautifully built - but the location is genuinely breathtaking. The terrace overlooks the beautiful Tuscan countryside, and in the distance you can see the 'Teatro del Silenzio' where we finished the day before yesterday. The casual Italian atmosphere certainly helps too, let alone the food. Because let's face it, secretly we cycle to eat, and when the bike takes us that to a place like Agriturismo Diacceroni, we are very happy very quickly. Again, everything you eat here comes from local farms and is freshly prepared. Besides this great restaurant, you can also stay here in one of the old farmhouses, with a swimming pool that overlooks the countryside. A place of your dreams if you ask me.
Party pace overboard
Only 15 more kilometres until this amazing trip comes to an end. We ride towards Peccioli, where the finish line of this trip lies. But not without a little finale, because no matter how much we like the 'easy gravel pace', a sign sprint is and remains a serious business. So the last 5 kilometres are all the way to the 'Peccioli' sign, where we descend to a café for a well-deserved aperitivo to toast a great trip.
The creators of this trail have put their heart and soul into this, and it really shows. Daniele and Daniele - yes really - are real locals and know all the great spots and are only too happy to tell you about their beautiful Pisa. The Terre di Pisa Biketrail is really not what you expect it to be, or maybe just because of the word 'trail'. It can rightly be called a trail and definitely not a route for the 'faint hearted'. Some technical steering skills are definitely required here and you should certainly not be afraid of ending up in the more remote places without range. That, in my opinion, is also a bit the essence of gravel and bikepacking, that you might encounter yourself and, above all, have to be a bit self-reliant.
Official launch on 9 October 2024
On 9 October, the route will be officially launched and you can ride it in different ways. Bikepacking style, or as light as possible with only the much-needed essentials. The entire route counts 527 kilometres and just under 10,000 altimeters, and almost 50% is unpaved. The estimated duration of the entire Terre di Pisa biketrail is about 8 days, but of course you can choose to finish the route as quickly as possible. Mind you, it's not a race so you won't win anything. I therefore recommend taking your time and, above all, enjoying all the beautiful things you come across along the route. Below is the route collection of Erwin Sikkens who was with us on this trip.
Be sure to check the website in the near future for more info; https://www.terredipisabiketrail.it/
More gravel in Tuscany? Then also read this story by Robert
