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For many of us Tuscany is the
essence of Italy. Over the centuries travelers have
come here to visit the cities of Florence, Siena and
Arezzo, as well as the charming hill towns of
Montalcino and San Gimignano. Our ride take you
through the beautiful countryside, with its terraced
vineyards, cypress avenues and extensive woodland -
visit abbeys, castles, Romanesque churches and
medieval villages. As riders you are especially
privileged, able to ride off the beaten track, to
explore the world of Dante, Galileo, and Leonardo da
Vinci. Alternatively forget culture and bask in the
beauty of it all.
The ride has two half days of riding from the
farmhouse base, then a circular ride close to the
medieval walled city of Siena. Your stay for two
nights in Siena is at a very comfortable and
historic hotel near the city centre. The ride takes
you past some of the seventy castles of the Chianti
region and still allows time for excursions.
You start from the seventeenth century country house
on the eastern flanks of the Chianti hills and then
spend 2 nights nights in Siena.
This is usually in the Palazzo Ravizza, an elegant
17th century mansion within a short walk of Il
Campo. Although dating back to the Renaissance,
parts of the building go back to the twelfth
century.
You will enjoy delicious genuine Tuscan
cooking with most of the food, including the olive
oil, produced on the farm.
 IT-ITRT04
Rates: incl. accommodations, all
meals except 1 dinner in Siena, 5 riding days.
8 days/ 7 nights $
2,195 Single: +$ 350
-- based on €
1545 / € 250
2008 Dates:
04/19-04/26 05/03-05/10
05/17-05/24
09/20-09/27 10/04-10/11
reservation&availability
Also:
Stationary riding weeks
Tuscan Discovery Weeks
IT-ITSR02
8 days/ 7 nights $ 1,745
Single: +$ 270
-- based on €
1225 / € 190
-- non riders $1295 (€ 905)
Special Novice weeks: $320 OFF
2008 Dates:
04/05-04/12
04/12-04/19
04/26-05/03
05/24-05/31 05/31-06/07
06/07-06/14
09/13-09/20
09/27-10/04
10/11-10/18
10/18-10/25
reservation&availability
Incl. all meals with wine
see itinerary
Meeting: Rendola
Train station: Montevarchi
Airport:
Florence
Transfer: included at 5:45 PM
Level:
Low
intermediate+
Tack: English
Horses: Arab, part Arab,
Sicilian and Maremmano
Pace:
Moderate with trots and
short canters
Min/Max: 3-7 riders for the Chianti Trail
2-10 for Discovery weeks
Note: Spring is
a very special time in Tuscany and perfect for
adults - lots of flowers and green meadows.
see
Accommodations:
This small family-run farm holiday centre in the
Chianti hills was established way back in1969,.
While surrounded by un-spoilt countryside
(vineyards, olive-groves and woodland), it is less
than thirty miles from Florence and Siena by car and
only three miles from the station of Montevarchi.
The seventeenth-century house has a panoramic view
over the Arno valley. It is typically Tuscan, with
its pigeon-loft, beams, terracotta floors and
arches. Each bedroom is attractively furnished and
has its own small bathroom. There is a sitting room
with a large selection of English books and of
classical music and a fire is prepared on the hearth
on wintry days.
It is not for people who are looking for elegance.
Hens and ducks peck around the house, the family dog
lies on the doorstep and you may find a cat curled
up in an armchair. No one has to dress up on any
occasion. Jenny Bawtree and her son Nicholas are
happy to welcome true country-lovers to their home
and guests quickly become friends, often returning
again and again.
Two nights in Siena. This is usually in the
Palazzo Ravizza, an elegant 17th century mansion
within a short walk of Il Campo. Although dating
back to the Renaissance, parts of the building go
back to the twelfth century. Still owned by the same
family, it has been recently renovated to offer the
modern facilities nowadays required, while
maintaining its original character. No longer the
venue of scholars and artists, Palazzo Ravizza still
offers the qualities that attracted them. The salon,
the sitting rooms, the bar and the restaurant offer,
together with the garden, a quiet atmosphere of
simple elegance with a refined service for the
discerning traveller. The rooms, all different in
size and style, have maintained the original
terra-cotta and parquet floors, the frescoed or
decorated ceilings, the old fashioned bevel-glass
windows, the carved wooden doorways and the antique
furniture of the 17th - 19th century which belonged
to the Grottanelli family. If you wish a
single room at the hotel, it is subject to
availability and a supplement of €200 payable
locally.
Meals
The food is a highlight of
the week. Jenny’s friend Pietro has been cooking for
her for many years and his recipes are Italian
cooking at their best. Dinner will typically
comprise three courses: pasta, meat or fish course,
fruit or sweet and then coffee. There may not always
be a vegetarian alternative to the meat dish, but
vegetarians will have plenty to eat with the pasta
and vegetables.
The
Chianti wine flows freely at the farm every evening. |
Hotel in Siena:
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Itinerary
Day 1 Saturday
Meet your host Jenny or her son Nicholas at the main
bar in Florence train station at 5:45 PM.
(look out for the
SELF-SERVICE sign!)
After a
forty-minute train journey to Montevarchi take a
ten-minute drive in a minivan to the riding center, the
400-year-old typically Tuscan home of your hosts.
Settle in and then enjoy with them a glass of
Chianti Classico. Dinner and overnight.
Day 2. After breakfast meet the horses in
the stables behind the house. Set off on a two
and a half hour ride through the olive groves,
vineyards and woodlands of the Arno valley,
passing pretty farmhouses and medieval villages.
After lunch a short siesta (most welcome!), and
then some local sightseeing with Jenny, who is a
very knowledgeable guide. First a short drive to
the medieval village of Loro Ciuffenna, built
round a ravine. Enjoy some Italian ice-cream and
then drive to a Romanesque church nearby with an
8th century pulpit and animal carvings. On the
way back walk along the main shopping street of
Montevarchi. For supper a choice of genuine
Italian pizzas.
Day 3. After breakfast a two and a half hour
hour ride on the Eastern slopes of the Chianti
mountains with panoramic views. After lunch at
Rendola go by van to the Abbey of Coltibuono,
and have a guided tour of the cellars and
gardens, followed by a chance to sample and buy
Chianti wine and local ceramics in the estate
shop. Dinner and overnight.
Day 4. Ride southwards, passing the tower of
Galatrona, a lake and the ruined castle of
Cennina. After a picnic in the woods above the
village of Montebenichi, ride past its two
castles, and then on to a riding-centre owned by
a friend of your hosts, situated near the Castle
of Montalto. The ride lasts nearly five hours.
Dinner and night either there or back at the
riding center.
Day 5. Today you ride for three and a half
hours, first with frequent canters through the
vast estate of Villa Arceno with its cypress
avenues and extensive views, and then over the
Chianti Mountains, following an ancient Etruscan
way, tuntil you enter the area where theChianti
Classico wine is grown, with its symbol of a
black rooster. The horses are stabled at Corbina,
a charming farmhouse with Siena visible on the
horizon, and there you will have a picnic. Then
you go by van to visit the gardens and chapel of
the castle of Brolio, which has belonged to the
Ricasoli barons since the 12th century. The most
illustrious member of the family was Bettino
Ricasoli, statesman, agriculturist and inventor
of the traditional formula for the Chianti
Classico wine. You are then driven to Siena,
where you will have dinner and spend the night
at Palazzo Ravizza, an elegant 17th century
mansion, once the home of a noble Sienese
family.
Day 6. Today you are free to explore the
city of Siena, with its wonderful architecture,
art treasures and great shopping. Don't forget
to visit the cathedral in black and white marble
and to stroll round the Piazza del Campo, where
the famous Palio race is held twice a year.
Night at Ravizza.
Day 7. Drive back to Corbina and ride
through the vast estate of Brolio, passing the
house where Bertolucci’s “Stealing Beauty” was
filmed. After passing the brooding castle,
follow a stream through shady woods and pass the
village of San Martino with its herd of
long-horned Maremmano cattle. Have a barbecue in
shady woods near Castagnoli, then ride back over
the Chianti mountains near Monte Luco (2.500
ft.) and descend to the riding center for your
farewell dinner (5 hours’ riding).
Day 8. After breakfast you are driven to
Montevarchi to meet your train for Florence.
Alternatively, take the train to Rome. Own
arrangements for your onward journey.
Stationary
Riding weeks
Tuscan Discovery
Weeks
The farmhouse and stables are on the eastern
slopes of the Chianti Mountains. Before it lies the
broad valley of the Arno and beyond, the long ridge
of the Pratomagno, with its highest point of 1,591
meters. On the other side lies the Casentino Valley,
rich in castles and Romanesque churches. Behind
Rendola stretches the range of Chianti Mountains
with their highest point of 890 meters.
This combination of riding and driving takes you
into the hills of Chianti, the unspoiled area
between Florence and Siena. During the week there
are frequent opportunities to meet the friendly and
hospitable Tuscan people, as well as sample the
varied wonders of Tuscan cooking complimented with
Chianti wine.
Day 1: Arrive in Florence and either drive to
Rendola, OR meet at Florence train station at 5.45pm
and transfer to Montevarchi / Rendola, the 400 year
old typically Tuscan home of your hosts. Settle in
for the week, have drinks, dinner and relax.
Day 2: (Sun): Breakfast and morning ride (about
2 ½ hours) through vineyards, olive-groves and
woodland, passing near an 11th century tower and a
14th century church. Return to Rendola for lunch.
After a short siesta join your host for a lesson in
the pronunciation of Italian, which will prove
useful over the following days (learn, for example,
that the “ch” in Montevarchi is pronounced lie a
“k”!) For dinner, freshly made, truly Italian pizzas
cooked in a wood oven followed by dessert.
Day 3: (Mon): Breakfast and morning ride
(approx. 2 ½ hours) in the wooded hills north of
Rendola, scattered with traditional farmhouses.
After lunch, a guided visit to the famous frescoes
of Piero della Francesca in the ancient city of
Arezzo, made famous by the film, “Life is
Beautiful”. There will be an opportunity to do some
shopping there. Dinner and night at Rendola.
Day 4: (Tue): Day ride and picnic in the
Chianti hills south of Rendola (about 4 ½ hours),
passing the medieval village of San Leolino, and
castles of Cennina and Lupinari. In the afternoon
ride back to Rendola where you will have the
opportunity to help prepare a buffet supper using
local herbs and vegetables.
Day 5: (Wed): A free day to make your own
arrangements for sightseeing, perhaps to visit
Arezzo, Florence, Assisi or Orvieto - take your
pick! All are an easy train ride from Montevarchi
and you will be driven to and from Montevarchi
station. For those of you who prefer to hike, maps
of local trails will be provided, and also a picnic
lunch at a small extra charge. Dinner at Rendola
(lunch is not included today but can be arranged if
you wish, for a small extra charge
Day 6: (Thu): A morning visit with your guide
to Montevarchi and its famous weekly market. Lunch
at a typical Tuscan restaurant in Loro Ciuffenna, a
medieval village built round a ravine on the other
side of the Arno valley. Return to Rendola for
either an afternoon ride of about two hours,
returning to the farmhouse in the late afternoon, or
a lesson with the instructor in the school.
Day 7: (Fri): A final day ride to the top of
the Chianti hills (nearly 2,500 feet) behind Rendola
with views of the area where the Chianti Classico
wine is grown, visiting two mountain villages,
Solata and Starda on the way. Enjoy a barbecue
picnic on the ridge. If the conditions are
uncertain, an alternative ride in the valley will be
offered and the barbecue will take place in a park
created by a local sculptor. Ride back to Rendola in
the afternoon for a final dinner and night.
Day 8: (Sat): Breakfast and either your own
arrangements to depart (departure is usually by
10.00), OR a short 10 minute transfer to Montevarchi
to meet the train back to Florence. For those going
to Rome, there is a direct train from Montevarchi
every two hours.
THIS ITINERARY IS FLEXIBLE. CHANGES MAY OCCUR DUE TO
WEATHER OR OTHER UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES. |
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