TuscanyToskánsko

A lot of people had already sung Tuscany's praises to us, so we figured it was time to give it some attention ourselves. We picked Easter as our dates, since the temperatures aren't unbearable yet, and combined with the holidays, a week-plus of cycling only cost us three days of vacation.

We started in the town of La Spezia, where we got by train. It's a nice little town, and if we'd had more time we would have visited the picturesque Cinque Terre coastline, which more or less starts here and continues westward.

Our route, though, led southeast along the coast and then a bit inland to the town of Lucca, which has a tall tower with trees growing on its roof. From there we continued through Pisa and Livorno all the way to Rosignano Solvay, where you can find beaches as white as the Caribbean. Too bad they're that white because a local factory has been dumping calcium carbonate there for years. Still, a very interesting place.

The next day we left the sea behind and headed inland, where the landscape rolls more than the sea itself does. Up and down, up and down, we passed through picturesque towns like Volterra, towered San Gimignano, and fortified Monteriggioni.

Past Siena the real Tuscany finally begins - rolling hills with ancient villas tucked on top of them, and rows of tall cypresses everywhere. We photograph everything and soak in the incredible views and scenery, capped off with a proper climb at the end of the day into the renowned wine village of Montepulciano, which offers a view over all of Tuscany from the top of its hill.

On the last two days we also visit Pienza, near which is the famous scene where Russell Crowe runs his hands through a wheat field in the movie Gladiator, and we bathe in the natural travertine pools of Bagni San Filippo.

We definitely want to repeat this relaxing trip sometime, ideally with friends too.