I was awake all night and heard the church bells chime every hour. Between my headache, nausea, and crying I was miserable by the time Nina awoke for breakfast. I laid in bed contemplating how to spend the day. I decided that dad would have wanted me out doing what I love most, riding my bike. I threw on my cycling garb and applied sunscreen. Nina brought up a cup of dark, black coffee and pastries. I had to pass on the food, but the coffee was perfect.
I met everyone on the bikes and they all had much welcomed hugs. I haven’t spent time to mention my fellow travelers, but it was been a fantastic group. We were joined by Connie and Dick from Colorado- a vibrant couple who loves downhill skiing, car racing, cycling and are a lot of fun to be around. Susannah, a brave feisty spirit who traveled from Boston for the trip by herself and was always up for pushing herself on the bike. Milton and Shellie- Milton is a even-keeled guy who was always laughing. Shellie, an honest, caring person who is full of creativity. Jen and Tom, a cool couple from just north of me (hopefully we’ll get the chance to reconnect in the midwest). Jen, a pediatrician, and I were able to share medical horror stories. I had a lot of fun laughing with Jen and Tom. It was great to see Nina again and she is definitely a good travel buddy and friend. Our guides, Gianfranco and Giuditta were amazing. They spent time to make sure everyone was enjoying the ride and that we were all staying together. I loved the enthusiasm that each had for riding and the activities we were doing. I was especially thankful to Nina and Giuditta for the hugs and helping me get my traveling situated. Once I get back I will have more time to write about each and the special bond we all had during the trip. We all meshed together well and it was a great group to spend time with experiencing Tuscany.
I felt better once my legs started spinning and my headache started to dissipate. Our first stop was at the hot springs in Bagno Vignoni. It is a picturesque Italian village which houses the Piazza delle Sorgenti, a rectangular tank circa the 16th century which is filled with water originating from an underground aquifer from volcanoes. On the road out we hit a 6 km climb to Castiglion d’Oricia. While I find cycling to be mind clearing, I also found myself intermittently crying on the climb and kept trying to keep it together and focus on enjoying the surrounding beauty. We stopped at a bar, and having not yet eaten, I stopped for a quick Coke.
Piazza delle Sorgenti
There was a pretty epic descent followed by some more rolling hills and a climb before turning on a gravel road to the Nostra Vita winery. The road included a steep climb up to the top, but the views were (again) worth it. This was the house, vineyard, winery, and art studio of Giuditta’s family. Her father decided to build the house and collected all the stones from nearby. He is truly a renaissance man. We walked through his studio, filled with drawings, pipes he hand carved, an art instillation including all the types of trees in Italy. 
Her sister painted wheelbarrows that you can sit in and made a paper-mache artwork of a girl on a swing. The area was filled with artwork and natural beauty. Each of the vineyards was named for each daughter. The grapes are handpicked and the winery is meant to stay small and local, with love and attention put into the wine that is crafted. We went into the cellar and her dad demonstrated how he paints the labels for the bottles. It was heartwarming to see what a close relationship Giuditta has with her father. I shared a very close relationship with my dad and it made it special to see another father-daughter have such a strong bond, especially at that time. It brought the occasional tears to my eyes and was, perhaps, my favorite part of the trip.
Giuditta and her dad
For lunch, we ate outside overlooking the Tuscan landscape. We had freshly carved proscuitto, fruit, bread, pasta, and espresso. We sampled Nostra Vita Brunello di Montalcino and it was fantastic. Knowing that the wine was made by the family and with such love and dedication made it taste even better. I couldn’t help but order a few bottles to be sent back to Indiana and share with my mom.
After lunch we descended down the gravel road and headed back to San Quirico d’Orcia. Before heading back to the hotel we veered off to take the L’Eroica section to Valdicava. The 200 km L’Eroica bike tour takes place on gravel road and participants must ride antique bikes and wear vintage or vintagesque cycling clothing. It was fun to ride the gravel roads, but I was happy to hit the pavement again. We had a final climb back to San Quirico d’Orcia.
We refreshed and headed out for appetizers as a group followed by dinner. My flight was scheduled early the next morning and it was time to say goodbye to everyone from the week. I couldn’t help but cry. It was an amazing vacation- fantastic cycling, food, wine, and company. We had plenty of wine with dinner: Chiant, Brunello, and a Proseco toast to Jen and Tom’s anniversary.
Morning came spectacularly early and Nina was gracious to help me with my bags at the ungodly hour of 5 am. A driver took me to the Florence airport and it was time to say ciao to Italy until next time, and this time it won’t take me five years to return.
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- I may have ordered a few bottles.
