When my wife, Jeannie, and I
first bicycled Tuscany in 1995,
we found the combination of the culture, the
history, the food & wine, and most
importantly the friendliness of the people made
us eager to return. So, for our 25th wedding
anniversary we made our plans to return to Italy
for a month.
As we have cycled through many beautiful,
interesting, curious, and friendly places, we
have often remarked that someday we would like to
visit a place and stay long enough to feel more
of a pulse of the life than we might if we were
only there for a day or two. This trip to Italy
we wanted "to be" in Italy - essere in
italia. We wanted to stay in one place for at
least two weeks, to learn the bus schedule, to
have to remember when the bakery was open, to
learn to enjoy the differences in the pace of
life and not just pass through as tourists.
A major consideration in our planning was
that, as cyclists, we were looking for an area
that gave us a wide variety of opportunities for
riding about the area. Our research led us again
to the Tuscany region, though this time a bit
further south than our first trip to the Pisa -
Siena - Florence area. We were not to be disappointed.
Using the Internet, we came across Patricia
Faralli of Italian
View Ltd. who, through her helpful
e-mail correspondence, directed us to the
wonderful agriturismo
il Borgo
near the Tuscan town of Camucia - close to the
ancient Etruscan hill town Cortona.
A restored 1800's farmhouse, il Borgo's four apartments are simply and comfortably
equipped,
yet modern. The friendliness of owner Signore
Rodolfo and his family truly add to the comfort,
charm and warmth.
