A long weekend with all that Tuscany has to offer, if that is something for you, then you might want to take part in this year's Tuscany for Friends.

The general idea is to meet, ride to some splendid places, drink some well-made coffee, eat some good food, and talk to some interesting people.  No more, but not less either.

Participants will find that the program includes all meals, the best map there is over Tuscany, accommodation, suggested routes, and everything else one would want.  We will participate all the time, providing guiding, helping with language issues, and so on. Details below.

The profile is modest.  Quite some effort has gone into ensuring that accommodation and meals are relatively low cost. 

The event is motorcycle oriented, but see below!

 

SiToscana has reserved a number of apartments and rooms in the medieval village Montemagno for Tuscany for Friends.  The goal, if at all possible, is that all participants live within walking distance of the headquarters (which is our villa).

The price of accommodation will depend on what you want.  It will be from 25 - 50 euro/night per person (the least expensive being two persons in a double room, in an apartment shared with another couple/pair).  If you  and your friends want to lower the price even  further (by sleeping more persons in each apartment), please contact SiToscana as soon as possible. More expensive accommodation is of course also available.

Do not hesitate, but make your reservation as soon as possible!

Food
To ensure that you can focus on the roads, the views, and the conversation, arrangements will be made for all meals, except breakfast.

Every day will start at a bar in Calci.  The quality of the bar is above average.  They make their own dolce, and the coffee is outstanding.  Expect breakfast to be about 3-5 euros.

Lunch will be a primo (normally a pasta) and then salad, water, and coffee.  Table will be reserved, and food pre-ordered and pre-paid. 

Dinner will be traditional Italian.  Expect four courses, water, wine, grappa and coffee.  Pre-ordered and pre-paid. 

Dinner Thursday, lunch and dinner Friday, lunch and dinner Saturday, and lunch and dinner Sunday is estimated to cost 120 euro in total.  This will include wine where appropriate.

Here is the current suggested itinerary.

All days start with coffee at Bar Andreoni, Calci.  Departure from there:  09:00.

Day 1- Thursday 6 May: We meet for lunch in Berceto (PR), in the Appenini Mountains. Berceto is here.  From here we ride into Tuscany, down the valley to Aulla, then through Garfagnana to Lucca, and to Montemagno.  Late lunch in Berceto is not included in the program.
Simple (relative speaking) dinner at our Villa in Montemagno. 
This first day starts in Berceto in order for participants from Northern Europa can ride down in the morning.  For those arriving earlier, the day starts at Bar Andreoni, then a ride to Berceto.  Map of the first day (Thursday) is here.

Day 2 - Friday 7 May: Over the hills to Ponte della Maddalena, up to 1600 meters in the mountains, down for lunch in Cerageto.  Then the famous marble quarries of Massa and Carrara.  Ice cream in Massa.  Dinner at Trattoria di Montemagno.  Map of the second day (Friday) is here.

Day 3 - Saturday 8 May: The rolling hills in Chianti, photo-up outside San Gimignano, and then the splendid church and the spectatular cathedral at San Galgano.  Lunch in Chiusdino.  More Tuscan landscape and villages, before sunset at the Mediterranean.  Dinner at Trattoria di Montemagno.  Map here.

Day 4 - Sunday 9 May: Monte Pisani to Pescia, Castelvecchio, Pontito.  Picnic on the stairs of the church.  Then San Marcello, Vinci.  Dinner at our Villa. Map here.

In general:  Stops are scheduled at least every 90 minutes.