A Tuscany Photo Tour

In May, my wife and I traveled to Tuscany with Backroads. It was our 23rd trip with our favorite active travel company. A question often asked by fellow travelers is, what keeps you coming back?

Simply put, Backroads is special. Backroads is family. Anyone can place you on a nice bike, take you to beautiful places and feed you good food. Backroads is an immersion experience in the sights, sounds, tastes, history and culture of a region. They do impeccable research for their cycling and hiking routes and their support is exceptional. Not only are Backroads leaders accomplished at their jobs, they are delightful, wonderful humans whom we have befriended on many occasions. Like minds are drawn to like experiences, so it's not surprising that we have found some of our best friends on Backroads trips. Friends we still travel with, commune with, do life with.

For as many friends as we have collected, we have collected a million more memories. Memories of lonely roads canopied by towering trees, endless blue seaside vistas and ancient hillside towns, each with abundant treasures of food, drink and locals anxious to hear about you, and to tell you a bit about themselves. Yes, we have strayed and tried other companies, but we always return to Backroads. If we see a Backroads van, whether it be in Crete, Lake Como or Provence, we always stop and talk to the leaders. Why? Because seeing them is like running into friends in a place far away from home. The Tuscany Bike Tour did not disappoint. People often ask, how did this trip rate? That is, how did it stand up compared to the other 22? To be perfectly honest, it was one of our favorite trips ever! Whether you're new to Backroads or have done 50 trips, this one is a must-do. It has it all. Beautiful scenery, amazing cycling, fantastic lodging, great food, and an abundance of history and culture.

The trip began in Arezzo, a picturesque Italian town, small enough to enjoy in two days and large enough to have everything one wants. Arezzo begs one to take slow walks through its quaint streets, browse its shops and explore its historic buildings. Our first day took us by the Duomo, pictured in this image. The inside will take your breath away.

Our Backroads adventure began when our leaders picked us up at the train station and whisked us away into the heart of Italy. After a delicious farm-to-table lunch at a local farm, our bikes awaited for a ride through magical Umbria.

The only traffic jam we encountered the entire week were these sheep being herded from field to field by a local farmer.

The week's cycling routes took us through the beautiful Italian countryside. Small roads led us to age-old villages where we stopped to explore numerous shops and ate at wonderful trattorias.

Check Out the Detailed Itinerary for the Backroads Tuscany Bike Tour