2008 TOURS
Dolomiti
Summit FestGiro
Celebration in the BaroloCooking & Cycling
in CastagnetoChianti Tour with Joel KobertOsterman
Elba & Tuscany TourCooking and Cycling in Castagneto Carducci
Sat. September 13 to Sun. September 21, 2008
Book this tour!Cost
$3500
 Heaven is a real Italian espresso and pastry on a beautiful ride. .
. The Floyd Pool party, 2006 |
Weather
Bring your bikini. Expect 80's, with some cooler days in the 70's possible. Rides are adjustable if wet weather comes through. It should be fine weather for strolling along the nearby beach and sunbathing at the pool.Riding level
Rated a 2-pigger with harder options available. (See our Fitness
Check for a guide). This is a perfect trip for non-riding companions.
3-garlic bulb rating for the culinary lessons.
Why does this trip focus on Castagneto?
By basing ourselves in our favorite family-run, cycling-friendly hotel in Castagneto Carducci, we can relax and get down to some serious cooking and riding without having to worry about packing up and moving to the next hotel. This is a spectacular area for riding and soaking in the Tuscan countryside and culture.
| A previous guest's report: |
| "My bike thanks you, |
| my tongue thanks you, |
| my nose thanks you, |
| my legs thank you, |
| my marriage thanks you. |
My butt isn't speaking to anyone." |
| ~ Steve Chaffee |
Our wonderful culinary staff and all of the regular characters from Cinghiale's riding posse will be eager to explore with you the riches of this coastal region. Whether you and your spouse/travel partner share an interest in riding, or one of you prefers to cook and relax without sweating – or hike/swim/run rather than ride – you will all enjoy a stimulating and relaxing trip and have lots to share at the end of the day.
 That famous golden light. . . |
Who is this trip best suited to?
This trip is a dream if you love to ride, or if you love to cook, and a great
choice for couples with mixed interests.
It's a perfect trip for first-time visitors to Tuscany as well as for returning
guests who want a chance to explore one area in depth and really get a feel
for the place. The cooking and the cycling aspects will please anyone who has
a strong interest in one or both of these great passions; the eating of course
will be where all of our interests meet!
For non-riding cooks there will be morning classes that mine the secrets of
Tuscan cuisine. The afternoon field trips to wineries and an olive
oil mill,
among other food-related attractions, will interest riders and foodies alike.
Cyclists will explore gorgeous loop rides to the far reaches of the Maremma
region. With three long hilly days on the menu, and shorter options always
available, riders of all abilities will have a selection of distances to choose
from each day.
Where do we go?
 Andy upstaged by some of his favorite ingredients. |
Our shorter days are spent exploring the glorious loop rides around Andy's
base town of Castagneto Carducci on some of the same roads where many pro teams
come to train in the winter. Our longer riding days will take us to the ancient
cities of Volterra and Massa Marittima.
This region of the upper Maremma is one of Tuscany's most sought-after riding
centers. These splendid loops through the Metallìfere hills will provide
us with the opportunity to become familiar with one of beautiful Tuscany's
quietest corners.
What are the cooking classes like?
Fall is a wonderful time to enjoy the "peasant" cooking which Tuscany
is famous for. We will discover the simple secrets of pairing tasty sauces
with pasta, and how olive oil and the right combinations turn veggies into
masterpieces.
Our instructor is local chef and architect, Chicca Maione, who invites you
into her beautiful home where she conducts our hands-on cooking classes in
her kitchen. Here is a page from her recipe book:
 Click for a larger image |
Our culinary experience is enriched with trips to a gastronomy shop in Volterra, where we will taste a variety of local delicacies; a cheese farm, our favorite olive oil mill; wine tastings and a visit to a Bolgheri DOC wine estate, and the local market.
On a typical day the cooks have their lessons in the morning while the other guests ride. Then we all meet for lunch, and in the afternoon we enjoy an outing together.
As a non-rider, what else is there for me to do in the area?
Those who don't ride but don't necessarily want to attend all the cooking
classes have some great options. About 20% of our guests on this trip tend
to be non-riders, and everyone has a great vacation.
In addition to a dip in our hotel's beautiful pool, or in the Mediterranean
Sea (we are ten minutes from the beach), our guests can enjoy hiking
or jogging on wooded trails, or renting a bike you are comfortable on for some gentle
riding. The area boasts a major Etruscan archaeological
site; famous vineyards (notably Sassicaia), numerous charming small towns with intriguing shops, cafes,
and food stores, and Tuscany’s dolce vita.
For the adventurous, we are five minutes to the nearest train
station that will
get you to Siena, Pisa or other cities if you desire a full day in a larger town.
We are happy to organize small groups of interested folks to visit a particular
attraction. Some couples have taken the easy train ride to Florence on our mid
week rest day.
Our day trip to Volterra is a non-cooking day but features delicious and informative
food-related experiences as well as access to clothes shopping, art galleries,
and ancient historical sites. (See Cultural Highlights below).
Terrain
Rolling hills with three longer, hillier days available. Full distance for the week is 500 kilometers/310miles. This is a very flexible trip in that you can easily ride more, or fewer, miles. Rides average 35-85 hilly miles per day and there are several groups of varying speeds, each with a guide. Shorten the planned loop, or extend it – no-one goes home feeling short of a workout. Rolling through local wine country. |
Cultural highlights
-
Castagneto Carducci: Castagneto is named after the famous poet Giosuè Carducci who wrote about the pleasures of country living and about his grandmother, therefore becoming a deity in Italian literature. The village, developed in the Middle Ages on a strategic hilltop overlooking the Mediterranean, features perfect riding terrain - so perfect it is enjoyed by Italian pro teams during their winter training camps. Red tile roofed houses surround the central castle with olive groves, famous wineries (Bolgheri/Sassicaia DOC), vegetable farms and woods as far as one can see. An enchanting village, Castagneto Carducci has proven of minor importance to the guidebooks and therefore highly desirable as a great place to view the "coltura minore".
-
Volterra: One of our longer day-excursions will include the ancient town of Volterra, where we will visit a fascinating delicatessen – part of which is a recently rediscovered Roman granary. There, we will taste truffle-flavored honey, wines, cheeses and meats with our friendly family hosts. Volterra is also a fine city for shoes and clothes shopping, as well as art galleries.
-
Massa Marittima: A grand Etruscan town with a history linked to the silver and copper mines in the hills nearby, featuring a vast piazza, or town square, where historical re-enactments are still staged, and two palaces. Artisans' shops line arched stone alleys and the views are out of fairy tales.
-
Food: Our menus will feature grilled fish and meats with perfect pastas; Livornese Caciucco (spicy fish stew); stewed and roasted cinghiale (wild boar), and the best tortelli Maremmano.
- Wine: Castagneto is in the new Bolgheri D.O.C. area. Sassicaia, Massetto and Ornellaia are the local world-renowned wines. We will savor wines from throughout Tuscany during our meals.
 Tastebud training session. |
Travel Details
The Cooking and Cycling in Castagneto trip starts Saturday, September 13 at
1:00pm over lunch in Castagneto Carducci.
The trip ends on Sunday, September 21 in Castagneto Carducci, with morning
transportation to Pisa or a local train station.
We recommend flying into Pisa if possible – please see our Travel
Help page for details.
Please do not book flights until we respond to your booking form.
Details
Included in price:
- Eight nights and nine days, with fully guided riding and cooking on eight of the days. The ninth is a travel day
- Hotel rooms and meals for eight nights and nine days. This includes eight breakfasts, six lunches and seven dinners with wine, and riding food
- Transportation to scheduled sites and special events
- Pick-up and drop-off at Pisa airport or a regional train station for those already in Italy
Not included in price: Airfare
Single rooms: $400 extra. Please request a single room
on your booking form.
Deposit: $1,000 per person.
Please wait for us to respond
to your booking
form before sending in your deposit.
Final Payment
$2500 per person due by June 13, 2008
$2900 with single
If you are joining us after this date please contact our office and we
will work out a payment schedule.
Reservation email - Andy and/or Julia acknowledge receipt
of your booking form, let you know about availability, and request a deposit
of $1,000 per person to confirm your space.
Deposit email - We acknowledge receipt of your deposit, confirm
your space on the trip and provide a balance with due date. At this point you
can begin making your travel arrangements. We refer you to the Travel Help page
of the website to help you plan your trip. Please contact us, or our friendly
travel agent, with any questions.
Balance email - We acknowledge receipt of your balance payment
and remind you to send us your itinerary so we can arrange ground transportation
with you in Tuscany.
Trip Files - A month before your trip, we send a final official
email with several files of information attached, including an agreement to sign,
contact info for each day of your trip, and a short list of what you'll want
to pack.
Itinerary - Upon your arrival in Italy, we provide you with
detailed itineraries and route maps.
Travel confirmation - Send your travel plans to our travel
coordinator,
Elaine Lauterbach, one month before
the trip. She will confirm your travel plans via email elaine@cinghiale.com.
Note to type A’s and procrastinators alike: Please send us your info
in plenty of time, and allow time for the response.
Trip Files - A month before your trip, we send a final official email with several
files of information attached, including an agreement to sign, contact info for
each day of your trip, and a short list of what you'll want to bring and other
important information.
Bike rentals - Ciclosport bike shop in Castagneto will have rentals for as many people as needed.
€220 in cash for the week is their base rate. Some of the shop’s older bikes are €180.
To reserve a bike just send Elaine your seat height measured from the center of the bottom bracket to the top of the seat.
Booking Air Travel
Please visit our Travel Help page for answers to common questions about booking
travel for our tours. You can also email Cinghiale travel coordinator, Elaine
Lauterbach, with questions elaine@cinghiale.com.
Heather Ross at the Travel Society in Boulder is very familiar with our trips
and is delighted to help you book your air travel and help you plan your itinerary.
Contact
We are available
for other questions about the trips. One of us will return your email within
a few days of receipt, or please call us:
Julia in Seattle 206-931-7407
(cell)
Andy in Colorado 720-565-0346
(home)
303-506-1788
(cell)
*CANCELLATION POLICY
If you decide not to come or cannot come for any reason, the amount you have paid so far is fully refundable up to 90 days before the trip. Cancellations after that time forfeit the whole amount paid. We do not overbook and strongly recommendTRAVEL INSURANCE. Please purchase travel insurance that covers an unforeseen trip cancellation or misadventure to you or your luggage while in Italy.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
Visit www.InsureMyTrip.com for a comparison of travel insurance companies and available options. This site quotes a $4,000 trip coverage policy for between $113 and $300.
Thanks for booking with Cinghiale!