Chianti Tour with Joel Kobert

All are welcome on this trip!

Sat. June 14 – Sat. June 21, 2008

Book this tour!

While we designed this tour with our pals, Joel and Nancy Kobert, as a custom trip for a few of their friends, they are looking forward to meeting some new ones, too. We warmly invite you to join in the fun.

Sat June 14 - Sat June 21

Tour de KOBERT* Tour de Kobert

Chianti has been a favorite hot spot since our first tour rolled through 10 years ago. We have created the perfect adventure for anyone who can laugh and ride their bike at the same time.

This trip was prompted by Joel and Nancy Kobert who have been on many of our trips and wanted a great spot to spend a week. It is open to everyone who loves good company and sipping wine, grazing on local cuisine prepared by our own master chef, and lounging in the courtyard of a private villa (located near the lovely town of Gaiole in Chianti). Of course this is not all fun and games. You will have to suffer through the green rolling hills of Chianti speckled with poppies and other wild blossoms…Ah, the bliss of never needing to pack up and move! Pass the bruschetta al funghi, please.

Cost

US $3,600 per person based on double occupancy.


Heaven is a real Italian espresso and pastry on a beautiful ride. . .

The Floyd Pool party, 2006

Single rooms

$500 extra
Please request a single room on your booking form.

Weather

70's to 80’s.

Riding level

Rated a 2-pigger with 3-pig options for those who want more. (See our Fitness Check for a guide). Chianti is sublime if you get away from the crowds. Our place at the end of a road, past a castle, is hard to beat.

Aaah, Chianti!

By basing ourselves in Chianti for the entire tour we can enjoy this gorgeous area without worrying about packing up to move to another hotel. What better way to revel in the spectacular riding and soak in the Tuscan countryside and culture?

Who is this trip best suited to?

This trip is planned for returning Cinghiale guests and their invited friends. The rides will all be stunning, with a huge variety of roads and plenty of flat terrain or climbing to choose from. Newer riders will be able to go on their own rides at a friendly pace. Some days will feature excursions into towns for non-riders, Florence and Siena being prime attractions, with sweet local villages a relaxing option.


That famous golden light. . .

Mileage

500 km/310 miles Rides range from 30 – 60 miles with rolling hills of 3 miles average.

Terrain

This is a hilly but not leg-breaking route. Our area has some of the worlds best roads, paved and gravel. Our lodging is at the top of a 1 k hill with a gravel drive. Our rides will start officially at the end of the dirt road, so there is no need to hurry over it. These roads are fine for road bikes with good gears.

Where will we ride?

Gaiole-in-Chianti and into the Crete area to the south

http://www.bardotti.com/gaiole.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaiole_in_Chianti

Our riding will be in the southern Chianti region where the traffic is light, with the Crete hills just to the south of us. Our loops will include flat valley floors and beautiful ridge rides. Of course there are hills getting back and forth to these easier roads, but most are less than 2 miles long. We will be at the base of the Monte Lucco loop ride: 10 solid kilometers of optional climbing. See Michelin’s map of the area.

Travel Details

The Joel Kobert-in-Chianti Tour starts Saturday, June 14 with pickup service at the Florence airport, followed by lunch at 12:00 am at our inn near Gaiole-in-Chianti.

The trip ends on Saturday, June 21 in Florence, with morning transportation to the Florence airport or train station.

Tastebud training session.

Cinghiale Shuttle Times

Pick-up
Saturday, June 14th
10:00am
Florence airport

Drop-off
Saturday, June 21st
11:00am
Florence airport

We are timing the drop off shuttle for a calm departure. Most guests will stay longer in Florence. If you have an early flight on the 21st then we will help you by arranging a taxi from Chianti for you, at your expense.

You may want to come early or stay longer in Florence. We recommend the Hotel Relais il Cestello or the UNA Hotel Vittoria
Please do not book flights until we respond to your booking form.

 


Cultural Highlights

Florence - The grand lady of Tuscany has retained its rich and charming nature. Today's Florence is a busy and gorgeous city full of more riches in art, history, food and shopping than one can possibly take in in a couple of days. But you can get a good taste!

Florence or Firenze, "The Florid", was built and named by the Romans in the 1st century BC. It began as a classic Roman town with a forum, thermal baths and an amphitheater, all of which can still be seen. By the 13th century it was flourishing as the city of art, culture and international trading whose legacy we see to this day, reaching its zenith in the fifteenth century under the Medici family.

That's the short version. While it's a magnificent place just to wander in, the more history you know of Florence, the richer your experience becomes. For a great introduction, we highly recommend the Eyewitness Guide to Florence and Tuscany, available through Amazon Books or your favorite local bookseller. Irving Stone’s The Agony and the Ecstasy, about Michelangelo painting the Sistine ceiling, is also insightful about Florence during the Renaissance.

Gaiole-in-Chianti
The Meleto castle on the grounds where we will be staying just before Gaiole was a major fortification back in the bad old days. We won’t be staying in the castle but will visit it http://www.bardotti.com/meleto.htm

Gaiole-in-Chianti is small and still charming. We will want to hang out there on lazy afternoons. Nearby is the Badia di Coltibuono, a foodie Mecca; the Castle of Brolio; the town of Radda-in-Chianti; and Andy’s favorite place to burn through some €€s, the superb Rampini ceramic studios www.rampiniceramics.com/home_it

Gaiole is the home and starting point of Andy’s favorite bike event, the Eroica. This is a fall event that takes on some of the gravel roads that were once used for races.

If anyone wants to join Andy, we can do some loops that include the dirt roads on the Eroica route. The course has official road signs marking the turns, and the route is a cycling park - yet another reason to love Italy. http://www.eroica.it/eroicauk.pdf

Details

Included in price:

Not included in price: Airfare

Single rooms: $500 extra. Please request a single room on your booking form.

Deposit: $1000 per person.
Please wait for us to respond to your booking form before sending in your deposit.

Final Payment
$2,600 per person due by March 14, 2008
If you are joining us after this date please contact our office and we will work out a payment schedule.

If you are joining us after this date please contact our office and we will work out a payment schedule.

Confirmation and Communication: Once you have booked, you can expect the following communications and requests from us.

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. See Booking Travel, below.

Balance email - We acknowledge receipt of your balance payment and remind you to send us your travel itinerary so we can confirm your ground transportation shuttle times 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 suggesting 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, at least one month before the trip. She will confirm your travel plans via email. See Booking Travel, below, for guidelines.

Note to type A’s and procrastinators alike: Please send us your info in plenty of time and allow time for the response.

Contact Us

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)

Booking Air Travel

Specific travel information for your tour is contained in the Trip Particulars on your trip's webpage, so please read that section carefully. You can also visit our Travel Help and FAQ's page for answers to common questions about booking travel for our tours.
NOTE: Please check our shuttle schedule for Florence (see Travel Details, above) before booking your flights.

Elaine Lauterbach is our travel coordinator elaine@cinghiale.com She will confirm your travel plans with you and arrange bike rentals if you are not bringing your own ride.

For bike rental information, see our Travel Help page on the right hand side.

Finally, Elaine will need your final itinerary at least one month before the trip. Please send to elaine@cinghiale.com and copy to info@cinghiale.com

Heather Ross at the Travel Society in Boulder is very familiar with our tours and is delighted to help you book your air travel and help you plan your itinerary.

*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 recommend TRAVEL 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!

Partying like its 1999 since 1998

Book this tour!