Cycle Tuscany – Day 2
Badi to Florence
Distance
Total Ascent
Highest Point
Overview
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Waking up in a quiet village in the middle of the Apennines was very different from Bologna. Leaving this tranquil, beautiful setting was sad, but that is part of the beauty of touring.
The Apennines are the back-bone of Italy. Badi is not quite on the top of the mountain range, so the first couple of hours are still full of climbs.
The feeling you get as you come down from the hills towards Florence is wonderful – if you are a city person you feel good about getting close to civilisation, and if you are a country person you are travelling through some great countryside and you know that tomorrow you will be getting more.
The ride into Florence is lovely, following the river and enjoying the views from both sides of the Fiume Arno.
Florence is a very special city; we all know that, but cycling into the heart of it is incredible – sometimes you have to pinch yourself, and then be grateful that you are there, and can share it with your friends.
Italy loves its piazzas and Florence has its fair share, as well as many statues and other attractions to see and explore. The Florence Cathedral is one of the most visited places in Europe and the world.
Florence is known as the prestigious City of Art, the birthplace of the Italian language and the cradle of human civilisation. Julius Caesar founded ‘Florentia’, the city of flowers, in 59 BC but it wasn’t till the 11th Century that Florence started to grow.
The greatest movement in Florentine Culture, the Renaissance, was home for most of the important historical figures of those times, Dante Alighieri, Botticelli, Machiavelli, Cimabue, Giotto, Leonoardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael, all made their debut in Florence.
Accommodation and restaurants are expensive, but it is worth staying close to the centre if you can. The Florence Hotel Elite was adequate and not too expensive.
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