Mountain biking in Tuscany near Montieri

 

This season has been the season of the mountain bikers, streetbikers, and even motorbikers.  They come from around the world with tour groups, as the lone wanderer, in couples, and with friends.  All, however, have a common passion for self-powered wheels.  Us horseback riders tell them four legs are better, but they disagree.  I guess the thrill of the Tuscan hills gives them all the adrenaline they could need. Perhaps one day we can offer a trade, the bikers try riding for a day and the riders take a spin on two wheels.  Hmm…

One of the reasons for the high biking traffic in Tuscany is that the terrain around Montieri and throughout Tuscany offers every type of biker endless miles of fantastic landscape over which they can peddle their little hearts out.  There are so many mapped and cleaned trails that can be used by bikers, walkers, and riders alike.  A few weeks back, we had a group take mountain bikes from the hotel Prategiano to the beach in Follonica via off-road trails; a meager 6 hours of travelling including rain, sun, and a lot of mud.  Yet, when I came to retrieve them at the end they were thrilled.  I guess there is something to be said for this addicting and satisfying exercise!  

A Day with the Butteri - the Cowboys of Tuscany

Today riders of the Horse Riding Center in Tuscany "Prategiano" had the opportunity to ride with the Maremma Butteri, or the Maremma cowboys!  This group of easy-going Italians invited us to join them for a trail and an afternoon of eating and entertainment.  At 8:45 am (yikes!) we left the barn at Prategiano and rode to Travale to meet the group of 20 or so local riders.  Then, we all rode out for a nice morning hack.

For once this season, we had perfect sunny weather for the entire day.  After a typical Tuscany trekking through the hills surrounding Travale, we returned to care for the horses and to reconvene for an Italian lunch at the local restaurant.  The whole group with extra husbands, wives, and children included, gathered in the cantina for eating and a little singing, too.  After coffee (of course), we returned to the horses and began to prepare for the afternoon’s demonstrations.  The organizer and local Buttero, Fabio, asked if we would like to join in herding a group of loose horses up to the arena.  Of course we would!  So, off we went with the Butteri and a few western cowboys with their appaloosas.  I even had the opportunity to save the day by blocking an escaping herd with our new young Maremma horse.  Bravo, good boy!  We then watched some demonstrations with Spanish horses, some Spanish dancing, and the first ride for Fabio’s mule.  The finale was a horsemanship demonstration that was truly inspiring to watch.  In the evening, we saddled up again and headed back to our hotel in Tuscany, Rifugio Prategiano, with the setting sun and tranquil evening air giving the perfect backdrop to a beautiful day.