Why explore Tuscany hiking or biking? We tried to make a list for you: hiking and biking are ways to travel that allow us to discover in depth a territory. What really counts is not the final destination rather how you experience the trails of this unique territory.
As all Tuscans, we love to praise, “In Tuscany there is everything, from the mountains to the sea!”
Indeed, our Region has a very diverse landscape that can vary incredibly in a matter of few kilometres, just think of the variety of the breath-taking landscapes of the Province of Siena, that space from the vineyards of Chianti to the lush of the woods of the Val di Merse and Val di Farma, to the arid and picturesque landscapes of the Crete Senesi and Val d’Orcia. When traveling by car, sometimes we cannot appreciate all of these hints because the landscape just goes by quickly. Traveling by foot or by bike, on the contrary allows us to stop, take our time, enjoy and admire it.
Often we are told that tourism has became “stop and go”, travelling slowly allows you instead to appreciate not only the beauty of our wonderful cities and of the most emblematic sites, but also to the discover the most secluded and hidden treasures, far away from the noise and the stress of the most beaten paths.
Sometimes, you just need to take a few steps away, to find yourself in a wild and unexpected nature, or in a small charming village.
As mentioned, Tuscany is not only a territory of art, good food and postcard landscapes, it has also an incredible nature: not only it has the widest extension of woodlands in Italy (47% of the surface are forest formations), but can also count on the presence of three National Parks (Parco Nazionale Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona e Campigna, Parco Nazionale dell’Appennino Tosco-Emiliano e Parco Nazionale dell’Arcipelago Toscano), many Regional Parks and Natural Reserves, that cover in total nearly 10% of the territory. In these parks you can encounter rare species both in terms of plants and animals, whose habitats can only be discovered and appreciated by foot.
Becoming part of the nature, it also allows us to really connect and empathize with the places we cross, because only front of nature we become really free and fulfilled.
Traveling slowly, by foot or by bike, is an exciting experience, at times strenuous, that rewards you always with fulfilment and satisfaction. Being able to tackle everyday the hike on your legs is an achievement, not only a source of wellness and self esteem: big achievements are normally the result of small steps, both in life and during an excursion.
We should not be afraid of the physical fatigue; the challenge is to get started!
Hiking across a breath-taking landscape like Tuscany is an experience that endures in us. The time we take to discover it slowly, allows that what we see and encounter becomes part of us in the depth.
Just like within the philosophy of Kilometro Inverso, the common experience come back and leaves a trace in us.
At this point, what is keeping you from starting the journey?
