Tuscany is a riot of colors, sounds and aromas - a magical place for bicycling. In spring, fields are aflame with red poppies and pink begonias. Fall is harvest time when the air is rich with the scent of thyme, rosemary and fennel. This family trip features routes tailored to adults and kids alike and allows for plenty of time both on and off your bicycle. Explore the famed town of San Gimignano, crowned with medieval towers, and visit one of the best gelaterie in Italy. You'll delight in the friendliness of the locals who enthusiastically share their culture and heritage. Come enjoy the cultural and culinary wealth of this glorious land.

MEDIEVAL MODERNITY : Casual Inns

Palazzo Mannaioni (2 nights): This restored palazzo within the medieval walls of Montaione, offers great views over the valley, a beautiful pool and modern amenities.

Hotel Pescille (1 night): A quiet country villa with spectacular views of San Gimignano and a refreshing pool.

Fattoria Valle (2 nights): Surrounded by vineyards, olive trees and woodland, this former nobleman's home is decorated in period furnishings and features a pool and views that served as the Mona Lisa's backdrop.

Daily Mileage Options & Cumulative Elevation Gain

Day 1

• Level 1   2 Route Options Available 
• 8, 20 miles
• 0 - 500 feet elevation gain

Day 2

• Levels 1 to 3  3 Route Options Available
• 20, 31, 38 miles
• 500 - 1500 feet elevation gain

Day 3

• Levels 1 to 3 3 Route Options Available
• 15, 21, 37 miles
• 1000 - 3000 feet elevation gain

Day 4

• Levels 1 to 4 3 Route Options Available
• 25, 37, 46 miles
• 500 - 2500 feet elevation gain

Day 5

• Levels 1 to 4 3 Route Options Available
• 18, 24, 45 miles
• 500 - 3000 feet elevation gain

Day 6

• Level 1 1 Route Option Available
• 8 miles
• 800 feet elevation gain

On this Family Trip, liberal van shuttling is incorporated into the itinerary to facilitate our activities and mileage is kept moderate to enable you to spend more time exploring on your own.

Trips For All Abilities

Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next-and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.

Activity Level	Average Time	Average Distance
		Biking	Walking & Hiking
Level 1	2-3 hours	10-20 mile	2-5 miles
Level 2	2-4 hours	21-30 miles	5-7 miles
Level 3	3-5 hours	31-40 miles	7-9 miles
Level 4	4-6 hours	41-55 miles	9-11 miles
Level 5	5-7+ hours	56-75+ miles	11-13+ miles

2008 DATES

FAMILY TRIPS

• 8/17-22Price: $3398 pp dbl. occ., (+ $670 for sgl. occ.)
• 8/24-29Price: $3398 pp dbl. occ., (+ $670 for sgl. occ.)

2009 DATES

FAMILY TRIPS

• 6/14-19Price: $3298 pp dbl. occ., (+ $770 for sgl. occ.)
• 6/21-26Price: $3298 pp dbl. occ., (+ $770 for sgl. occ.)
• 6/28-7/3Price: $3298 pp dbl. occ., (+ $770 for sgl. occ.)
• 7/12-17Price: $3298 pp dbl. occ., (+ $770 for sgl. occ.)
• 7/26-31Price: $3298 pp dbl. occ., (+ $770 for sgl. occ.)
• 8/2-7Price: $3298 pp dbl. occ., (+ $770 for sgl. occ.)
• 8/16-21Price: $3298 pp dbl. occ., (+ $770 for sgl. occ.)

Reserve early for the best available price. Prices may change during the course of the year--if they do change, the best prices are available earlier. Once you book your trip, your price is guaranteed.

Recommended Kids Ages

Minimum Ages:

Recommended minimum age for the trip: 9 years

Minimum age restrictions:

• Ride own bike: 9 years

General Info on Minimum Ages:

We strongly encourage families to join our Family Trips, designed with kid- and adult-friendly features. Please note that we have a minimum age requirement of 1 year for all Inn trips and 2 years for all Camping trips. Other than that, we do not restrict trips to a minimum age except in the rare case of a hotel age restriction. We do, however, recommend minimum ages based on the following criteria:

• 12+ cultural appreciation, difficulty of activities and route
• 9+ difficulty of activities and route
• 6+ several long adult dinners; parent may not be able to pull a Burley and/or there may be multiple activity restrictions
• 3+ riding is on bike paths, making it great for young kids; Burley and Piccolos are available; there are few or no activity restrictions; and no long dinners (or we offer alternatives)

Please note that a trip may feature an activity with an older age requirement than the minimum age recommendation for the trip. Younger kids are still welcome on the trip and while they will not be able to participate in the activity, the leaders will suggest an alternate activity. For safety reasons, children under 7 may not ride their own bikes and are required to ride on a Piccolo or in a Burley. For certain destinations, children must be 9 or older to ride their own bikes.

Trip praise

Biking Tuscany was a great experience for my family. Our leaders were excellent and catered to our every need. Their knowledge of the region was excellent and they were a constant source of information. In addition, the chemistry between them was very energetic. The choice of lodging and cuisine was superb and offered a great sampling of the area. Thank you, Backroads. We will definitely return.

Diane Artiles - Bethesda, MD

This trip ranks as one of my favorite all-time vacations. The setting in Tuscany is breathtakingly beautiful. This trip was everything I imagined and more! I especially enjoyed meeting the other families. There was also a very nice mix of kids. The Trip Leaders were exceptional - very personable and took a very special interest in the group. All of them were very good with kids. They provided excellent van support. By the end of the trip, the leaders and the entire group had really bonded. It was really hard to leave such a nice group of people.

Walter Bering - Houston, TX

Backroads surpassed by vacation expectations by bringing together some truly remarkable people in a wonderful setting to enjoy the beauty of biking, culture and fellowship. Not only were the 9-5 activities (biking) off the charts, but also the 5-11 events were equally stimulating and impressive. We are already planning a trip reunion.

Judy Riendeau - Prospect, KY

This was really a knockout trip for me. The itinerary cherry-picked scenic route after scenic route and it never stopped being incredibly charming and beautiful. Every destination just dripped with atmosphere. The leaders were what I've come to expect with Backroads, and more: great people who magically made everything come together for us. True perfection.

Nancy Terjung - San Diego, CA

We normally stay at five-star resorts when we travel to unfamiliar places. The Premiere Inn trip was sold out so we signed up for the Casual Inn trip in Tuscany. It was a tremendous experience! The leaders and the families on this trip were "off the charts." It was a fabulous adventure for our family.

Mike Geoghegan - Rye, NY

Backroads was possibly the best vacation of my life! At points it was challenging considering all the hills we biked up, but it gave all of us a wonderful sense of accomplishment.

Lauren Vorisek - Columbus, OH