Horse riding trek in Tuscany, the wine regions
| country: | Italy |
| location: | Tuscany |
| departures: | Trip runs in May, June, September and October |
| price: | From €1200 (8 days) excluding flights. Includes 7 nights accommodation, full board and riding. Price based on two people sharing, single supplement €145 |
| offers: | 10% discounted price on all trips leaving in June and July |
the amazing things you'll be doing
An adventure trail riding week in the heart of the Sieve Valley, a spectacular lush wine making region on the north east of Florence. This trail is dedicated to riding through some of the most beautiful landscapes in Tuscany, through small local villages, huge expanses of olive groves, vineyards owned by some of the most prominent wine producers in the world and past roman bridges and Medici castles. This ride takes in everything that makes this region special, and is highlighted by delicious food produced by local people, and authentic accommodation in restored farmhouses along the ride.
This ride requires at least a medium fitness level, and the ability to ride in all three paces.
This ride requires at least a medium fitness level, and the ability to ride in all three paces.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Meet in Florence or Pontassieve. Welcome aperitif and briefing at Colognole wine estate. Dinner. |
| Day 2: | Half day ride and picnic through the area to accustom yourself to your horse before we depart. |
| Day 3: | Full day riding through the Pomino winemaking region. Picnic on the trail. Dinner and accommodation high in the Pomino hills over looking the Frescobaldi vineyards. |
| Day 4: | Ride in the Pomino, Val D Sieve area with river crossing and fantastic views. Lunch at the delicious family owned Casalina restaurant, before riding to the gorgeous restored farmhouse of Filippo above Pontassieve. |
| Day 5: | Fantastic days ride into the Mugello region passing two prominent castles, stopping at one for lunch. Nights accommodation in Acone eating locally produced food in the restored wine cellar restaurant. |
| Day 6: | We ride up to the summit of Monte Giove along old partisan tracks to the Bottega restaurant for a lunch of wild game and local specialties before returning to the estate for a pizza and nights sleep. |
| Day 7: | Day to relax by the pool and take in the Tuscan sun, or spend a day in Florence. |
| Day 8: | After breakfast, farewell at the station |
how this holiday makes a difference
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Many riding stables prefer to keep large strings of unhappy horses, their overhead dictating that each ride must be as large as possible in order to stay afloat. To us, that's not a good ride. So, we based our whole business on using great horses, well treated and well trained, and on giving great responsible travel service to the people who come ride with us.
One of the greatest benefits that you will enjoy when you choose one of our rides is the intimate, exclusive experience that is not often found with trekking centres, pack outfits, working ranches or other trail rides where 12-50 riders are common. A smaller group means more personal attention, more privacy and more individual space. You won’t get lost in a crowd with us; group size is limited to 6 enthusiastic riders per ride. This minimizes the impact of horses on the environment. We have an environmental policy to make sure that the eco-system here is not damaged in any way. Our guides are trained to uphold this policy and all clients are fully briefed on appropriate/responsible behaviour whilst riding through wilderness areas. Our “Leave No Trace” ethic is applied to all trips. We use only locally owned transport, restaurants, shops and accommodation on our tours. The atmosphere at the farm is inspired by a genuine love of the local traditions of the places, people and culture that surrounds it. It has recently been completely restored and divided into country style apartments preserving original, rustic and farm-like characteristics. Food produce is local, and where possible organic and specialized to the area. Wine is produced on the very terrain you ride across, and is of a very good quality. Local staff that know the area well are hired. During this holiday you will meet real people, and experience the culture that many larger tourism outfitters neglect. When you take one of our trips, we also make a contribution to toward the rescue centre for local birds of prey at Vicchio. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've lead the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |