Image via WikipediaBy Giovanni Balboni
If you are amongst the many cycling enthusiast heading off to enjoy the first Grand Tour of the year, the Giro d'Italia, then you might well want to consider a Tuscany villa rental for your accommodation. By placing yourself in the middle of the country, you'll be well situated to make the most of the all important middle section of the tour, as it winds its way back up the peninsula on the way to the Alps and the grand finish in Milan. The Giro is a favourite amongst cycling fans, not only because it is the first big stage race of the season, but also because it retains an atmosphere very different to its brash big brother, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a Espana which suffers from administrative meddling.
The 2012 Giro
This year's edition will kick off to much fanfare on the 5th of May in Herning, Denmark. The Giro has begun outside of Italy on a number of occasions, most recently in the Netherlands in 2012, but this year's Danish start will mark the furthest north that the race has been. After three days in Denmark, the race arrives home in Italy and goes on to visit many of the mainland regions, including Tuscany. Villa rentals for bicycle racing fans should ideally be booked for the 16th and 17th of May, although basing yourself in this part of Italy for the first couple of weeks will allow you to travel off to follow the race around southern and central Italy. That said, it's wise never to expect to be able to travel easily when you're competing with the behemoth of an entourage that follows any of the grand tours.
The Trip through Toscana
Before you book your Tuscany villa rental, it's important to consider the route of the race. The 2012 edition passes through the east and north of the region, crossing over the border after its beginning in Assisi on the 16th of May. This stage is flat and will benefit the sprinters, including world champion Mark Cavendish if he participates in the Giro this year. If you choose to head towards the end of this stage, you'll have plenty to see in the town of Montecatini Terme, which is popular with tourists throughout the year.
For the next day's stage, you'll want to head to the mountains from your Tuscany villa rental. This stage is categorised as a medium mountain stage, so you're likely to see some enthralling duels between the all-rounders as they travel from Seravezza and on to Sestri Levante in the province of Genoa. There will still be plenty for the riders to compete for as they head towards the serious hills in the final part of the tour.
Giovanni Balboni works for To Tuscany, who specialise in finding the perfect Tuscany villa rental in Chianti as well as selected villas in Umbria and Puglia. To Tuscany is proud of their villas and their reputation. Each Tuscany villa rental is personally selected and visited by our representatives to ensure we offer only the best in the region.
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