[1] Two Nerds | A lifestyle blog • [2]Blog • [3]About [4][Blog ] IMG_0450.JPG [5]Radda in Chianti to Siena [6]May 15, 2017 [7]by Claire As expected, our second day of riding was easier than the first -- but still hilly, and twice as difficult as any ride I'd done before this trip. It was well worth it to end the day in Siena, a town that's incredibly easy to fall in love with (once you forgive the ancient Etruscans for building their cities on freakin' mountains!). We started our day with an early breakfast on our terrace (bruschetta with tomatoes, olives and pieces of fried egg, prepared by our B&B proprietor Romanita), then set off for the open road. After about an hour of pedaling (55 minutes of steady uphill climbing, followed by 5 minutes of an exhilarating 35mph downhill plunge) we rolled into Gaolie in Chianti, home of L'Eroica, a retro 200km bike ride held in Tuscany every October. We made an unplanned stop at the [8]bike rental shop in town for a quick tune-up, tire pressure check, and to have Felipe (the mechanic) look at a few nagging rattling noises on the bikes -- undoubtedly a result of putting them together ourselves. 45 minutes and just 5 Euro later, we were back on the road! FullSizeRender.jpg FullSizeRender.jpg We were treated to our second tough climb of the day out of Gaoile, and by the time we reached the turn for [9]Castello di Brolio at about 12:45pm, we were in desperate need of fuel. We stopped at a small café for overpriced cheese sandwiches and unnamed beer. Totally worth it. Then, we pushed our bikes up a steep cliff (zero shame in that) and explored the grounds of the 12th century castle! IMG_0459.JPG IMG_0461.JPG IMG_0457.JPG IMG_0460.JPG Our route map had us getting back on the main road to snake through a few more hill towns before our final ascent to Siena. We called an audible and followed the white gravel L'Eroica route (which seemed to be shorter, but about which we knew absolutely nothing) instead. We were not disappointed! The road circled around behind the castle, then through the beautiful countryside on roads that were virtually car-less. IMG_0456.JPG IMG_0361.JPG IMG_0349.JPG Thanks to our shortcut, we arrived in Siena before 4pm and checked into the Hotel Bernini (which was absolutely perfect – basic, clean rooms, friendly staff, and a terrace with a killer view). We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the city streets and enjoying drinks and snacks on Il Campo, the main city square that doubles as a race track one day a year with horses representing each of Siena's 17 contrade (districts). IMG_0411.JPG IMG_0451.JPG IMG_0415.JPG As the Palio di Siena draws closer, the districts are known to march into the square. (I equate this to a horse race pep rally, sans horses.) We happened to catch the Oca (goose) district marching on Sunday afternoon. It was crazy awesome! IMG_0454.JPG IMG_0453.JPG We had a few too many snacks during aperitivo (the Italian equivalent of Happy Hour), so weren't hungry for dinner until late – or, put another way, we're finally on the Italian dinner schedule. After scouring menus for the osterias around town, we googled 'best pizza in Siena', and ended up at il Pomodorino around 10pm. It was the best pizza either of us had ever had, and made for a fantastic end to a great day. IMG_0422.JPG We had two route options for Monday, Day 3: a Level 2/4 Difficulty and a Level 3/4 Difficulty. After Saturday's killer ride (a 2/4), we felt much more comfortable taking on the former – although it would take about half the time as our original planned route. We decided to sleep-in Monday morning (until 9am), go out for coffee in Siena, then sit in Il Campo and map out our bike route for the day. It was so nice to take our time and enjoy the town (our favorite so far) before all the tour groups showed up! IMG_0429.JPG Stay tuned for Monday's ride to San Gimignano! Bike Route: 29.4 miles // 2,711 ft of elevation gain. [10]https:// www.strava.com/activities/986032513 [11]May 15, 2017 /[12]Claire • [13]Newer • [14]Older 2017 © Two Nerds Dot Net. All Rights Reserved. No content from this site may be used without written permission. References: [1] https://twonerds.net/ [2] https://twonerds.net/ [3] https://twonerds.net/about [5] https://twonerds.net/blog/radda-in-chianti-to-siena [6] https://twonerds.net/blog/radda-in-chianti-to-siena [7] https://twonerds.net/?author=590f29c99f745610d38765af [8] http://www.tuscanybicycle.com/en/ [9] http://www.baronericasoli.com/ [10] https://www.strava.com/activities/986032513 [11] https://twonerds.net/blog/radda-in-chianti-to-siena [12] https://twonerds.net/?author=590f29c99f745610d38765af [13] https://twonerds.net/blog/siena-to-san-gimignano [14] https://twonerds.net/blog/firenze-to-radda-in-chianti-our-first-day-in-the-saddle