What to do in Tuscany

Mornings in Tuscany begin in the medieval lanes of Siena, San Gimignano or Pienza, where the scent of freshly baked bread drifts through the lanes, before trading cobbles for cypress in the grape-filled valleys of Chianti and the Val d'Orcia. Tour the Antinori cellars, work through a vertical Brunello tasting, or cook alongside Contessa Piccolomini in her 11th-century Sienese palazzo. Otherwise, head out at sunrise with a trifulau and his dog to hunt for truffles, watch fresh pecorino come together in a Pienza dairy, and press extra-virgin olive oil straight from the source. And if there's still energy after lunch – and a couple of glasses – drift over the hills in a hot-air balloon, cycle the Val d'Orcia, or take the wheel of a vintage Alfa Romeo and just go…

Joanna Rigby-Jones

Italy Travel Specialist

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Take a bike tour of Chianti from Florence

Trade the cobbles for the saddle: a guided ride up into the hills that ring Florence, led by someone who knows which lanes are worth the climb. You'll roll past vineyards and open countryside, Tuscan green running off in every direction, before the road opens onto the city's skyline laid out below — domes, rooftops and all. Set your own pace. Here, the pedalling and the looking get equal billing.