CYCLING TOURS
Bicycling
around Florence
is a unique experience that will allow you to discover Renaissance Florence
from a different perspective and help you keep fit and have fun at the same
time. As of late the city administration has made it a top priority to expand
the cycling network and extend bike paths from the Florence
city centre to nearby towns and cities. Many bike tour companies, like Per’s
Bike rides, offer wine and olive oil tours, homemade Italian lunches and easy
trails for the cycle novice. Whether touring the city by bike to unearth its
hidden treasures or peddling your way through splendid vineyards and olive
groves in the Chianti region for a host of unforgettable wine and food
tastings, bike touring offers the perfect combo of exercise, food and fun. Take
a bike tour to unearth the city’s hidden treasures or peddle your way through
splendid vineyards and olive groves in the Chianti region for a host of
unforgettable wine and food tastings. Single and multi-day guided bike rides
for small groups are offered in and around Florence
and Tuscany.
Bikes and insurance are provided.
Check
out these English-speaking, expert cyclist tour guides:
Per’s
Bike Ride
055/5398357
– www.persbikerides.com
I Bike Florence
via de’ Lamberti, 1 – 055/0123994 – info@ibikeflorence.com
Florence by Bike
via S. Zanobi, 120/r – 055/488992 –info@florencebybike.it
I Bike Tuscany!
via Belgio, 4 – 335/8120769 –info@ibiketuscany.com
HORSEBACK
RIDING
If
the hazy summer heat is getting to you, run for the hills and embark on an
adventurous weekend on horseback. The countryside and rolling hills surrounding
Florence
offers a wealth of equestrian fun for the whole family. Here you will find charming accommodations, local Tuscan fare, delight
in both stunning city views and natural wilderness trails from high up. Take a
weekend getaway or day-tip and discover all that the Mugello area has to offer.
Adults and children can take horseback riding lessons (usually about 15 euro
per hour). If a cool gallop through the lush Tuscan wildlife is what you are
craving, then try these horse ranches.
Centro Ippico la Baita
Cascine Park, Florence, 055/307305, info@clubippicolabaita.it,
www.clubippicolabaita.it
The
Centro Ippico la Baita’s three equestrian centres are located in the heart of
the city centre at Cascine Park,
along the Arno River:
Cabin 1, via della Sala 1, Brozzi
Cabin 2, via di Bozzale, Campi Bisenzio
Cabin 3, Stato Libero Dei Renai, Signa
La Calvana Reining Horses
via di Vezzano 24, Loc. Carraia, Calenzano, 055/8819722 or 3396618613,
www.calvanareininghorses.com, info@calvanareininghorses.com
Agriturismo Podere le
Pialle
via di Galiga 20, Doccia, Pontassieve,
333/9101404; 055/8361265,
www.poderelepialle.it, francopoderelepialle@interfree.it
GOLF
COURSES
Though
golfing seems to be a much more popular sport and leisure activity in North
America and the U.K., Florence
offers some of the best golf greens in the country. If it’s a golfing holiday
you’re after, try teeing off in one of Florence’s
prime golf courses: the Golf Club Montelupo at Fattoria di Fibbiana, Le
Pavoniere Golf and Country Club at Le Cascine di Tavola park, and the Golf Club
Ugolino at via Chiantigiana.
The Golf Club Montelupo at Fattoria di Fibbiana, on
via Le Piagge, offers a good game with splendid views of the city and surrounding
countryside. A stone’s throw from the historic centre, it features nine holes
and is situated on the banks of the River Arno, just 26 km from the city
centre.
Le Pavoniere Golf and Country
Club is located 5km from Prato’s city centre and 20km from Florence, just a few kilometres from the Villa Medicea di
Poggio a Caiano. In addition to a 18-holes American-style golf course, the
golfing facilities feature a driving range with 12 covered stalls and 30 open
air stalls, a putting green, chipping green and practice bunker as well as golf
cart, bag and trolley rentals. Other club amenities include a large 20m x 20m
swimming pool, a fully equipped gym, a massage room, a pro shop, a restaurant,
bar, tennis courts and a mini soccer field.
Founded in 1889, the Golf Club
Ugolino is the first golf club in Italy. Located on via Chiantigiana, it is immersed in a
centuries-old olive grove, just 10 km from Florence city. It boasts 18 holes and is considered by many
one of the most suggestive natural golf courses of the world.
Golf Club Montelupo
Loc. Fattoria di
Fibbiana, via Le Piagge 4, Montelupo Fiorentino, 0571/541004,
www.golfmontelupo.it (closed Mondays)
Le
Pavoniere Golf and Country Club
via Traversa il Crocifisso, Prato,
0574/620855, www.golfclublepavoniere.com, info@golfclublepavoniere.com
Golf Club Ugolino
Via Chiantigiana 3, Grassina, 055/2301009,
www.golfugolino.it, info@golfugolino.it (closed Mondays).
TENNIS
COURTS
Florence’s
public tennis courts are located at the Circolo Carraia, on via Monti, and are
open from 8:00
to 23:00.
There are also other courts at the Circolo
di Tennis on via Scandicci Alto (055/252696), and on via della Robbia
Impruneta (055/2012111). Be sure to test your backswing while immersed in olive
and cypress trees at the beautiful
tennis facilities of Match Ball Firenze,
located on via della Massa, 40 (Loc. Candeli, Bagno a Ripoli, 055/631572, www.matchball.net). The club house
features a state-of-the-art billiards and poker room, beauty salon and massage
centre.
ROWING
CLUBS
Go
rowing on the Arno River by contacting the Canottieri Firenze Comunali at
Lungarno Ferrucci (founded in 1934) or the Societa’ Canottieri Firenze (founded
in 1886), whose delightful clubhouse and landing dock just under the Ponte
Vecchio at Lungarno Anna Maria Luisa de Medici will have you wishing you had
put your oars in the water a long time ago. Tours
with boats or canoes along the river Arno
could be a unique option to bicycle and walking trips.
Canottieri Comunali
Firenze
Lungarno Ferrucci 2, 055/6812151 (fax
055/6812649), www.canottiericomunalifirenze.it
Societa’ Canottieri
Firenze
Lungarno Anna Maria Luisa de Medici 8
055/2381010, www.canottierifirenze.it,
societacanottierifirenze@tin.it.
One-month
membership costs approximately 62 euro.
