The Valdera on a Vespa
Tuscany, as you know, offers so many places to visit, but sometimes going off the beaten track can leave you pleasantly impressed. This is what happens in the picturesque and bucolic Valdera. Stretching between Pontedera and the Arno plain, the Colline Metallifere (Metal-bearing Hills) and the Cecina valley, Valdera runs up the course of the Era river to Volterra, crossing expanses of olive groves, rows of vines and orchards in the plains. You travel through a landscape of soft, densely forested hills, sometimes interrupted by bare, landslide slopes, and isolated medieval villages. In Valdera, pop culture, contemporary art and a futuristic vision emerge amid unspoilt nature and ancient legacies. It would be quite evocative to travel this itinerary aboard such an iconic vehicle as the Piaggio Vespa, on display in Pontedera, home of the factory and the Piaggio Museum, the first stop on the journey. We then move on to Casciana Terme Lari, Orange Flag of the Italian Touring Club, where we can devote ourselves to wellness and the discovery of a historic village, then to Chianni, a treasure trove of hidden churches and sanctuaries immersed in the woods. In Lajatico, Andrea Bocelli's birthplace, and finally in Peccioli, a town that has found new life thanks to virtuous collaborations between inhabitants, institutions and top artists.