vivere il sogno - Living the Dream

Day 10 - Lat Day of riding -

2011-05-23T06:26:00.000-10:00

The B Group and the Cappuchino Group went for a leisurely ride to the Caves of Arta in the beautiful bay of Canyamel.

By special request, proof that Dennis really was in Spain.

Thanks for following .

See you all next year.

Oliver

Day 9

2011-05-23T06:08:00.000-10:00

Highlight of this years tour was a climb up to or ride down to Sa Calobra, located in the Tramuntana mountains 60 miles from the HQ @ Font de Sa Cala. Taking the north west corridor through the very busy
towns of Can Picafort and Alcudia, we started our climb with a 7.8km uphill to the Monastery of Lluc.
Winding roads through a beautiful canyon up to the top, followed by 9km a roller coaster ride to the junction to Sa Calobra. Unfortunately for the peleton, not enough time to ride down or back up.

The Cappuchino group took the support vehicle and were able to ride down the switch backs to the beach of Cala Sa Calobra.

Another great day!

Day 8

2011-05-15T19:56:00.000-10:00

Rained out in the morning, rain means rest!
Most of us went to the nearby city of Capdepera for some shopping.

One small group went for a ride back to San Salvador, another for a neighbor ride around Bethlem.
Cleared up nicely in the afternoon.

Day 7

2011-05-14T06:43:00.000-10:00

Race Day

Monica, Mathew and Mike had their big day today.

First annual Ironman 70.3 Mallorca, challenging bike course
with a ton of climbing, we showed our support and 10 of us
rode to Muro to cheer our friends on.

Day 6

2011-05-13T19:56:00.000-10:00

Its taking its toll

First signs of tiredness is showing for the first time.
Group size shrunk from 10 to only 4 riders today.

Ralf, a very good friend of mine from Germany, came to
visit for a couple of days, he has been to
Mallorca many times and knows his way around, he intruduced us
on our todays ride to a "Mallorquin Powerbar", a monster pastry filled with
a mix of chocolate cream and Marzipan.

Day5

2011-05-13T19:35:00.000-10:00

There are not enough hours in a regular day.
Swimming, breakfast, riding, sight seeing, shower, dinner.
Unfortunatley times flies by too fast and we have only 5 more days
to ride left.

Riding to the north west region of Alcudia today, we enjoyed
astonishing views of the vistas, riding through
fields of planted vegetables sided by old wind mills and Malloquin farm houses.

Short stop for Cappuchino on the beach in Can Picafort.

Pigs hill on the way back. Definition of "Pigs Hill", long, hot, head winds, 6-7% grade
for about 3KM, I heard a lot of complaning in the back of the field.

Somewhat early arrival back at the hotel, took the tram to Cala Radjada for some
change of mind, pupus or Tapas in Spanish at a hip restaurant, yummy.

2011-05-11T08:34:00.000-10:00

What day is it? Wearing no watch has become somewhat of a challenge or maybe blessing.
Most of the time I have no clue what time or what day it is, does it matter, NO. We are
on vacation. Still waking up at regular Kona time 5.10am, ready to roll.

6.20am 20 laps in a nice heated pool all by myself, feels good!

All what I know was when I woke up today was it'll be an easy day. riding on the
Queen K Highway, even on a scheduled training program by Coach Steve won't come even
close to what we are experiencing every day, so today we are going to lick our wounds.

Clear blue skies, 72F, we are living the dream again another day.

I was the leader today, Uwe our tour guide needed the day off.

On the way to Porto Christo, one of my favorite spots on the island we past Cala Millor,
which conviently had a bike shop, shopping time, always need a cool outfit from another place.

Cleared that place out. Back on the road toward Porto Christo.

Cappuchino, Coca Cola, Sandwiches and Hamburgers tasted extra good today, easy tempo,
perfect temperature and a view you won't even believe made a great lunch.

Back at the hotel we treated ourself with a couple of cold ones and some monstrous ice cream.

Day 3

2011-05-10T20:02:00.000-10:00

Cyclists go through a lot of challenges every day, one of them is to pump up about 20 bikes in the morning before we head out on our daily journey of punishing our body for several hours.

Another beautiful day in the saddle, Group B going to San Salvador, 1509ft above sea level, 4.8km of switch backs, my Garmin showed between 4-11 % grade.

On top, best views of all Mallorca and best cup of coffee.

Julia had a bad day in the office due to a bike that just doesn't fit her.

Franz tried to do his best to help.

Uwe at Work

Day 2

2011-05-09T06:15:00.000-10:00

Another beautiful day, crisp temperature at 6.00am again, warming up to 85F during the day, loading up with fresh fruit, yogurt, multi grain bread and some nice cups of coffee at breakfast, we were all ready to conceur another ride through the lovely country side. Cappucino group was planned to ride to the Caves
of Arta 42 miles, Group B lead by Uwe headed toward Petra 59 miles.

I could remember some nice side roads from my past visits with less traffic and convinced Uwe to mix my and his routes together, worked just great, everybody had a blast.
Stopped for a coffee break at a square in Petra, must be one of the bike friendliest places around,
the plaza was filled with countless groups of cyclist, it was too cool.

Wonder why there are no pictures, well, someone forgot to recharges the camera batteries, duh!

I'll try to get some from other fellow cyclist tomorrow.

Day 1

2011-05-08T06:43:00.000-10:00

Woke up at 5.10am, well rested, quite room on the second floor, morning temperature, nippy...
9.00am bike assemble, got everybody done by 10.30am with help from Uwe our master mechanic and tour guide.

Let the pictures speak for themself...

The Countdown starts

2011-05-06T05:35:00.000-10:00

This is it. We are going to Spain. We waited for this for 9 endless feeling month.
10 of us took the flight to San Fransisco, after some well deserved cocktails @ the Kona airport lounge, we took off a little early to start our 24 hr journey to Mallorca, Spain.

Has it been that long?

2011-04-30T06:50:00.000-10:00

Unbelievable, there must have been a time warp or something, from the last post until today, time just flew by and after a long process of recovering my passwords and settings for this blog I am finally back on track of posting.

A couple of changes have been made to our accommodations in Mallorca since the last posting.
Peter Sauerland of Team Sauerland, a veteran when it comes to hosting camps on the island was the best choice. HQ will be @ the Club Font de Sa Cala, a private beach club with some very nice amenities such as heated lap pool, private beach, bike service station and spa.

I can definitely feel some anticipation, 5 days of work left, guest bed room full of cycling clothes, shoes and pants, energy bars, helmet, cycling shoes, what else? Seems like I am taking the whole house with me.

Tonight pre-trip meeting at Bianelli's, Jersey presentation and briefing.

2011 Mallorca participation including the lovely Julia and myself, 23!!

For those that were unable to join this year, no worries we will do it again next year.

It's official

2010-08-12T17:25:00.000-10:00

It has been a while since I've posted something, as everybody knows, life is busy and nothing really happened

post Giro/Italy visit, Tour de France, sure, it was a good show put on by some really fast and talented kids, not so by a getting old Texan, lets wait until he shows up in Kona to do Ironman in 2011.

By the way, talking about 2011, that crazy grouchy German guy came up with this stupid idea to leave our rock and fly to another one just to ride our bikes, sleep well in comfy beds, fill up our bellies with the fantastic local cuisine and taste the good vine of the region.
This time it will be Mallorca. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallorca Also known as the "Riders Paradise" on the European continent.

Mallorca is truly one great place to ride a bike, choosing a place on the east coast for our headquarters,

Sa Coma, gives us the option to ride in several different directions every day.

I can't wait to ride up "Puig San Salvador", an about 1500' climb, lots of switchbacks, to the oldest monastery of Mallorca. Incredible views from the top in each direction .

Our hotel with a funny name: Hotel Blau Mediterraneo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBkZg7_PCuI

We'll be there from May 7th to May 18th, for all inquiries please contact me at OIBHawaii@aol.com.

If we can get more than 10 riders we'll qualify for a group discount.

The hotel offers half board, that means that we have a breakfast and a dinner buffet daily.

Destination airport is Palma de Mallorca (PMI), it takes two days to get to Palma, so please make sure when you make flight arrangements that your journey starts on the 5th.

For a good cause

2010-06-21T16:39:00.000-10:00

A dear friend of mine, Michele Bono, past away battling cancer for several years.
Michele was a cyclist at heart, she was a National Champion and the only athlete from Hawaii that ever won a medal on the Track.
The last couple of month before she past away, we could find her in Houston, trying to recover from Chemotherapy at the Aishel House. I often talked to her and she bragged about that this was the best place to recover.
In honor of Michele I am planning of having an annual event, the Grand Fondo Michele Bono, proceeds for this event will go directly to the Aishel House.
Please join me and my riding partner Franz for a couple of miles on our two day, 450 mile journey,scouting trip, riding complete around the island.
Start will be on Saturday June 26th at 5.30am at the Old Airport Playground riding north over the Kohala Mountains into Hilo. The second part will be on Sunday leaving Hilo riding south back into Kona.

Mechanical Doping?

2010-06-04T14:13:00.001-10:00

Is that really possible?

According to the video , see link below, it is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nd13ARuvVE&feature=related

Back in the Groove

2010-05-27T10:22:00.002-10:00

It's been 7 days since we left Italy, still sad, it's been a dream, looking back, even the hail, thunderstorms, down pours seem not to bother me anymore, I want to go back tomorrow and do it all over again. Like they said: The End is only the Beginning. Welcome Spain in 2011.

Back in Hawaii

2010-05-24T07:26:00.002-10:00

Wow, 15 1/2 hrs on a plane is just not fun.

At 6.30pm we touched down @ the Kona Intl. airport.

There is no other smell in the world that can describe when the door opens and you step off the plane in Hawaii, it smells like home.

Take a deep breath next time you come back from a trip and you'll find out, your whole body just starts blooming, sucking up the moisture like a sponge.

Today, back to work, not fun either, but somehow we have to save some more money for our next adventure.

The Legend continues

2010-05-24T06:56:00.004-10:00

Julia and I haven't been to Germany when the weather was as beautiful as it was this time. Blue skies and temperatures around 65 to 70 F made this short trip very enjoyful.

Of course our first stop would be the wine market to get some Italian wine to enjoy
on my pops porch above the city. It's a little oasis right downtown with palm trees
and other tropical trees and plants.

So what goes the best with red wine?
Spaghetti and a shot of Sambuca.

This is it..

2010-05-19T16:30:00.002-10:00

We are leaving Italy. We'll be back for sure.

Still digesting all the images in my head, it'll take a while to realize what we did.

Most of us became wine snobs, with the exception of Gene, Coca Cola only and Tammy, she is more of a beer person, although both of them tried the favorite beverage of the gods.

Since I missed two days of riding I asked Tom if we could do one more ride in the morning.

To my surprise he offered to ride from Cortona to Florence, about 70 miles, while all the other would take the van.

From the get go he pushed hard, he wanted to beat the van,

we didn't beat them, but we arrived at the same time, 3 1/2 hrs for 70 miles with a thunder storm

and some serious hills, I was happy.

It was sad to see the guides leave, we were more like a family after a week of spending all day together.

A typical italian lunch and some Giro TV coverage closed the day and a chapter that will leave long lasting memories.

Thanks for following.

Last day in sunshine

2010-05-19T00:33:00.009-10:00

Cortona, if you ever have the chance, please visit this amazing hill top town in Tuscany.

You'll find yourself set back in time to the Mid Evil, absolutely amazing.

We woke up early, the sunshine falling in our window, this seems promising for the day.

The first day of real sunshine, no rain, yeah!

Super nice ride with two passes to climb, another outstanding lunch by Duvine.

Check out the videos.

With out words..

2010-05-19T00:27:00.006-10:00

I am running out of words how to describe the beauty of this part of Italy.

So I am cutting it short and let the pictures tell you the story.

Todays ride, transfer from San Luca to Cortona. 50 miles, ran into thunder again.

On the bike again

2010-05-16T19:08:00.006-10:00

A short ride from our hotel in Montefellonico brought us right to the start in Chianchiano.

We checked out the scenery and rode further south to Chuisi to see the peleton go by.

It took 15 sec for 189 riders to go by.

Todays mileage 35 due to rain again, but we got a superb lunch out of it.

Rest Day

2010-05-16T18:46:00.008-10:00

No ride today due to a continious down poor. Instead we drove to downtown Siena and walked around with our umbrella's playing tourist.

Than transfer to todays finish of Stage 6, Montalciona @ 1600 ft.

We got dropped of at the 8oo meter marker and walked all the way to the finish line. A Big Screen was showing the race live, people gathering every where, waiting for the arrival of the peleton,

that was still riding on the dirt roads of the famous L'eroica . When you hear the helicopter

you know they are close, mud covered Evans , followed by Vino were coming racing through he small streets of Montalcino right in front of us, fighting for todays victory,

Part of the Giro

2010-05-14T06:48:00.004-10:00

Another beautiful morning to wake up to. Crisp clean air hits your face opening the wood framed

windows in our room. Fog hugs the lower parts of the valley of Volterra.

On todays schedule: parts of the Giro.

By the time we left the hotel the skies didn't look good as promised.

6 k out of town going south east the weather came in and we got hit with a nice stiff breeze and rain. Not fun when the ride starts with a nice downhill, frozen toes, numb hands and a red nose like Rudolph the reindeer.

Most of our today's ride included lots of climbing and long downhills.

Half way through the ride Giovanni served a first class lunch that filled us up and gave us enough energy to conceur parts of tomorrows Stage 6.

"Pantani" graffiti and faded mile markers on the road on the way to Siena. Miles today 63.

On our bikes

2010-05-13T07:16:00.005-10:00

Beautiful ride around Volterra today. I was skeptical after all the storms.
The weather cleared and we started on a crisp morning to go on our first ride.

Starting with a screaming downhill on wet roads we had to challenge some hilly terrain

riding toward San Gimignano an old town with a 1000 year history.

After a short stop we continued our ride looping back to Volterra with some nice climbs.

Not a good start

2010-05-12T04:46:00.004-10:00

It's Wednesday and we are suppose to go our on first ride around Volterra.
Tom and Giovanni picked us up @ the hotel at 11am.
The transfer was quick, adventurous and of course beautyful, the Tuscan countryside is just gorgeous, accept if you get hit by a cold front that carried hale, thunder, lightning and tons of rain.

So somewhat disappointed we were waiting over a small lunch, (salad, spaghetti, bread and wine) that the front would clear and we could go on our most anticipated first ride.
At 3pm we decided that there was no reason to ride in the rain with thunder in the background, so we checked out our bikes and made some adjustment that were needed.

Tammy and Mike's luggage is still lost somewhere between Amsterdam and Florence.

Another day in Florence

2010-05-11T18:00:00.006-10:00

A small amount of jetlag still in our bodys let us wake up early.

Julia and I went for a walk to get a newspaper and a cup of coffee.

Overcast skies and a little drizzle of rain greeted us at the door leaving our hotel.

But even with a gray sky Florence is a beauty.

We found a newspaper stand a block away and purchased our own first

"Gazzetta della sport" a pink, sports only newspaper, 8 pages of cycling, unbelievable.

Vino just slipped into pink and Cadel was 46 sec behind, that promised excitement for the

upcoming stages.

Walking around made us hungry, so we went back to our hotel and had a great breakfast.

Wheat bread, eggs, fruit, lunch meat and of course cheese with a hot and strong Cappuchino

would give a good base for the day.

All of us were anxious to visit the local bike shops, maybe picking up some cool stuff we won't get in the US.

The first store had an enormous inventory, I mean we have a lot of stuff, but those guys had probably twice as much.

Colnago's, Bianchi's, Wilier's and some really cool brand from Italy called Olympus of course all carbon with Campy stuff on it. Two hours later and several hundreds of dollars poorer we were finally ready to leave and fill our by now hungry belly's with some good Italian pizza.

The Kelly's should be arriving soon, there flight was scheduled to arrive @ 12.25 local time.

A new experience: Mozzarella with fresh tomatoes, a large pizza and 2 bottles of red wine @ lunch will definetely slow you down for the rest of the day.

With the plan to go to a local bar next door at night, Ken saw a Canabis beer he needed to try, we said good by to our fellow cycling gang to take a well deserved nap.

Researching the Kelly's flight schedule we found out that they had to spend all day @ the airport in Amsterdam.

Poor guys.

The bar was not a hit at all, so we went for a nice walk through downtown Florence end enjoyed the local atmosphere of an old Italian city.

We waited until a quarter to 12pm to welcome Tammy and Mike, luggage still in Amsterdam.

Both were in good spirits.

Downtown Florence

2010-05-10T17:43:00.002-10:00

Coming from the airport, Florence apperance' reminds me of any bigger city in Germany, streets are plugged with traffic, county workers working on potholes in the middle of the day, small streets lined with trees, car parking on both sides, public parks with old skulpures, honking impatient drivers.

One major aspect differs thou, scooters and bikes galore, it seems that the amount of both out number the use of cars and to top it off they have an awesome bus system.
The word "speed limit" is unheard of and it is scary to cross the street, even if you are waiting on a traffic light. So just close your eyes and take all the courage you can muster and cross the street.

Downtown Florence is just a walk away from our hotel,
it it an explosion of images, it is beautiful, astounding,
one after another, the buildings, the arcitecture, the businesses that offer mouth watering foods, cobble stones, the river that flows right trough town with its apartment building lining both edges. I had the feeling this was a part of Disneyland, almost to pretty to be true.

Let the fun begin...

2010-05-10T12:16:00.004-10:00

We are leaving.
It's Saturday' May 8th.

It will be a long way to Italy, spending most of our time cattled into a XL tin can, going almost 650 miles an hour, it is actually like prison, no room, uncomfortable living quarters, bad food and annoying inmates, I am sorry I meant fellow travelers.

Our first leg (4 1/2 hrs) brought us to LAX with a short layover of 2hrs.
Coffee and checking the latest results of the Giro made the wait feel short.

Next to Chicago, (3 1/2 hrs only), a little bit of dozing around, reading, more dozing.

Me I am talking about or Ken or Gene who sat in their seats unable to sleep on a plane, Julia on the other hand, just rolls up like a ball and falls to sleep instantly.

Next stop Frankfurt, Germany.
With a small detour, the ash cloud of the Island volcano was hovering over some parts of Europe again, we arrived after 8 1/2 hrs of flying time in Frankfurt, Germany.

Here, we would anticipate our first real workout, mentally and physically, before we started or cycling tour.

While checking in with a Lufthansa ticketing machine it turns our that Ken and Gene had no ticket to fly to Florence, a simple computer flaw, frustrated I decided to cut in line of about a 100 waiting passengers, using my smooth mother language to speed up the process @ the check-in counter. By now we thought we are running a little behind schedule to get to the gate.
20 minutes later we found ourself with tickets standing in a line of
gazillion other frustrated passengers going through security.
There was no way we could make it on time to our last leg to Florence.

Sometimes there is a light at the end of the tunnel, so they say, at this time we would call it "the speed of light", out of the middle of nowhere a airport personal showed up to inform us to follow him, guiding us to a different security check point reducing the wait period, with the speed of light he almost disappeared right in front of us.

Did you ever run with 4 pieces of luggage @ 10 mi/mile pace? It's not fun, not only that there was another line at the new check point, but we had to run down 4 flights of stairs crossing a tunnel and back up 4 flights, coming to the gate right at boarding time finding out that there were more stairs to go down to, catching the bus to the plane that was waiting on the tarmac, by then everybody was soaking wet from running like a mad dog.

But we finally made it, 90 minutes later we arrived at the Florence airport.

An Italian dinner

2010-05-03T08:01:00.003-10:00

May 2nd, 5:30pm
Dinner with Gene, Ken, Mike, Tammy, Julia and myself @ Fabrizio's in downtown Kailua.
An evening full of laughter, good food and wine.
6 days of work left, everybody is really looking forward to the trip.

Just call me a freak...

2010-05-03T07:57:00.003-10:00

Pre-Tour preparations

- Pedicure

The girls of Hot Nails in town went wild....

Custom Giro Jersey...Design by Nathan Blades

2010-04-26T15:26:00.002-10:00

A nice combo, good job Nathan

Day 7

2010-04-26T15:22:00.002-10:00

Loop around Cortona

Day 6

2010-04-26T15:20:00.001-10:00

San Luca - Cortona, leaving Umbria back to Tuscany

Day 5

2010-04-26T15:18:00.002-10:00

Up close at the Giro Part 2 Montefollonico - Monte Terminillio Stage finish at 1672 meters

Day 4

2010-04-26T15:16:00.001-10:00

Up close at the Giro, Siena - Buonconvento, Stage finish in Montalcino

Day 3

2010-04-26T15:14:00.001-10:00

Volterra to Siena, preview of Stage 7 of the Giro

Day 2

2010-04-26T15:07:00.001-10:00

Roller coaster of a loop ride to the town of San Gimignano.

The Route...Day 1

2010-04-26T14:28:00.003-10:00

Today we got detailed maps from Tom
our guide in Italy.
He did an awesome job, more than expected.
Looks like we have a lot of climbs, oh well...

Accommodations...Part 5

2010-04-23T17:19:00.000-10:00

Hotel San Michele

Night 6 & 7 in Cortona

The Baldelli Palace, site of Hotel San Michele, is a concentration of Cortonese history. In the XI century, right where the hotel is now located, there used to be part of the defensive walls of Cortona. In the XII century the building became the mansion of the Marquis del Monte S. Maria and in 1206 it became a public building; where the “Podestà” would hold trials and issue sentences.

The mansion of the Marquis del Monte, appears to have been rectangular with towers and walls at the perimeter. It became the building we know now through a restoration in the XV century and a further restoration in the XVI century, both made by the Baldelli family after it had been given to them as a present by the Florentine Republic, around the year 1410. Although a number of upgrades and further small restorations have been made in the XVIII century, the building remains essentially a XVI century palace. This is clearly visible in the facade. In the XVIII century, at the first floor, the Etruscan Academy used to hold its meetings, to study the Etruscan heritage of Cortona.

In a hidden place, inside Hotel San Michele in Cortona, there is a fresco of Madonna with baby Jesus sitting on a throne and surrounded by four saints, which is believed to have been made by the painter Bicci di Lorenzo. The fresco, “forgotten” by the guides still awaits an official recognition but there are elements to confirm a very strong influence of the famous painter Masaccio. The first saint on the left is Saint Michael Arcangel, the old patron of Cortona, prior to 1261 when the new patron became Saint Marc. In fact on April 25th, 1261, the Ghibellines of Cortona, previously defeated by the Guelfs and sent in exile for 2 years, took Cortona back with the help of Siena under the command of Uguccio Casali.

Accommodations...Part 4

2010-04-23T17:13:00.000-10:00

Villa Zuccari

Night 5 in Montefalco

This large villa, surrounded by the vineyards of Montefalco, has been the Zuccari family's residence since the end of the 15th century. The origins of the family can be traced back to one member of the family who lived in the house in the late 15th century along with his descendent Fazio, who died in 1534. The building, the original nucleus of which currently houses the restaurant, was expanded over the centuries and is known to have been adorned in the mid-19th century.

The Zuccari's were landowners with numerous sharecroppers. They married into the most illustrious and wealthy families of the area and also had excellent relations with local religious and governmental authorities. The current owner, Paolo Zuccari, transformed the property into a Relais de Charme with a 40,000 square metre park where visitors can admire an incredible 980 Meilland French rose bushes that bloom from May to October and a large deck-level overflow swimming pool.

The house embraces visitors and allows them to spend their vacation in an antique, charming and unique environment, for those seeking a place to relax and leave the stress of city life behind. Thanks to its strategic position in the centre of the region, Villa Zuccari is the perfect destination for visitors who want to explore the various natural and artistic treasures that Umbria has to offer.

Accommodations...Part 3

2010-04-23T17:09:00.000-10:00

Hotel La Chiusa

Night 4 in Montefollonico

Restaurant and Relais de campagne with 15 rooms, made out from an old oil mill set in the heart of the Tuscan countryside, with a view facing Montepulciano, Pienza, Montalcino and the Amiata mountain. Dania sees personally to the cuisine, Umberto welcomes the guests and supervises the service in the restaurant. It is possible to taste gastronomic specialities tied to the region's traditions, with products grown on the farm and the best of the local market. During the season truffles and porcini mushrooms are picked locally. There is an extraordinary selection of local wines, with special attention to Brunello di Montalciano, Nobile di Montepulciano and Chianti Classico. "Supertuscans" such as Sassicaia, Solaia, Ornellaia Tiganello, Pergole Torte are never missing; but the wine cellar also offers Château Lafite, Mouton Rothschild, Château Petrus, Romanée Conti, Opus One and other jewels of the international enology.

Accommodations...Part 2

2010-04-23T17:03:00.000-10:00

Villa Sacciapensieri

Night 3 in Siena

The "Villa Scacciapensieri" is a marvellous 19th century Villa set in its own large park and gardens perfectly situated on top of a little hill only 2.5 km north of the medieval walled city of Siena, hidden just on the border of the Chianti wine region with its green rolling hills. All the major sights of Tuscany are in easy reach of this four star family run hotel that offers a warm and peaceful blend of old world charm and an excellent restaurant with professional, attentive service. The Villa and its surrounding gardens are an oasis where one is allowed to relax and enjoy the true Tuscany.

The main Villa, constructed in the late 1790's - early 1800's, offers elevator access to rooms on the two upper floors, while the restaurant "Altri Tempi", the cosy bar/lounge with open fire place, library, the little private chapel and the media-room (Internet access, television, video) are all located on the ground level beside the 24hr Reception Desk. The two annex buildings "Limonaia" and "Villino" are both very close to the main Villa.

Altogether there are 3 suites, 4 single rooms and 24 double rooms, all offering a completely private bathroom, hairdryer, air conditioning, Sat. TV, direct telephone and minibar.

The swimming pool close to the the outdoor restaurant overlooks the Chianti hills.

Accommodations...Part 1

2010-04-23T16:36:00.000-10:00

Park Hotel Le Fonti

First 2 nights in Volterra

Nestled among the waving Tuscan hills, Park Hotel Le Fonti is just ten minutes walk from the center of Volterra, a small Etruscan jewel, overlooking the sea.
Our centralized location provides easy access to the main Tuscan cities, international airports and beaches.
As a Guest of Park Hotel Le Fonti you will be pleased to embrace the very essence of Tuscany: nature, art, culture, kitchen. We are looking forward in welcoming you

Renovated in 2002, Park Hotel Le Fonti is built in respect of the old Tuscan traditions, while at the same time offering all the comforts of a top modern Hotel. Its 67 rooms, 8 junior suites and 1 suite “La Torre” (The Tower) offer an exceptional living environment. All the rooms are equipped with A/C, Sat TV, safe, hairdryer.
At disposal guests hotel facilities:: big private parking, elevator, reading room, conference room, American bar, 2 restaurants,. 2 outdoor swimming pools (10 X 16 m. and 4 X 8 m Valley sight terrace.

This is where it all starts..

2010-04-21T17:21:00.000-10:00

Tough decisions to make where to go to ride a bike...

After considering to go either to the Tour de France or the Giro d'Italia, we decided to go to Italy - fewer spectators, better food, more affordable airfare, etc...

After doing extensive research, we found a tour company that catered to our needs and fitness level.

Mike and his wife, Tammy, Ken and his wife, Gene, are joining us for a 7 day, 375 mile cycling tour through Tuscany and Umbria.

We'll be in Montalcino ( Stage 7 Giro d'Italia finish) and Monte Terminillo ( Stage 8 Giro D'Italia finish) to watch the Giro live.

A new frame, a pistacchio green Orbea Diva, and a new coach, Steve, have motivated Julia enough to put in some serious miles to be prepared for the hilly terrain in Tuscany. This is her final week of being punished by her coach - 12 hrs of riding time. That's not only a personal record but also a huge accomplishment for her, since she has never ridden that much in her entire life. Best of all, she has had a lot of fun.

Mike and Tammy brought this homemade cake over to the store yesterday to celebrate our journey to Tuscany in May. They did great, the cake was devoured in less than two hours.

Wow, we'll have our second vacation together in the last 10 years.