This year, the Tour de France started in Florence, Italy on June 29. Ed and I were among the thousands of visitors to witness “Le Grand Départ”.
Firenze Frenzy
Florence was abuzz with energy as yellow Tour de France banners dotted the landscape on light posts and buildings. Spandex-clad spectators were everywhere, riding bikes of all sizes and brands.
The day before the start of the tour, the Tour hosted a fair in a main plaza, where sponsors handed out logo-ed swag and bike stunt artists performed entertaining shows.
Le Grand Départ
On the day of the tour, we found an excellent viewing spot near Ponte Vecchio, in the middle of Florence. We waited a few hours, and chatted joyfully with the many spectators, most of whom were Tour devotees or experienced cyclists.
Before the race, Italian kids and their parents rode their bikes through the cobblestone streets. The atmosphere was happy and electric when the caravan started around 11 am. Sponsor cars drove slowly along the route. Many were blasting music, with passengers waving enthusiastically to the throngs of fans.
At noon, the cyclists appeared riding rather slowly in a big bunch. This was the ‘neutral start’, where the cyclists proceed as a group. The projected ‘stars’—Pogacar and Vinegaard—were safely ensconced in the middle of the pack.
A few kilometers out of the city, the official ‘race’ began, and they were off! This meant that all of the spectators were ‘off’ too! As you can imagine, traffic was quite gnarly.
We waited for a while in Florence and then drove towards the next stage of the race. Many roads were closed, since the cyclists were using them, so Google Maps took us on a beautiful, circuitous route towards the Emilia-Romagna region.
Earlier, we had reviewed the map of stage 2, and googled potential places to stay along the route.
We “scored” by reserving a room at Villa Liverzano near Brisighella. We were delighted to discover that their driveway was right on the tour route.
And, even more delightful were the lovely accommodations, views, and exquisite courtyard dinner. There was one other couple who identified as ‘Tour Groupies’ so over dinner, we strategized where to watch the event the next day.
Day #2
We parked at the base of the villa’s driveway ant took a short walk to the top of the Cote de Monticino.
The Category 3 hilltop finish was festive.
Even the porta-potties had Italian style.
We waited a bit, and then the caravan passed by with the fleet of sponsor cars. A few moments later, J Abrahamsen, the current ‘king of the mountain’”’ crossed the summit in his polka dot jersey.
Soon thereafter, the peloton rode by quickly. We learned that Pogacar would take the yellow jersey that day, and would only relinquish it for one day going forward.
Relaxation in Tuscany
After the frenzy of the tour, we headed back towards Tuscany to visit our friends, Nancy and John in Anghiari, a small village near Arezzo. We enjoyed our two-night stay and delighted in the wonderful local cuisine and relaxed lifestyle. Nancy writes at itch.world on life as an expat.
The view of the walled city from the guest room window was breathtaking.
We visited Anghiari five years earlier and were so happy to return! Actually, this was the impetus of our trip to see the Tour. When Ed read that the Tour would start in Florence, he beamed, “Cool … we can watch the start, and then visit Nancy and John!” This set our trip planning in action.
Visiting A Sacred Site
We visited the Sanctuary of La Verna, a hilltop monastery, made famous by a visit by St Francis of Assisi in 1224. It is a beautiful pilgrimage site located in a National Park. We reverently toured the grounds and admired the views.
So, arrivederci Italia! Our trip was short – only two weeks, but memorable. We are grateful that we could combine the hustle and bustle of the Tour and with “la dolce vita” of Tuscany. Until next time!