Why this ride
From Quarrata it runs 331 km to Quarrata; allow about 4 h 43 of riding. The stops in between: Piazza del Duomo, Isola del Tinetto and back through Piazza del Duomo. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Villa La Magia and Isola del Tinetto
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 331 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 43
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Villa La Magia
The Medici loved the countryside, especially when it came with hunting grounds, and Villa La Magia at Quarrata was one of their country retreats at the foot of the Montalbano hills, a few kilometres south of Pistoia. Francesco I de' Medici bought it in the sixteenth century to use as a hunting lodge, and it belongs to the World Heritage inscription for the Medici villas and gardens of Tuscany. The villa is a solid rectangular building around a courtyard, more farmhouse than palace, with a park that has become home to contemporary art installations, a rather unexpected touch for a Renaissance hunting lodge.
Read the complete Villa La Magia write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Villa La Magia is where the day begins. Next is Piazza del Duomo.
2. Piazza del Duomo
Nothing prepares you for that first glimpse through the gateway. A wide green lawn, and set on it like ornaments on a cloth, the white marble cathedral, the round baptistery, the cemetery cloister of the Camposanto, and of course the bell tower, leaning at an angle that looks wrong no matter how many photographs you have seen. The Piazza del Duomo in Pisa, also called the Field of Miracles, was one of the first places in Italy to be listed by UNESCO, back in 1987.
Read the complete Piazza del Duomo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Piazza del Duomo comes up about 75 km into the recorded legs. Next is Isola del Tinetto.
3. Isola del Tinetto
Three islands trail off the tip of the Porto Venere peninsula like stepping stones: Palmaria, the largest, then Tino, and finally the Tinetto, a bare rock with the ruins of an early medieval monastic settlement and a small lighthouse beacon. Together with Porto Venere and the Cinque Terre, they form a World Heritage Site, listed for the way people shaped this rugged coast with terraces, villages and fortifications. The Tinetto is home to a rare lizard found only on these islands, and the waters around are rich in marine life.
Read the complete Isola del Tinetto write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 165 km into the recorded legs you reach Isola del Tinetto. Next is back through Piazza del Duomo.
4. back through Piazza del Duomo
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Piazza del Duomo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Piazza del Duomo, late in the day. Next is Villa La Magia.
5. Villa La Magia
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Villa La Magia write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Villa La Magia. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Villa La Magia to Piazza del Duomo
Villa La Magia → Piazza del Duomo is 75 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Piazza del Duomo to Isola del Tinetto
Piazza del Duomo → Isola del Tinetto is 90 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Isola del Tinetto to back through Piazza del Duomo
Isola del Tinetto → back through Piazza del Duomo is 91 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Piazza del Duomo to Villa La Magia
back through Piazza del Duomo → Villa La Magia is 75 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.