Exploring Tuscany by Scooter
The blazing orange ball dips towards the horizon line. While bright yellow Sunflowers twist to catch the last rays of sunlight sweeping across the silent valley floor.
Rows and rows of perfectly parallel grapevines line the hills. Their branches hanging low still thick with the plump fruit that will be harvested in a few months time to create thirst quenching wine.
The smell of freshly cut golden bales of hay lie freshly bound across empty fields.
And black ribbons of tarmac coated with sticky tar, melted from the summer sun, twist and turn between the Tuscan farms. Dipping in and out of sight, the roads seemingly go on forever.
The silence is pierced only by a steady whine slowly building in the distance. It sounds like an entire beehive taking flight.
Bursting into the sunlight from around one of the twisting corners appears a single wheel attached to handlebars gripped by a pair of white-knuckled hands.
Two riders sit astride a sunflower yellow Vespa going hell for leather.
Urging the 100cc engine on, the driver gives another twist of the throttle. Leaning into the never-ending bends they sweep past the vineyards and sunflowers to disappear around a curve in the road.
Silence descends again on this remote Tuscan Valley.
If you had looked closer before they whipped past, you would have seen a manic grin plastered across my helmeted face.
My chest gripped like a vice by Adela’s interlocking fingers. Her manic grin nearly wider than mine.
Exploring Tuscany by Scooter
Earlier that day we had unleashed the motoring beast within and spent the day exploring Tuscany by Scooter. Our hired 100cc scooter giving us one of our best adventures to date.
Our route was wild and unplanned.
All we wanted was to stick to the back-roads and find the cutest towns possible.
With a head full of ridiculously romantic visions and only 8 hours to take it all in we initially thought we had to move fast. That quickly changed as we cruised the empty roads.
Every bend revealed another sweeping vista with a village perched precariously on top of distant hills. The local town church spires guiding us to their coffee shops and sweet pastries.
Each of the villages only allowed access for local cars or motorbikes. And the usual hordes of tourists seemed to avoid them as they stuck to the main routes. Blissfully alone we zigzagged our scooter up narrow alleys before exploring deeper on foot.
With recommendations from the locals in each town on where to go next we would blindly follow directions to find our next destination.
Places like La Porta di Kertine, an organic vineyard tucked off the beaten path.
The owner heard us puttering down the dusty gravel driveway and welcomed us with open arms. Even taking us on a tour of his vines. We were just sorry we could only fit one bottle of sweet Rose wine under our scooters seat.
Even getting caught in the middle of a summertime thunder storm didn’t give us reason to pause. Drenched to the bone we blasted on, quickly drying off when the torrential rained eased.
Wishing we could have stayed on the back of that yellow devil forever the light quickly faded as the sunset.
Sitting back with our bottle of Rose that evening we remembered the feeling of freedom and the beauty and emptiness around us. The perfect way to see a side of Italy and Tuscany that many don’t.
Extra Travel Tips:
We stayed in Certaldo and can recommend the Fattoria Bassetto B&B and Hostel for travelling couples.
We rented our scooters in San Gimignano which is 35 km’s from Florence. Easily accessible by train or bus and worth a few hours of exploring separately.
You have 24 hours so it is worth picking up the scooter the night before. It means you can set off early the next day.
Don’t try to go too far. We only covered 140 km’s on our scooter and stopped often. Also make sure you keep an eye on the fuel gauge as there are not many gas stations around.
Stay safe, obey the speed limits and be careful on the winding roads. Italian drivers can be quite aggressive although we only saw a handful of cars all day.
Category: Adventure Travel, Europe
We have been wearing out our jandals (Kiwi slang for flip-flops) on our travel adventures around the world since 2009. We love all types of adventures that make us step outside our comfort zone, in comfort, including surfing, skiing, snowboarding, diving and cruising on our bikes. You can find out more 
Wow, that is an amazing bit of narrative to kick the post off! Nice work! I’ve always loved the theory of a scooter adventure, but am slightly terrified of falling off. Still.. it does look like fun though!
Laurence recently posted..A recommended itinerary for a day in Barcelona
Driving around the Tuscany with a scooter is really a cool idea. You would get to feel the relatively mild weather. Nice to know that we can rent easily accessible scooters at San Gimignano.
Mike recently posted..Ecotourism in Australia
Let us know if you ever do it Mike
Love, love, love it! I didn’t expect to love Tuscany, thought it would be too cliche for me. But Dani was so excited, so we went. I love Tuscany, the same way I love Paris, too. I can see that it inspired you here, really got you writing awesome narrative, and I absolutely felt the same way. Tuscany is magical, and seeing it on a scooter must be amazing! We had a cherry red Fiat, so felt pretty Italian, too, while we were there
Great story!
Jess | GlobetrotterGirls recently posted..Notes from the Beach House: The Earthquake Edition
I felt like that was one of my best posts actually and so visiting somewhere that inspires you definitely helps the writing flow! Awesome you rented a Red Fiat! Can just imagine you buzzing around everywhere haha.
This is a great idea, and looks like so much fun! I like that it was an unplanned trip directed by the locals. No so sure I would like to get stuck in the rain though!
Candice recently posted..5 Longest Passenger Flights
The rain was actually fine because it only lasted about 10 minutes. And luckily it was still warm. Even though we were in t-shirts
When in Tuscany, scoot like the locals! Pity your yellow beast only had room for one bottle, however…
Karen @ Trans-Americas Journey recently posted..Beyond the Break – La Libertad, El Salvador
We have their card so might have to order some over here
Loved San Gimignano – and have a nice black and red leather bag too from there! Had yummi8est pizzas there too, x
The towers were really cool! Maybe you need to snorkel along the Italian coast rather than the Pacific coast
Would love to do that – sounds like so much fun
Brenda recently posted..The Growth of South African Beer
Definitely do it if you get the chance Brenda
Awesome stuff, although I doubt MJ would trust me to operate a scooter:)
D.J. – The World of Deej recently posted..The Curious Case of Yountville, California
Haha I asked Adela if she wanted to drive at all and she made it clear she was alright with me. Would be fun to get a bunch of people together and do it.
Italian drivers aggressive?? Ooops
Looks like you’ve had a lovely trip, the best way to enjoy Tuscany’s countryside!
Angela recently posted..Moments of bliss in Beira Mar, my beach: a photo essay
I was glad it was country roads and not Rome! Might have been run over in any of the cities.
Thanks for the follow on Twitter. I like how this is written, Cole. Funny I was watching a program about Tuscany the other day. Scooter ride looks like a fun way to explore the city. Love the photos.
Shamis @ Gawaya Travel Blog recently posted..Bora Bora Resorts On The Water
Thanks Shamis. Definitely a good way to get around the countryside rather than with public transport.
I LOVE your photos. I actually stayed in Fattoria Bassetto four years ago… such an amazing place! I definitely should’ve rented a scooter as well.
Ashley recently posted..5 Creative Ways to Plan a Kick-ass Itinerary
Fattoria Bassetto such a nice spot. I bet the same Aussie guy was working there then! Hopefully you go back sometime and then you can rent a scooter
Awesome photos!!! I can feel the wind rushing through my hair
Lillie – @WorldLillie recently posted..Beautiful Wedding Photos for My 500th Blog Article
Cheers Lillie. Was such an easy post to write. Maybe because we enjoyed it so much!
Looks so beautiful!
avaapollo recently posted..Encore Beach Club Review: The Best Pool Party in Las Vegas
It truly was. Could have spent so many days exploring Tuscany by scooter. Need to go back I think.
Locally made wines in Tuscany taste really good. I’ve tried before in Tuscany how to make wines from the its harvest to its processing. I really wish I could go back there soon.
Awesome stuff guys! I had the exact same idea as i head to florence (from auckland NZ) next week with my partner. I really want to see tuscany on a scooter and am going to hire one from florence. Is there anything close to florence that you would recommend we see by scooter?
Cheers
Andy
Hi. We are planning to go in first week June and while researching found your journal. Very encouraging! Curious to know which month did you travel in?
Hey Deepak,
We travelled in the middle of June and it was the perfect time of year. Nice and warm but not too busy with tourists. Beginning of June will be amazing! Enjoy and have safe travels.
Cheers,
Cole
Great post! Do you remember the company you used to rent a scooter? My wife and I would love to do this.
Thanks Brandon
The company we used was called Bruno Bellini and they are located near the village of San Gimignano. Hope you manage to rent Scooters in Tuscany and go exploring! Such an amazing day out.