i am friends with a couple who are looking for a self-guided tour of italy--tuscany in particular. they are in their mid 40s. they are not hardcore roadies, but they are quite fit. they are aware that they will face some hills in tuscany, so are looking to keep their mileage relatively short: 45km to 60km per day for five or six days.

they are looking for the usual self-guided package: maps, cue sheets, lodging, points of interest, flexible travel dates, etc. without doing the group travel thing. oh, and i believe they would appreciate being able to rent bikes when they arrive in italy.

any suggestions would be much appreciated. thanks.

Hi I'm Italian, I'll ask around about the possibilities to rent bikes and so on. When will they come?

thank you for your reply. i think they are planning on riding this autumn. but they are interested in a self-guided tour so they can visit anytime they wish.

where do you live? my family and i visited italy for the first time last may and loved it. we were in firenze, siena and borgo san felice.i have been all over europe, but italy was by far the most beautiful, welcoming and cycling-friendly country i have visited.

i am thinking of coming back to italy in october and riding l'eroica in gaiole in chianti. (http://www.eroica.it/eroica.htm) i agree with your signature about steel bikes. i am currently waiting for a lugged steel bike being built in massachussetts with dedacciai tubes.

Hi I'm Italian, I'll ask around about the possibilities to rent bikes and so on. When will they come?

http://www.besttuscantours.it/

I have used this guy often. Very nice person