Welcome to paradise
The scorching hills dotted with the hay bales of June welcome us with the traditional postcard of the Tuscan summer. San Dalmazio is one of the small villages that revolve around Pomarance, lost in the tranquility of the countryside and immersed in a surreal silence. The Monastery is a glistening expanse of olive trees watched over by the ancient bell tower.
Here Paolo Bettini welcomes us with his proverbial energy, telling us in broad strokes about the week’s program. In his eyes, the love for this land that can only be fully understood by living it.
Chef’s word
Regional cooking has its secrets, and it is usually the grandmothers who are the official holders of this knowledge. This is what chef Federico Frosali repeats when, from his kitchen, he introduces us to the Tuscan tradition and tells us about pappa al pomodoro, the first dish we will cook today. Like all simple recipes, this one also needs its tricks, the perfect balance between the ingredients. The chef shows us how to prepare and knead fresh pasta that we will use for classic Tuscan ravioli with a delicious ricotta and spinach filling while the filet on the table will be served in a crust, with julienne carrots. We learn how to knead and then use the sac à poche to pot an alternative spoon tiramisu. At the end we taste the lunch prepared with our own hands accompanied by a good glass of rosé, produced by a local winery.
Geothermal visions
It begins to rain lightly, the green and yellow dappled gorse is even more intense. Paul leads us up and down the streets of Pomarance and then Larderello. The cooling towers of the power plants quietly watch over the landscape. Here, the clean energy that comes from the earth is transformed into a fundamental resource, and cycling through these territories helps you discover even more about the world of geothermal phenomena. While the cyclists pedal, another group enters what is a kind of parallel world, the Biancane Park, where geysers, borax puffs and other extraordinary natural manifestations make the landscape almost lunar. With the guide, we discover the place that, according to legend, inspired Dante for his masterpiece, The Divine Comedy.
Beer from underground
Cyclists and walkers meet halfway, inspired by a unique scenery and a place where an authentic rarity can be tasted. At Vapori di Birra, the beer is brewed using geothermal steam and the area’s natural boraciferous fumes as the primary source of energy. Paolo Bettini’s top pick? The Magma. A name, a program.
The Cerretemberg
The atmosphere of the Classics of the North can be felt here, where a fearsome stretch through the countryside has been christened with the traditional Flemish “berg.” This is the Cerreto road, a real leg-sapping wall with an average gradient of 4 percent that leaves no escape under this sweltering June sun. One dreams of the North, even in a place where the Mediterranean scrub provides a backdrop to the effort.
Volterra and sunset aperitif
Famous for the Volturi of the Twilight saga, Volterra is a microcosm of beauty and charm, thanks to its past divided between the Etruscan and medieval culture. The tour begins at the Piazza dei Priori located in the historic center and then continues to the Etruscan gate dating from around the period between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. The guide then immerses us in the world of alabaster and the atmosphere of ancient splendor of the Roman theater, which can be fully admired from the walls. A walk that ends with an ice cream and a return to Pomarance, for an aperitif before the traditional barbecue at the Savioli space. With its terrace overlooking the hills, the Dispensa is the ideal place to end a day of excitement and – between one glass and another – pick up the race packet.
On the grid for the Green Fondo
To end our Tuscan adventure on a high note, we leave the hotel early, heading for the center of Pomarance to pin the number on our backs and participate in the Green Fondo organized by Paolo Bettini for twenty-three years now. The event resembles more of a bicycle party, and the new timed sections have not changed the cycling spirit of the competition. We find ourselves cheerful – and hungry – more than ever at the refreshments that mix good traditional food with scenery and fatigue, a winning formula that has allowed us to enjoy for one last – but not least – time these very special roads.
A hug, a photo on the finish line, and then it really is time to say goodbye. But, as we drive home, we have that feeling of melancholy that makes us want to leave again.
Goodbye Pomarance, there is still so much to discover that it is impossible not to think about coming back – and soon!
