Headway Systems: Cycling in Italy

This 18th century farmhouse is situated in the heart of the Val d'Orcia nature park. The Cardinale family have run Le Checche farmhouse since 1986 and the owners use their own homegrown products to serve their guests.


At one time the top of the farmhouse would have been used for the family and the livestock and produce would have been stored in the lower level.

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Main entrance on lower level.

Towards kitchen and owners private area.

Upstairs there are multiple rooms and this large dining area.

Breakfast table laid out for breakfast.

Kitchen staff.

Breakfast in the dining hall.

This two storey building has two suites, each with 2 bedrooms, bathroom and a kitchen/dining area.

Our bedroom.

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Bike Barn.

The day begins. Each morning we would meet at the front of the building and lay bets on who would be the last to arrive. No chance of winning on a long shot as it was always the same person who was last!

Heading down the road.

Panoramic of Pienza.

Agriturismo La Grancia

The Castello di Spedaletto has been turned into the agriturismo, La Grancia.

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Who's who?

There must have been a honeymoon couple staying.

I tried to throw Roy into the car for a quickie (car ride that is) but he didn't seem too keen.

We came across a mountain bike race while visiting the Bagno Vignoni. It certainly wasn't technical riding as we saw them coming up a paved road and onto a gravel road. But when you see the mountain passes they had to travel over it gave it a new perspective.

Bagno Vignoni
Bubbling sulphur hot springs. This was originally built by the Medici where they took the sulphur cure.

Myrna checks it out.

Vic takes over as traffic director. The other guy was useless.

Here you can see Castiglione d'Orcia in the background. This is just one of the passes these guys rode over and where we were now heading.

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As we got closer to the town there were still riders coming.

Interesting, but what does it say?

Rocca d'Orcia
The Rocca d'Orcia belonged, like almost every castle along this stretch of the Via Fancigena, to the Aldobrandeschi family. Although Santa Fiora was the clan's base, this was their most important fortress, a strategic site allowing them to rob or extract tolls from all traffic along the route. After a change of ownership to the Salimbeni family, who built most of the present structure, the castle was only properly incorporated into the Sienese Republic in 1418.

Castiglioine d'Orcia
The village below the rocca is built almost entirely of stone, with an elaborately cobbled piazza and a trio of medieval churches.

This is a view of the town below the Rocca. The two arrows point to a ride coming up. The left arrow is Radicofani and the arrow on the right leads up to the top of a ski hill and the highest point in this area, Mount Amiata.