05
Aug 2016
by Tuscany Ride Bike
Tuscany Ride a Bike organizes a tour named “Etruscan Coast”, an incredible journey through the tuscan coast, that will bring you from the northern cities, Pisa and Lucca, to the heart of wild Maremma. Following Etruscans’ footsteps, who were ancient and sophisticated people, you will see beaches, natural landscapes and medieval villages. Among these, in the center of Maremma Livornese, there is the small town of Bolgheri: poetry lovers will remember the beautiful avenue of cypress trees, immortalized by the words of poet Giosuè Carducci, but who simply enjoys the pleasures of life, well knows that the village can offer very good wine. Despite the climate of peace and serenity that you can feel here, the village hides a rich history, not always peaceful and linked to important noble families.
Infact Bolgheri has been often in the middle of battles: its name comes from Bulgari, an ally of the Lombards, who had conquered much of Italy to the Byzantines in the middleage; during this long war, the Lombards decided to post here their allies to control costs and react to a possible landing of the Byzantines, who settled in neighboring Sardegna.
Bolgheri was also known as Hall of Duke Allone ...but who was he?
He was the Lord of Lucca and Pisa, and Northern Tuscany, and after the conquest of the whole Lombard kingdom by Charlemagne, remained Duke. Bolgheri, however, is also linked with another important family of ancient origin: the Counts of Gherardesca, one of the most powerful families of medieval Tuscany, whose its most famous member is certainly the Count Ugolino, Lord of Pisa, accused of treason and locked up with their children and grandchildren in the Tower of Muda, where in 1289 he died of starvation. His memory was made eternal by Dante in “Divine Comedy”, describing the unforgettable scene of Ugolino eating the skull of Archbishop Ruggeri, which culminates with the famous: “..rather than pain, could the starvation... "
This family had the possession of the castle of Bolgheri, burned by the Florentines in 1393 and then sacked in 1496 by the army of Imperator Massimiliano, but after the subjugation of Pisa to Florence, the castle lived again in peace and in the 18th century the Count renovated it and started works that transformed Bolgheri in agriculture paradise, specialized in viticulture.
Don’t miss this tour and stop here for a walk through the cypress trees while drinking a glass of wine, before getting back on your bike!
Infact Bolgheri has been often in the middle of battles: its name comes from Bulgari, an ally of the Lombards, who had conquered much of Italy to the Byzantines in the middleage; during this long war, the Lombards decided to post here their allies to control costs and react to a possible landing of the Byzantines, who settled in neighboring Sardegna.
Bolgheri was also known as Hall of Duke Allone ...but who was he?
He was the Lord of Lucca and Pisa, and Northern Tuscany, and after the conquest of the whole Lombard kingdom by Charlemagne, remained Duke. Bolgheri, however, is also linked with another important family of ancient origin: the Counts of Gherardesca, one of the most powerful families of medieval Tuscany, whose its most famous member is certainly the Count Ugolino, Lord of Pisa, accused of treason and locked up with their children and grandchildren in the Tower of Muda, where in 1289 he died of starvation. His memory was made eternal by Dante in “Divine Comedy”, describing the unforgettable scene of Ugolino eating the skull of Archbishop Ruggeri, which culminates with the famous: “..rather than pain, could the starvation... "
This family had the possession of the castle of Bolgheri, burned by the Florentines in 1393 and then sacked in 1496 by the army of Imperator Massimiliano, but after the subjugation of Pisa to Florence, the castle lived again in peace and in the 18th century the Count renovated it and started works that transformed Bolgheri in agriculture paradise, specialized in viticulture.
Don’t miss this tour and stop here for a walk through the cypress trees while drinking a glass of wine, before getting back on your bike!