Rome, Backroads Coastal Tuscany and Madrid – September 15 to 24

A few hours in a planes gets us from Malaga to Rome – via Madrid.  We’re very fired up because we’re meeting our great friends from Manhattan Beach, Gary and Kamala Horwitz. A taxi from the Rome airport gets us to our hotel – the Artemide. A four star hotel, but just barely.  OK for one night, but wouldn’t base an entire vacation here.

As soon as we arrive, we get a message from Gary and Kam to head to the Trastevere neighborhood to meet them.  Lots going on down there on a summer night.  Feels almost like the French Quarter in New Orleans!  Live music and tons of people out eating and drinking in cobblestone alleys and courtyards filled with bars and restaurants. After being on the road for seven and a half months it feels great to meet friends from home in Italy. 

We didn’t stay out late that night because we had an early wake up to meet our Backroads leaders, Guido, Rachel and Stefano, along with the rest of our Backroads group at the Roma termini train station.  We were a bit self-conscious traipsing through Rome, cuz we were all wearing our bike clothes (except Gary who was too cool for that 😎), but we made it successfully and were soon in a very comfortable bus on our way to the hills of Tuscany.

We’d selected e-bikes for the trip.  I wasn’t totally sure about this choice, but after doing it I am 100% certain it was the way to go.  So much more social – especially when you are with friends.  You can all ride together and there is no pressure on the “less strong”  or “less confident” riders.  And if you so desire, you can get as much of a workout as you want by turning down the electric boost (but what fun is that!).  Also, you can carry extra stuff, like the UE Megaboom speaker I strapped to the back of my bike which provided a great soundtrack for our e-cruising through Tuscany.

First day of riding was pretty short.  I think we started somewhere near Montalcino and made a great stop for lunch at the Castello Banfi winery.  It’s an amazingly beautiful property that houses a wonderfully restored castle that’s now a winery and small hotel. We met the owner – an American – who proudly recounted the vineyard’s history and explained how the family acquired what is currently the largest privately owned piece of land in all of Italy.  Apparently the family’s patriarch founded Riunite wines.  If your in your fifties you’ll remember the jingle – “Riunite and ice, that’s nice”.  He parlayed that into this amazing Italian vineyard.

That evening we lodged at the Castel Porrona.  This a wonderful hotel.  With a little help from our amazing travel pro – Tammy Cane [https://www.castelporrona.it] – we got upgraded to a lovely suite with a great bottle of champagne waiting for us. Enjoyed drinking by the very nice pool in the afternoon and a big dinner with the entire Backroads crew – all of whom were very cool.

Another day of e-riding took us closer to the coast and up a long gravel road to the L’Andana hotel [https://www.andana.it].  This is truly a five star property.  After another rest by their wonderful pool, we get in the Backroads van for a ride to the Le Mortelle winery.  There was actually a very nice bus to the winery, but we ran a bit late – and Gary and Kam a bit later – so we ended up in the van!  Cool winery tour and a great dinner in a special glass room above the wine production facility with  stunning views of their vineyard.  Very cool!

We spent two nights at the L’Andana – which was awesome.  Second night we had a dinner at the L’Andana’s Michelin starred restaurant.  Nice!  We sat with some very nice people – Mark and Lisa from Seattle and Peter and Josie from the Bay Area.  Turns out the Peter and I had some common friends from Amgen – small world!

The next day we finally make it to the coast.  Stopped in the town of Ortobello for lunch and then made our way to the incredible Il Pellicano hotel.  This was the highlight of the trip.  One of the nicest hotels we’ve ever stayed at.  It used to be owned by a couple from Newport Beach and then it was transformed into this resort.  It sits terraced directly above the Mediterranean Sea and is wonderfully luxurious in all respects.  Great bars, restaurants and a ocean shelf area with lounge chairs and a bar right on the water. 

 

It’s a really nice place for a swim or a stand up paddle on the hotel’s boards.  About 300 yards up the coast there are some big caves and one amazing grotto you can paddle into where the water turns an incredible deep blue. Very special.  All in all, the Il Pellicano is great spot.

That evening we had a casual dinner in the neighboring town of Porto Ércoles (which stands for Hercules!).  He must have done something amazing there – but we could never figure that out.  Probably a question for Google.

After a great breakfast overlooking the sea, we went for our final e-ride.  A great route with a breakfast stop in the really old but cool town of Capalbio where I made friends with a beautiful Golden Retriever named “Gheri”. 

Lots of sea views and then a wonderful cocktail cruise on a sweet boat.  It had been cloudy all week (great for riding) but the sun came out just in time for boating.  Went for swim in the perfectly cool water and had a great time.  Beautiful coastline with lots of caves and rocks.  Tons of fun.

The next day our Backroads trip sadly departs the Il Pellicano.  The Horwitz/Klein crew gets a few extra pool hours by by hiring a private car to take us to the airport – rather than the Backroads bus to the train station.  Was expensive, but totally worth it to hang out just a bit longer at a very special place.  Was also great cuz I was able to snag a couple of tix to the upcoming Ryder Cup in Paris while sitting by the pool (but that is a whole ‘nother story for a later edition of Travelbreezers!).

With pool time done, we take the 90 minute drive to the airport in Rome for a plane to Madrid for a couple more days of fun!

Madrid is a beautiful, elegant city.  When we were here with our kids in July it was just too hot to see much.  But this time, in September, it’s a bit cooler and we’re able to have a great time on a guided e-bike tour of the city.  Our tour guide is Vasily.  He’s also an actor who proudly shows us pics of his recent role in Netflix’s “Money Heist” – also known as “Casa de Papel” in Spanish (we binge watched this series with Nikki in the summer and highly recommend it – but be sure to watch it in Spanish with English subtitles – the dubbed version is not so good).

The That evening we go for a guided Tapas tour.  Super fun and we learn that vermouth is actually an artisan type beverage in Spain.  They serve it out of a tap over ice. It’s actually pretty good!  After the tapas we see a super intense and authentic Flamenco show.  Great day in Madrid.

We sadly say goodbye to Gary and Kam the next day after breakfast at their swanky Westin Palace hotel.  Another great visit with friends from home.  

Now off to Paris for us!