Short: Lake Trasimeno

This route partly goes over gravel roads (on the way back) with the destination Lake Trasimeno and the lovely hilly country between the Chiana Valley and Lake Trasimeno. You first cycle towards Montepulciano, and then go east. The roads then become quiet in terms of traffic. You cross the Chiana Valley, with a few kilometres of busier main roads. Via quiet roads you cycle into the Umbria region and you enter Castiglione del Lago: a beautiful town on the large shallow Lake Trasimeno, with a beautiful historic centre. There are also delicious delicacies for sale, such as strange-looking sausages with names such as cojoni di mulo ('donkey balls') and palle del nonno ('grandfather's balls'). The route then goes through the lovely hilly country of Umbria on quiet roads. Many world stars seem to have a villa here (because nearby Tuscany is overrun by tourists in the summer, unlike the Umbria region where it is much quieter). For a long time you have a smaller lake in sight, Lago di Chiusi. You eventually arrive back in the Tuscany region and in the town of Chiusi, which was a very important place in Etruscan times. The town is worth a visit. You then cycle back 2 km (you can skip the visit to Chiusi, which saves about 4 km of cycling) and then you go back to Borgo Pogiardelli mainly on unpaved roads. You first follow the Sentiero della Bonifica: an unpaved (gravel) cycle path through the Chiana valley, and you may pass old Etruscan farms, excavations from Roman times, and water features that were built in the Middle Ages to drain the valley (= Bonificare in Italian) and thus combat the malaria plague in this area.

The route then heads west towards Montepulciano, often on gravel roads. This means that you will mainly be cycling uphill on gravel roads, with occasional short descents in between.