Preface: I booked this tour for myself, my husband and 2 teenage boys. In my mind, I thought it…read morewould be a leisurely ride through Tuscany like you see in the movies. That's what I thought...until we arrived in Tuscany the day before and drove through the tiniest, windiest roads with local Italian drivers!
So you can imagine how nervous I was when we checked into the store before the tour. I didn't want to cancel because it was something my husband and older son wanted to do. We met Mauricio and Alexa at the store. Both were really friendly and Alexa was straightforward with me. She warned me it would be the same conditions riding the vespa, as it was when we drove the day earlier. But she said they would assess our skills once we got to the location.
After a 30 minute drive, we arrived at the beautiful Fattoria San Pancrazio. Here they took us on a short tour of the amazing wine process and cellars. I can't remember the name of our guide, but he was charming and friendly.
Afterwards, Alexa and Mauricio took us to the driveway to take the driving test. No one in our 12 person group drove a Vespa before (or recently), so Alexa did a short demonstration. I, of course, didn't pass the 1st time but I was totally ok with it. The vespa is not easy to drivr at all. I definitely wouldn't be confident driving my younger son behind me. Out of the group, only 4 people passed as drivers. At no point was anyone upset or mad, in fact, I think we were all relieved to know that Alexa and Mauricio were looking out for our safety and those around us. They made arrangements for everyone to ride with another driver and then we we were off. I was paired up with Marco, one of the senior workers at San Pancrazio. He was amazing and I learned so much about his passion for the products they make. I was completely terrified the entire time, but he made me feel safe. We stopped for pictures halfway through and then made our way back for lunch.
Lunch was simple but satisfying and we got to try some excellent wines. I even bought 2 bottles and a bottle of olive oil.
Overall, I think this is an amazing experience that everyone should try. I don't understand the bad reviews regarding not being able to drive. The company is all about safety and they really care about the people on their tours. On our ride, there was an inpatient local truck and car tailing behind us. If you weren't condidently driving the vespa, someone could've gotten hurt. They are protecting you, as well as their livelihood! When I come back to Florence, I will definitely do another of their tours (just as long as I'm not driving the vespa myself lol).
Thank you to the staff of Tuscany Cycle and Fattoria San Pancrazio for an unforgettable time.