Tafi-FORNACIARI-Route by StepH

Paolo Fornaciari is in his second life: the first was as a professional cyclist and now as a professional ice cream maker.

As a cyclist, he turned professional in 1992 with Mercatone Uno and was a helper for Marco Pantani there.
He also wore the bright red Saeco jersey in 2 phases: 1996-1998 and 2003-2004. In between, he was a valued helper on the renowned Mapei team (1999-2002) and at Lampre, where he spent his last racing years (2005-2009).

He was never a big winner, but his reputation as a helper and fun character made him particularly popular, even with the cycling audience in Flanders.

After his active cycling career, he was able to turn his other hobby into a new profession: He opened the gelateria "Ultimo Chilometro" and has since made thousands of scoops of ice cream for the beloved gelato-passionate Tuscan audience.
If you visit Paolo on a muggy summer evening, there's a good chance that dozens of people are licking ice cream!
You should definitely do this after 90 km of this Fornaciari route!

The tour first goes along relatively busy roads (early in the morning it's still bearable) to Monsummano Terme and the touristy Montecatini Alto. Pay attention to the new asphalt laid for the cycling world championship in Florence in 2013.
After a visit to the picturesque Montecatini Alto, we climb to an altitude of 990m and take a large detour through a charming valley with medieval villages.

Finally, you descend to Montecatini Terme, and at the end of the descent, you almost come directly to Paolo's gelateria! Ride 100 meters to the right and you can treat yourself to a well-deserved gelato!

The last 20 km are much flatter, but that can be expected after such a ride.