Matteo La Placa

My name is Matteo La Placa, I was born in 1985 and I live in Buti, a small village at the foot of Monte Pisano, a few kilometres from Pisa. Cycling has been part of my life for over ten years. I started out of passion, mainly with MTB and gravel, but over time it became much more: a way to discover and enhance the local area. And that is how the idea of sharing this passion with other people was born. In 2024 I launched 'Bikes in Freedom', a project dedicated to bicycle rental and the discovery of the territory on two wheels, through tours and experiences designed for those who want to experience Tuscany in an authentic way, far from the rush and the most beaten paths. To turn my passion into a true profession, I obtained the professional cycle tourism guide licence from 'Associazione Guide Cicloturistiche Italiane', a professional association recognised by the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy pursuant to Law no. 4/2013. Bikes in Freedom is a project I am building day by day, with passion, dedication and many small sacrifices. A project still in its early stages, but born from an idea I deeply believe in: the bicycle can be one of the most beautiful ways to discover and experience a territory. Today this journey continues also thanks to the collaboration with Monte Pisano DMC, an organisation with which I share the desire to enhance and promote the territory through a slower, more authentic and sustainable form of tourism.