Italy Cycling Tour recommendations
 

Been doing some research online, but wanted to know if anyone had
first hand experience with any cycling tours through Italy. Looking
for nice countryside, medium to difficult riding and a one week
itinerary in April. Cost in the $2k - $3k range. Self-guided is okay,
but if there are groups, you've had a great time joining I'd love to
hear about them.

I've seen a lot of websites and ads, so I'd like to hear some
un-biased feedback from anyone who cares to share.

Thanks!

Well personally I'd go self guided.
Think of all the food and wine and bike bits you can buy for $2k

I'm assuming the $2-3k includes your air fare from somewhere a long way
away?
If not, I'm getting into the cycle tour business ;-))

I've done 4 self-guided tours in Italy.
See http://www.bikeit.eclipse.co.uk for info on those.
If I only had a week, I think I'd either head for somewhere around
Orvieto/Pitigliano
(Umbria/Southern Tuscany) or the Marche region.

Cheeers... Allan.
~~~
http://www.bikeit.eclipse.co.uk/index.htm
Italian Cycle tour reports and the home of...
Cycling Before Lycra


magicant2000 wrote:
Been doing some research online, but wanted to know if anyone had
first hand experience with any cycling tours through Italy. Looking
for nice countryside, medium to difficult riding and a one week
itinerary in April. Cost in the $2k - $3k range. Self-guided is okay,
but if there are groups, you've had a great time joining I'd love to
hear about them.

I've seen a lot of websites and ads, so I'd like to hear some
un-biased feedback from anyone who cares to share.

Thanks!

Well personally I'd go self guided.
Think of all the food and wine and bike bits you can buy for $2k

I'm assuming the $2-3k includes your air fare from somewhere a long way
away?
If not, I'm getting into the cycle tour business ;-))

I've done 4 self-guided tours in Italy.
See http://www.bikeit.eclipse.co.uk for info on those.
If I only had a week, I think I'd either head for somewhere around
Orvieto/Pitigliano
(Umbria/Southern Tuscany) or the Marche region.

Cheeers... Allan.
~~~
http://www.bikeit.eclipse.co.uk/index.htm
Italian Cycle tour reports and the home of...
Cycling Before Lycra


magicant2000 wrote:
Been doing some research online, but wanted to know if anyone had
first hand experience with any cycling tours through Italy. Looking
for nice countryside, medium to difficult riding and a one week
itinerary in April. Cost in the $2k - $3k range. Self-guided is okay,
but if there are groups, you've had a great time joining I'd love to
hear about them.

I've seen a lot of websites and ads, so I'd like to hear some
un-biased feedback from anyone who cares to share.

Thanks!

Great info - thanks very much. Being solo makes it a bit more
challenging to go self-guided, although certainly not impossible (or
even unlikely).

Anyone had positive or negative experience with group tours?

Thanks again for any advice.

Great info - thanks very much. Being solo makes it a bit more
challenging to go self-guided, although certainly not impossible (or
even unlikely).

Anyone had positive or negative experience with group tours?

Thanks again for any advice.

I just flew to Venice (by myself last May) and asked Italians in a bike
shop for the best route to Rome. From Rome I headed up to Tuscany and
then to the Lakes in the North and back to Venice. It took me 3 weeks and
about $3k. I learned that you should positively enter and leave large
cities like Florence, Venice, Rome etc. using the trains to avoid the
traffic (they're so easy and cheap.) And next time I would go south from
Tuscany because the winds would be at your back. The winds were extremely
strong.

It's easy to find nice hotels or Agritourismo (farmhouses) for $30-40.
Then ask for the best restaurant in town, a glass of the local wine...

I had a terrific time. I had nothing planned and it all worked out.

I liked San Gimingnano (just south of Florence) the best.


Let me know if you have any specific questions.

-Gary

I just flew to Venice (by myself last May) and asked Italians in a bike
shop for the best route to Rome. From Rome I headed up to Tuscany and
then to the Lakes in the North and back to Venice. It took me 3 weeks and
about $3k. I learned that you should positively enter and leave large
cities like Florence, Venice, Rome etc. using the trains to avoid the
traffic (they're so easy and cheap.) And next time I would go south from
Tuscany because the winds would be at your back. The winds were extremely
strong.

It's easy to find nice hotels or Agritourismo (farmhouses) for $30-40.
Then ask for the best restaurant in town, a glass of the local wine...

I had a terrific time. I had nothing planned and it all worked out.

I liked San Gimingnano (just south of Florence) the best.


Let me know if you have any specific questions.

-Gary

(magicant2000) wrote in message . com...
Great info - thanks very much. Being solo makes it a bit more
challenging to go self-guided, although certainly not impossible (or
even unlikely).

Anyone had positive or negative experience with group tours?

Thanks again for any advice.

Hi,

My SO and I have done two tours in Italy - one guided and one
self-supported. They were both great.

http://www.secadvertising.com/Italy2002/
http://www.secadvertising.com/Italy2004/

The guided tour was in Tuscany with some time on our own in Umbria.
Wonderful. We went with ExperiencePlus. That is the 2002 trip. I would
recommend Umbria and points south for April. It is too cold up north,
in my opinion.

Our self-supported tour was Dolomites, Alps, and lake country. Great
for mega-hill lovers (though Umbria is very rolling as well). This
tour would not be possible in April. Many of the mountain passes don't
open until mid-May.

As the other poster said, use trains in and out of big cities. They
are absolute mayhem on a bike. All the local trains allow bikes. You
just have to buy a 3 Euro supplement for the bike at the window.

The one nice thing about being on a guided tour is that you get lost
less. We had GPS and the Tour Club Italia maps on our self-guided trip
and still spent a lot of time backtracking to find obscure roads we
had missed.

Best of luck,

Sarah

(magicant2000) wrote in message . com...
Great info - thanks very much. Being solo makes it a bit more
challenging to go self-guided, although certainly not impossible (or
even unlikely).

Anyone had positive or negative experience with group tours?

Thanks again for any advice.

Hi,

My SO and I have done two tours in Italy - one guided and one
self-supported. They were both great.

http://www.secadvertising.com/Italy2002/
http://www.secadvertising.com/Italy2004/

The guided tour was in Tuscany with some time on our own in Umbria.
Wonderful. We went with ExperiencePlus. That is the 2002 trip. I would
recommend Umbria and points south for April. It is too cold up north,
in my opinion.

Our self-supported tour was Dolomites, Alps, and lake country. Great
for mega-hill lovers (though Umbria is very rolling as well). This
tour would not be possible in April. Many of the mountain passes don't
open until mid-May.

As the other poster said, use trains in and out of big cities. They
are absolute mayhem on a bike. All the local trains allow bikes. You
just have to buy a 3 Euro supplement for the bike at the window.

The one nice thing about being on a guided tour is that you get lost
less. We had GPS and the Tour Club Italia maps on our self-guided trip
and still spent a lot of time backtracking to find obscure roads we
had missed.

Best of luck,

Sarah