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Italy Cycling Tour recommendations



 
 
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  #1  
Old November 9th 04, 05:12 PM
magicant2000
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Default 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!
Ads
  #2  
Old November 9th 04, 09:22 PM
rhnb
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Default

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!



  #3  
Old November 9th 04, 09:22 PM
rhnb
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

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!



  #4  
Old November 11th 04, 12:35 AM
magicant2000
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Posts: n/a
Default

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.
  #5  
Old November 11th 04, 12:35 AM
magicant2000
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Posts: n/a
Default

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.
  #6  
Old November 11th 04, 03:58 AM
Gary K.
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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
  #7  
Old November 11th 04, 03:58 AM
Gary K.
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Posts: n/a
Default

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
  #8  
Old November 12th 04, 01:23 AM
Sarah Clatterbuck
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Default

(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
  #9  
Old November 12th 04, 01:23 AM
Sarah Clatterbuck
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

(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
  #10  
Old November 12th 04, 02:10 AM
Rick Warner
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Posts: n/a
Default

(Gary K.) wrote in message ...
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.


S.G. is very nice, but so are Siena, Volterra, and bunch of lesser
known towns ;-)

The agritourismo's are often great, and getting a half-board or
full-board option at one is often better in price and in food quality.
We stayed in one in the hills west of Asissi that had fantastic food,
about the best we had in Italy, and 5 course dinners that left you
rolling to your room. And the house wines are often very good, and at
very good prices.

Another option, depending on one's penchant for bigger hills, is to go
north from Venice to the Dolomites and/or Alps. Very different
culturally and geographically from Tuscany and Umbria but very
worthwile IMO.

Love the idea of going unplanned. Two years ago when we did Umbria
and Tuscany areas we had it all planned. This year we did the
Dolomite-Alps-Lake circuit and the only thing impinging on us was the
departure date from Venice. Other than that we were free to connect
the dots as we saw fit. Never had a problem finding a room, even had
some nice surprises along the way.

- rick
 




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