Heart of Italy Bike Tour

DAY 1: We start our bike tour in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Verona. Try to arrive early so you have time to visit some of the historical buildings in this beautiful city. Visit the Roman amphitheatre and the Romanesque Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore. You can also stop by Juliet’s House for a glimpse of her balcony, as Verona is the setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet.

In the afternoon, we’ll meet for an orientation and rental bike fitting, and we’ll make sure that everyone’s bike is ready for the trip. In the evening, we’ll celebrate the start of our adventure with our first dinner together. 0 miles.

DAYS 2-24: We start early with a buffet breakfast provided by the hotel, pack our bike bags with light snacks and make sure we have an extra layer of clothing and perhaps a rain jacket with us. After a commemorative group photo, we’ll start our ride through the heart of Italy.

Much of our route will be on the EuroVelo 7, known as the Ciclopista del Sole, or the Sun Cycle route in Italy. Our days will quickly fall into a comfortable rhythm. We’ll ride at our own pace, sometimes alone and sometimes in small groups, stopping where we want along the way.

We’ll cycle through the region of Emilia Romagna, known as the birthplace of balsamic vinegar, parmesan cheese and prosciutto. Then we’ll pass through Tuscany, famous for its gorgeous landscapes lined with rows of Cyprus trees, vineyards and Tuscan villas.

We’ll continue cycling down the "boot" and take a day off to visit Pompeii. After two beautiful nights in Amalfi, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, a train and ferry will take us to Sicily. We'll spend our final week cycling across this culturally rich and varied island.

About every 15 miles, we’ll meet our SAG vehicle that holds water, snacks, tire repair tools and a first aid kit. If you’re too tired to bike anymore, you can take a ride in the SAG vehicle to our hotel for the night. The SAG makes sure everyone is in safely at the end of the day.

Lunch is on your own and we encourage you to stop along the route in some of the classic Italian villages. Be sure to enjoy panini or biscotti, followed by caffè because "La vita è bella!"

BIKE TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

• Verona - UNESCO World Heritage Site
  
• Emilia Romagna - culinary paradise
  
• Tuscany
  
• Florence
  
• Rome
• Amalfi
  
• Pompeii
• Sicily
• Tyrrhenian Sea
  

Once at our hotel, you’ll find our luggage, (delivered earlier by our van and trailer,) check-in to our room, and meet your roommate. We rotate roommates every night, unless you’ve requested a specific roommate or the upgrade for a single room.

If anyone has experienced bike problems during the day, we’ll use the time before dinner to work with the guide to fix it. If it’s a more complicated repair, the bike will go to a trained mechanic at a nearby bike shop. Our support vehicles will carry spare tires, tubes and a large tool case.

Then we eat dinner together, served buffet or family style in a local restaurant. There will be plenty of food for everyone. While we will accommodate guests with specific allergies and provide a nonmeat protein source for vegetarians, we cannot always adhere to everyone’s likes and dislikes. We ask that you be flexible. Every night, we will hold a map meeting to discuss the highlights of the day and to go over the details of the next day’s route.

We will have five non-cycling days when you’ll be on your own for lunch and dinner and have the time to help your legs recover. You'll also be able to explore the beautiful cities of Florence and Rome and the stunning Amalfi Coast. Another day will include a shuttle to Pompeii and an optional tour of the fascinating archaeological site. The last non-cycling day will include a train and ferry to the island of Sicily. Average of 36 miles per day including rest days and 2739' elevation gain per ride.

DAY 25: After breakfast, you can take a bus, train or taxi to the Palermo airport for your flight home. Arrivederci! 0 miles.

REGISTRATION DETAILS: Sign up with a nonrefundable and nontransferable deposit of $300. Your first payment of $2500 will be due October 1, 2021 and the balance will be due January 11, 2022. One-half of the $2500 deposit will be refundable if you cancel prior to January 11, 2022.

DISCOUNTS: Make your payments by check and save 2%. Payment must be made in US funds. We can also accept wire transfers to qualify for the 2% discount. Please contact us for our bank details.

TRIP INSURANCE: We will require emergency medical and evacuation insurance for this tour. We also highly recommend trip cancellation insurance, especially with a tour of this length and magnitude. We will provide you with a source for trip insurance upon receipt of your registration.

EQUIPMENT: You may bring your own bicycle with you, or we have excellent bicycles available for rent from our Italian partners. We recommend a road or hybrid bike with straight or drop handlebars, and a front triple or compact double chainring. We also recommend cycling shoes with cleats and their appropriate pedals if you're accustomed to using them. You must bring and wear a CPSC approved helmet during the tour and we recommend it features MIPS or WaveCel technology.

SAG VOLUNTEERS: We will be using Italian guides instead of volunteers for this tour.

MORE INFORMATION: We will provide you with travel details, a detailed packing list, advice for clothing, and a sample training schedule to help you prepare for the tour. We’ll also mail you a series of Prep Talk newsletters to help you prepare for the tour.