Chefs on Bikes — Cycling the Wine Roads of Italy

Instead of watching the Italian countryside speed past from behind the window of a crowded bus, imagine becoming a part of the landscape as you bicycle gently from village to vineyard along ancient wine roads.  Now imagine stopping here and there to savor world-renowned wines and incredible local cuisine with your guide, a passionate chef along for the ride.  This amazing adventure is brought to us by Italiaoutdoors, a boutique tour company blending food and fitness into unforgettable cultural and culinary journeys.

Pedaling through the ancient hamlets and rolling, vine-clad hills of the world-famous Veneto region offers culinary explorers a whole new perspective on warm Northern Italian culture.  Cycling groups are small and intimate, ensuring plenty of interaction with the locals; and itineraries are carefully handcrafted to showcase the best sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the medieval towns and award-winning wineries you’ll visit.

Biking works up an incredible appetite for the wonderfully diverse, rustic food of the noble region of the Veneto — olives, salume, risotto, polenta, and homemade pastas spiced with radicchio, rucola and endive.  Seafood lovers will rejoice in freshly-caught fruitti di mare prepared in classic Venetian tradition.  Guide and Chef Kathy Bechtel knows where the good stuff is, and often stops at vineyards and farmstands along the bike route to purchase ingredients for afternoon cooking demonstrations and sumptious dinners, all accompanied by friendly local wines.  

This is NOT a camping trip — cyclists are pampered each night in luxurious 16th-century villas and charming country estates carefully selected for comfortable amenities and outstanding views.   Wining and dining is plentiful, first-rate and focused on authenticity — no trail mix here!  Bikes are furnished and equipment is custom-sized to ensure an easy and enjoyable ride.  Best of all, these cycling vacations are guilt-free, combining sustainable, locally-grown food, minimal environmental impact and daily calorie-burning workouts that ease the soul and strengthen the body while delighting the senses!

Italiaoutdoors’ unique and exciting bike tours depart all summer, but we recommend going in September or October to take advantage of the spectacluar wine harvest season.  Email ShawnaBohnVoyage@gmail.com for more information.