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Are you looking for your ideal active vacation in Italy?
The perfect combination of biking, hiking, walking or skiing, combined with an in-depth culinary and wine program?
We specialize in creating just these types of trips for small groups of 4-12 people. All activities; be they fitness or culinary or cultural, are selected and designed with your group in mind. Our bike route options range from easy tourist tours to the most challenging climbs in the Dolomites. And as we lead each and every trip ourselves, we are there to insure it runs smoothly, and can modify to adapt to the weather, your desires, or to take advantage of opportunities for any unforeseen adventures that we may discover along the way!
"We can hardly find the words to explain what a fantastic trip this has been. We were looking for a memorable way to spend our anniversary and indeed we found it. The biking, cooking, eating and touring were all incredible." -BH
Click here to learn more about our ability to cater to cyclists of all levels.
Read what the Boston Globe had to say about our 2012 Custom Ski Tours, in Seven reasons to get out and enjoy winter's wonders.
Or take a look at our 2012 bike and wine tours for some inspiration for your own custom tour!
Italiaoutdoors active culinary programs are created and personally led by Vernon McClure and Kathy Bechtel.
Vernon is an ex-Army Ranger, who has made his home in Vicenza for the past 20 years. He was Director of Outdoor Recreation and Travel Services for the Department of Defense in Europe, and has over 15 years experience planning, training, leading and developing recreational activities for groups throughout Europe. He personally selects the bike routes, hikes, walks, and ski areas we visit each trip, and his unique expertise enables us to adapt our itinerary to insure the enjoyment and safety of groups of all abilities. His personal coaching will make you a better biker, hiker, or skier at the end of your trip.Vernon is also an avid student of Italian history and culture, and will have a story to share about every venue we visit.
Kathy Bechtel designs the food and wine portion of the programming. Kathy is a culinary school graduate, attended WSET wine training, leads cooking classes in Italian cuisine, and is a passionate student of the foods of this region. We can arrange for cooking classes for any level or interest, from beginner cooks to experienced, from seafood to vegetarian, from healthy quick cooking to dietary restrictions, we can design a cooking class that is just right for your group. The emphasis of our classes is all about fun, discovering new foods and learning new skills that you can bring back to your own kitchen. Not interested in cooking classes, and you just want to relax and eat well? We can do that as well, selecting restaurants that feature the best in the amazing regional cuisines, accompanied by the incredible variety of local wines, grown in the vineyards we explore during the day. Kathy also hosts a cooking show on WSKI-TV at Sugarloaf, ME, and is an avid biker, hiker and ski instructor at Sugarloaf.
To sign up, send us an email. We personally work with each and every guest to answer all questions, and make sure our trip is customized to your abilities and preferences. We're also happy just to chat, and hear how you would like to travel.
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