Top-notch active tours for small groups of friends
Cortina - The heart of the Dolomites
Cortina d'Ampezzo, long famous for its hiking and climbing, became world famous by hosting the 1956 Winter Olympics.Today, wonderful road cycling and mountain biking make Cortina a "must go" destination for active sports enthusiasts.Picture yourself riding, hiking, and mountain biking among the Dolomites' shear rock faces!
Bormio - Big Giro d'Italia Passes
The Mortirolo, Gavia, & Stelvio–These famous Giro passes challenge you with their long climbs and fast descents!Bormio's picturesque alpine setting is perfect for tackling these passes, and its quiet old town center provides a true "Italian" experience!Less famous, Bormio's hiking and MTB are equally world class!
Bellagio - Lakes and Mountains
There's nothing like the water, sky, and mountains of Lago di Como!Popular with Italians for their summer vacations, countless boats of all varieties dot the deep blue water.After cycling and hiking among the lakeside villas and gardens, we "get out on the water," with a ferry ride back to our hotel!
Massa/Carrara - The Italian Riviera
Wonderful biking and hiking around the Apli Apuane marble quarries of Michelangelo fame!Appearing snow-capped in summer, due to the bright-white marble, we hike and bike trails and roads built over 2000 years!With a scant 5 Km between alpi and mare–and the beach–our apres sport is a nap in the sun, and a dip in the Mediterranean!
Top-notch active tours for small groups of friends
Italy, the land of art and romance, famous for its wine and cuisine, provides the ideal setting for your active vacation! Hike, Bike, or Mountain Bike each day, depending on your fancy and the weather, then enjoy the evening with your friends over a nice bottle of Italian wine (or two) and a wonderful dinner! read more
You'll get plenty of exercise, but with great flexibility, typically with a mix of cycling, hiking, and the mountain bike, so you can make a rain day a rest day, and you never feel compelled to do an 80 mile road ride when a short hike is more to your liking. Our hotel is our "base camp" for at least 7 nights, so there's no packing and moving, and you can settle in and enjoy your surroundings. read more
Each tour is customized to what your group wants to do–and you pick your group's members, be it just you, you and your spouse, you and a couple of close friends, or whatever–so you are already in sync with your companions! Just select your emphasis sport, road biking for example, and we'll line up 4 wonderful rides–Plus we'll plan to add in a great MTB ride and a neat hike, should you be so inclined! read more
It's tough climbing toward the Passo Mortirolo, as there are plenty of switchbacks on the lower half immediately above Mazzo di Valtellina. About two-thirds the way up the road opens up a bit–but you find steep spots along the entire climb. (Mortirolo profile)
Ride Giro d'Italia Roads! Climb the big passes of Giro d'Italia fame, including those in this year's Giro: Gavia and Stelvio near Bormio, plus Costalunga, San Pellegrino, Giau, Tre Croci, and Tre Cime di Lavaredo near Cortina d'Ampezzo. (2013 Giro d'Italia website)Smooth roads, stunning scenery, fast but courteous Italian drivers, and a quaint village to explore every few miles–Road biking doesn't get any better than this!We offer road biking in all 4 of our tour locations: Bormio for big Giro passes, Bellagio for its gardens and Lake Como, Cortina for the climbs in the soaring Dolomiti, and Massa-Carrara for riding the Italian Riviera and marble quarries of Michelangelo fame.
Skiing Bormio in late March, with longer days and temperatures still below freezing keeping the snow winter-like! Here we are taking a break just above Bormio 2000 (2000 meters is about 6600 feet or Tahoe level, more or less).
Ski the Alps & Dolomites! Prepare yourself for a different skiing experience in Italy, where as the locals say, "We like our slopes prepared!"In Italy one skis from age 3 to 83 and it's supposed to be fun–smooth 'prepared' slopes, plenty of snow (even if nature doesn't provide), and rifugi dappertutto (refuges everywhere), just in case you are are hungry or thirsty.A bonus, the ski resorts in the Alps and Dolomiti cooperate, so your Ski Pass is good in all the region's resorts–We can ski Livigno in the morning, then stop by Cima Piazzi on the way back to Bormio for a couple of low-key runs (some après ski?)!Learn more about the fantastic skiing and boarding on our Italian winter tours in Cortina d'Ampezzo & Bormio!
A beautiful day hiking the Via Vandelli in the Alpi Apuane above Massa. From the small town of Resceto (450m), the trail climbs steadily passing several old marble quarries toward Passo Tambura (1620m). Summiting Monte Tambura (1891m) is a nice bonus!
Hike Historical Trails! All four of our Italian tour regions have been inhabited for thousands of years, and over this time, each region has developed an extensive and beautiful network of trails.These historical sentieri e mulattiere (trails and mule-tracks) used for travel and commerce between mountain villages since ancient times. Near Massa/Carrara, the Via Vandelli (photo at left) is not to be missed, and at the top, we'll find the Rufigio Nello Conti awaits us for lunch!World War I created trails in the Italian Alps (Bormio) and Dolomites (Cortina) to move men and supplies. Today, these almost century old trails provide pleasure and lift our spirits–a fitting memorial to the tragedy of La Prima Guerra Mondiale.
A photo break while mountain biking in the Forni valley above Bormio. This area adds interest to beauty with the famous Forni glacier, which, due to the numerous photos taken of it over the years, provides a very visible benchmark of "global warming".
Mountain Bike the Alps! Mountain Biking is wonderful in Italy and near our Alps/Dolomites bases of Bormio and Cortina d'Ampezzo, the MTB riding comes in all flavors, from easy to EPIC!Chaining together mulattiere of World War I origin, plus lots of single-track and some jeep roads, we can challenge ourselves with multi hour rides having plenty of climbing.Or, we can take it easy with lake-side and meadow rides which traverse the valleys, reducing the climbing.From Bellagio and Massa/Carrara we’ll ride the old mulattiere used for commerce between cities and regions, and take in the stunning views of the marble quarries and Lake Como (respectively).
Toasting another wonderful day hiking and biking in the Italian Alps! While most bars to offer some sort of happy hour or après ski snacks with your drink, a select few provide excellent robaccia, and show the true Italian culinary flair!
Eat, Drink, & Be Merry! Si mangia bene in Italia! Yes, one does eat well in Italy. And what better way to top off our active day of hiking and biking, than to enjoy dinner together in nice local restaurant?We'll sip a few glasses of the local wine, dine on the local specialties, and swap stories about our day’s adventures!Perhaps you might try a simple Italia–It's like no pizza you've ever tried in the US–Or perhaps some pasta, as you know it will be cooked perfectly!One night we might indulge ourselves with a full, multi-course dinner extravaganza, complete with aperitivi, antipasti, primi piatti, secondi, contorni, dolce, and of course, un bel caffe e un digestivo!Buon appetito!
Cortina d'Ampezzo, long famous for its hiking and climbing, became world famous by hosting the 1956 Winter Olympics.Today, wonderful road cycling and mountain biking make Cortina a "must go" destination for active sports enthusiasts.Picture yourself riding, hiking, and mountain biking among the Dolomites' shear rock faces!
The Mortirolo, Gavia, & Stelvio–These famous Giro passes challenge you with their long climbs and fast descents!Bormio's picturesque alpine setting is perfect for tackling these passes, and its quiet old town center provides a true "Italian" experience!Less famous, Bormio's hiking and MTB are equally world class!
There's nothing like the water, sky, and mountains of Lago di Como!Popular with Italians for their summer vacations, countless boats of all varieties dot the deep blue water.After cycling and hiking among the lakeside villas and gardens, we "get out on the water," with a ferry ride back to our hotel!
Wonderful biking and hiking around the Apli Apuane marble quarries of Michelangelo fame!Appearing snow-capped in summer, due to the bright-white marble, we hike and bike trails and roads built over 2000 years!With a scant 5 Km between alpi and mare–and the beach–our apres sport is a nap in the sun, and a dip in the Mediterranean!
