Having experienced many day adventures - mountain biking, alpine skiing, and hiking with Ajax in Sun Valley, I booked one of Ajax' custom tours to his beloved Italy. My interests included day trips to Cinque Terra, Florence, Italian Riviera beaches, hiking the marble mountains, and touring/dining off the beaten tourist trail. An extremely generous host, Ajax reads his audience, patiently and enthusiastically sharing information which he intuitively knows will intrigue them. His knowledge of the area and language is impressive—it's obvious he loves the people, geography and culture, and especially Italian food! We started each day with a brisk walk for espresso and pastry, then ended each winding up century old cobblestone switch backs to divine family restaurants I would never find on my own. My next trip will be in the winter - AAAA - An Ajax Alpine Adventure for skiing in Bormio and Cortina!

Thanks again for the great trip—we love the riding in Italy! While the first week in Bormio was our favorite, since we thrive on hard rides, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in both Bellagio and Forte dei Marmi (Massa/Carrara). There's nothing like a day of hard riding or hiking with lots of climbing, then relaxing afterwards in a nice restaurant, eating good food, drinking wine, having good conversation, then falling into a deep sleep!

I’ve traveled to Italy twice on cycling trips with Ajax, first on my own, and then with Karen the next year. This was 10+ years ago, back in the early days of Ajax’s Italy cycling trips. On these trips we did most of the rides in both Bormio and Bellagio—so I’ve done them twice and enjoyed them both times! We always had a great time both with the riding AND with the great Italian meals and wine at dinner each evening. I'd recommend that anyone interested in an Italy cycling trip first read Allan's blog of last year's trip with Ajax. Allan's prose and photos rekindled my fond memories, and will provide a vivid example of what an Italy cycling trip is all about. After you read Allan's blog, hook up with Ajax–He's a great guide and knows these areas of Northern Italy VERY well!

During our one month trip to Italy we did some self-guided touring to: Alpe di Suisi, Venice, Cremona, Florence, and the Chianti region of Tuscany. But the highlights of our trip were our stays with Ajax in Bellagio and Cinquale, near Massa/Carrara on the Tuscan coast. The rides to Madonna di Ghisallo / Colme di Sormano (next time Muro di Sormano) and Sighignola were awesome! The relaxed week in Cinquale, biking, hiking, and kicking back was the perfect end to "nostra vacanza". Ajax's knowledge of the area and choice of "off the beaten path" restaurants was perfect. We are planning to return for an encore!