International Biking Tours
• Italy - Adige and Mincio Rivers
• Germany - Main River

Domestic Biking Tours
• Door County, Wisconsin
• Cape Cod - Nantucket, Massachusetts

Biking and Barging Tours

Road Scholar Programs

Nordic Walking and Barging Tours

Request Itinerary

Travel Insurance

Terms and Conditions

Testimonials

Italy: Adige and Mincio Rivers

The Tyrol is its own place.  If it's Italian, why are we hearing German spoken? If it's Austrian, what accounts for the Italian pleasures? Language and habits blur into a culture unique to this area, reflecting more or less recent history, (dismantling of the Austria-Hungarian Empire after World War I, when Austria gave this region up to Italy) and the ancient past (the Romans, pushing boundaries everywhere, left indelible marks here). From a period between these times is the medieval town of Glorenza, still huddled behind city walls, on the agenda the first day of cycling.

Although the landscape is gloriously mountainous, we cycle along the Adige River, then the Mincio River, and rivers, as you know, must run downhill. Two of the places where we spend a night or two, Merano and Bolzano, are set deep in basins among the peaks, cozily warm when it's chilly elsewhere. Would you believe palm trees, here in the Alps? See Merano. In both of these inviting towns we'll take time to explore their medieval cores and in Bolzano's Museum of Archaeology see the Iceman, the 5300 year-old mummy christened Ötzi after his discovery in Alpine ice twenty years ago. Recent technology has been put to work to suggest Ötzi's original appearance, giving the display a new dimension.

Pleasures of the table are plentiful in this area where fruit is grown, cheeses made and bakers understand rye bread. Along with venison ham or perhaps lamb cutlets, in a thyme and garlic sauce, you may want Austrian-styled pilsner beer. As we move south vineyards appear, producing highly regarded wines that in some cases do not travel well. With the day's cycling over, you can enjoy them on their home ground. In Trento history runs especially deep, beginning with the mosaic floors and water heating system still remaining from the Roman town of Tridentum. Trento's fine cathedral has an onion dome, speaking to its Austrian heritage, and a castle altered down the years. A guided tour here is a prelude to time to explore on your own.

Cycle paths along the Adige bring us to the upper reaches of the long, slim lake called Garda, a favorite destination for vacationers. We'll spend a night in Torbole, on the northern shore, and the next day take a ferry to the lake's southern end to disembark at Sirmione, where a medieval castle dominates the town and Roman ruins, not surprisingly, are to be found. Our bikes have ferried with us and we ride them to Peschiera del Garda where we spend a night on the southernmost edge of the Garda.

The Mincio River, flowing south from Lake Garda, is edged by a level towpath that takes us into Mantova, a wholly Italian city and the final stop of our journey. Mantova is a fine town to walk in and a fine town to indulge a taste for history, for architecture, and of course for food. Our farewell dinner takes place here. You will have arrived in Innsbruck Airport and will leave from Verona Catulla Airport, having experienced both Austrian and Italian cultures and the particular blend that is their joint hallmark.