Biking Northern Italy-Switzerland Lakes Region
June 24 – July 2, 2011
Trip #1123: Join ‘new’ and ‘old’ lovers of Italy on an 9-day intermediate biking
‘soggiorno’ in northern Italy’s lakes region. If you love mountains, water, great food, and
renowned Italian
hospitality, then this is the
trip for you. Every day
will be rewarded with
breathtaking vistas while
biking between Varese Luino - Lugano,
Switzerland - Bellagio –
Como beside three
spectacular lakes: Lake
Maggiore, Lake Lugano,
and Lake Como. Renew
your cooking talents with a
1/2 day Northern Italian
cooking school. We will
stay in 3 star hotels with
breakfast and dinner each
day. We will be supported
with day to day guide service and van support. June 24-July 2, 2011. $2950 (*see Trip
Cost section below for details). If you choose to come in earlier or stay after, you have
Milan as your host city. Milan is known for so many things including fashion, an exotic
excursion by train to Bergamo Alta and a funicular ride to a magnificent medieval city
considered a highlight of any trip to this area. Roundtrip airfare to Milan is estimated at
$750 to $1000. For additional information please contact Leader: Dick Cable
r.cable@sbcglobal.net 860-673-1940 or Co-leader: Janis Stahlhut jstahlhut1@aol.com
203-820-9275.
Day-to-Day Itinerary
June 24 to July 2, 2011
Day 1: Depart the United States for an overnight flight to Milan, Italy
Day 2: Arrive Milan, drive and transfer to Varese, Italy. Hotel Albergo Bologna,
www.albergobologna.it. Relax, nap, and tour Varese. The town is most famous for the
Sacro Monte di Varese ('the sacred mountain of Varese'), a place of pilgrimage and
worship. It is one of the Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy, included on the
UNESCO World Heritage list. Dinner at the hotel.
Day 3: After breakfast, depart hotel and begin our first leg of biking. Our destination is
the beautiful town of Luino on Lake Maggiore. [Distance approximately 16-20 miles]
We can relax at our hotel, Hotel Colmegna, www.caminhotel.com, do a walking tour of
the town, relax by the lake
sipping a glass of wine famous
for this region of Lombardy.
Dinner at the hotel.
Day 4: (Breakfast) We will
spend an additional day in
Luino. We will do a loop tour
ride to and from Luino
spotlighting some spectacular
vistas and small towns and
villages. [Distance approximately 12-18 miles] Dinner in the evening at the hotel.
Day 5: After breakfast we begin our day of cycling with Lugano, Switzerland as our
destination. [Distance approximately 15 miles] We will cycle north along the western
shore of Lake Maggione, head east dropping into Switzerland and proceed south to the
spectacular city of Lugano sitting on the lake of the same name. We will be staying and
dining at the Hotel International au Lac. www.hotel-international.ch/
Day 6: After a good night’s sleep at Hotel International au Lac and our breakfast, we
bike along the northern shore of Lake Lugano heading back into Italy with our
destination being Lake Como and the town of Bellagio considered by many to be the
most beautiful town in all of Europe! [Distance approximately 17-20 miles] We will stay
at Hotel Silvio, www.bellagiosilvio.com. You will have time to relax lakeside, tour the
beautiful town, take in the beauty of Lake Como, or take a well-deserved nap followed by
a cappuccino! Dinner at the hotel, considered one of the best of northern Italian cuisine.
Day 7: After breakfast we sadly depart Bellagio and head along the eastern shore of
Lake Como for our destination of Como. [Distance approximately 20-23 miles] Our
hotel is Hotel Tre Re, a former 16th century convent. www.hoteltrere.com. Como is
known for its silk industry supplying the design houses of Yves St. Laurent, Nina Ricci,
and Trussardi. This city will be your opportunity to buy silk from its source: Mantero,
Binda, Frey, or Ratti. Dinner to follow.
Day 8: We leave Como after breakfast for our ride back to Varese. [Distance
approximately 21-25 miles] Once there we can relax, explore the town, and await our
last dinner
together…basking in the
route we have all biked an
share our favorites along
the way.
Day 9: After a happy to
have been here and sorry
to leave breakfast, we say
goodbye, and return to
Milano for our flight back
to the United States.
OR…you will remain for a
day or two of exploring
Milano or taking an
excursion to Bergamo Alta and a funicular ride to the magnificent medieval city
considered a highlight of a trip to this area. (Ground transport will be to the airport where
you may take a shuttle into Milan or rent a car for the remainder of your stay.)
Meals: Breakfast and dinner will be provided each day by our hotels. Beer, wine, and
liquor and other incidentals will be one’s own expense. Lunch will usually be picnic
style: we will collect money as a group, shop for ingredients, each carry a part of it in our
bike saddlebags, and stop along the way for a picnic 'event' each day. In lieu of shopping
up front for the picnic, we may stop for sandwiches and take them to a public area for our
picnic.
Trip Cost: Trip cost includes all ground transfers between airports and hotel
destinations from Day 2-9, 3-star hotel accommodations with breakfast and dinner, bike
rental (see description below), full van support, guide service (fluent in Italian and
English), and 1/2 day Northern Italian cooking school.
The advertised cost of this trip is calculated on a 1.40 exchange rate to the Euro in effect
at the time of publication. An increase to the exchange rate at the time of vendor
payment could result in a corresponding surcharge assessment. Conversely, should the
exchange rate drop, refunds could be issued.
Deposit schedule: $1,000 with application, $1,000 due on January 15, 2011; balance due
February 15, 2011.
Cancellation Policy: Cancellations prior to March 1, 2011 will receive full refund.
Cancellations after March 1 may not jeopardize the trip’s ability to go, or affect the cost
to other participants. Cancellations after this date may result in forfeiture of all moneys
paid.
Full refund will be made if the trip is cancelled by the AMC or the trip leaders due to
insufficient participation (minimum 12 trip participants in addition to leaders). Trip
cancellation due to natural disasters, acts of God, or any situation deemed too dangerous
to depart will result in refunds minus any forfeited deposits and payments made and
retained by vendors according to their stated terms.
Biking and Equipment: We will ride city-bikes like the one pictured. They are
aluminum frame with a comfort gel saddle and equipped with 27-gear Shimano Deore.
Accessories include:
 5-function cycle computer
 waterproof saddlebag
 front saddlebag with map holder
 water bottle and bottle cage
 repair kit (tube, glue, patch, pump)
 combination lock
 helmets can be rented for 10E/week (helmets must be reserved in advance)**
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
The bikes are equipped with platform-style pedals. You may bring your own pedal
cages, pedals, and/or seat, along with the proper tools for making any such equipment
changes.
We will have road books and maps provided by our tour organizer. Our luggage will be
transported by van to each new location.
Expect distances of 15-30 miles with some hills; paved roads, some busy, some narrow
country roads, and some in-town riding. Italian drivers are accustomed to and respectful
of cyclists so long as they obey the rules of the road: we will ride single file at all times,
obey all traffic signals, follow traffic flow, signal all turns and stops, and alert each other
to traffic with verbal cues of “car up,” “car back,” etc.
**Helmets are not required by Italian law but are required by AMC policy!
Leaders: Dick Cable has been a Major Excursion leader for 3 years and has lead or coled trips to Yosemite National Park, Mongolia, Sicily and Nepal. He is an education
programming specialists and teaches spinning and group exercise classes. Janis Stahlhut
has been a ME co-leader for 2 years. She has led trips to Cape Cod, New Hampshire and
Massachusetts and co-led a biking/hiking trip to Sicily. She is a personal trainer and
group exercise instructor. Both leaders have a strong interest in sharing the beauty and
challenge of adventure excursions to the most beautiful and intriguing places on earth.
Both are CPR and Wilderness First Aid certified.
Disclosure: AMC Major Excursions are run on a non profit basis. Leaders are not
compensated except for their travel costs associated with the trip. A surcharge equal to
20% of land costs is assessed toward Major Excursion program and administrative
expenses.