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Piedmont Bike Tour

Road Cycling in Italy with DuVine Adventures

Highlights

  • 5 nights Luxury Accommodations: Hotel Roma Imperiale , Relais & Chateau San Maurizio, Villa Beccaris
  • Site visits: Acqui Terme, Orsara Bormida, Cremolino, Montabone, Barolo, La Morra, Monforte
  • Meals: All breakfasts, two lunches and four gourmet dinners including wine
  • Wine tastings:  La Curia, Cascina MarcAntonio, La Guardia, Domenico Clerico
  • Biking: Rustic villages, quiet vineyard roads, hill top villages.  Rolling terrain rating, average 25 miles a day

Full Description

Thinking about a cycling vacation in Piedmont? Imagine what it would be like to be the first tourist visiting Italy: the food is better than anything you've ever eaten, the wine world-class, you're surrounded by historic towns and stunning scenery and no one else has been there. That gives you an idea of what our Piedmont bike tour is like. Located halfway between Nice and Milan, Piedmont remains inexplicably untouched by tourism. The result is an open window into Italian life. Our meals are often in family homes, cooked by our hosts and paired with their wine. But this is no ordinary home-cooked meal!

Piedmont was the birthplace of the slow food movement, a reaction against modern fast food culture. The region boasts over 300 types of cheeses, the world's largest truffle fair and many of the traditional dishes such as plin (small handmade ravioli) require hours of caring preparation. Combine this with Piedmont's abundance of great wines including Barolo, Barbaresco and Barbera and you have Italy's premiere gastronomic experience. With this much great food, biking in Piedmont is the perfect antidote. The region's quiet narrow roads wind along some of Italy's most scenic ridgelines. On clear days, views stretch from these vine-covered hills to the towering Alps and Appenines that surround you on three sides. In the small villages along the way you won't find any gift shops, but you will find locals excited to see visitors like a village mayor who leads us through his town's museum or the local farmer who, seeing us biking past, invites us in to try his wine. At the end of the day, relax in style at our luxury accommodations including a Relais & Chateaux property with an extensive spa and a pair of renovated villas.

 

Includes:

  • All accommodations in deluxe villas, charming hotels, and wine estates
  • All breakfasts, two lunches, four gourmet dinners including wine
  • New 27-speed aluminum Scott bicycle, choice of five lightweight frame sizes, light weight helmet, gel seat, handlebar bag, rear carrier rack, lock, patch kit with spare tube, pump, lock,  bell and toe straps option. Road bike option available
  • Bilingual guide(s) who look after your every little need
  • Support vehicle that sweeps the daily bike route offering refreshments and snacks, transporting your purchases, and offering transfers to the hotel
  • Highlighted regional maps with history on each sight and options to stop along the way
  • All transportation from rendezvous to final drop-off
  • All gratuities for baggage, porters, and hotel service
  • Daily briefings. Your guides review the route each morning including key stops and things to look for
  • DuVine Adventures t-shirt, water bottle and luggage tag
  • Detailed Final Documents including itinerary and hotel list
  • CD of your once-in-a-lifetime trip
  • Exceptional customer service
  • Complimentary travel coordinator available to assist you with all of your pre- & post-trip travel plans and arrangements

Excludes:

  • Airfare to/from the departure point
  • Gratuities to local guides

Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1

Alessandria/Acqui Terme-Welcome to Piedmont. After our meeting at the Alessandria train station our guides will transfer you to the newly restored 19th Century villa, Roma Imperiale, where we’ll toast your arrival with a traditional Piedmontese spumante. After your bike fitting, safety talk and map review, we’ll head off on a ride through the center of town past thermal springs where ancient Roman elites came to soak in the hot sulfurous waters. Though the magnificent arches of the aqueduct from this ancient heyday show some wear, the town of Acqui Terme is still very much alive. The historic center boasts an architectural kaleidescope ranging from Romanesque cathedrals to Belle Epoque villas. Leaving Acqui, we’ll ride through the vineyards overlooking the town before looping back to the hotel. Tonight our elegant dinner at La Curia will feature several of the wines from these vineyards, each paired with a different course. You will spend the following two nights at Roma Imperiale, an exclusive environment where you too can treat yourself to thermal waters and spa services. Meals: Dinner at La Curia. Accommodation: Hotel Roma Imperiale. Accomplished: 21 km/13 miles.

Day 2

Orsara Bormida Loop-Cycling out of Acqui, you will make for the sleepy village of Orsara Bormida, perched precariously on a ridge overlooking the Bormida Valley. Here, our friend Beppe, Orsara's mayor, will greet us and proudly lead a personal tour of the village's peasant museum. After saying goodbye to Beppe, you will continue riding down the road to our next stop at Villa Delfini. Graziella will be our host at this family-run winery where she and her siblings produce top-notch wines. After a tour of the cellar, the family will prepare a fantastic lunch comprised of seasonal dishes and a selection of their best wines ranging from sparkling whites to their whimsically named yet extraordinarily complex Sacro e Profano, a mixture of Barbera (sacred to Piemontese) and Cabernet Sauvignon (there isn’t a lot of love lost between them and their French cousins!). After lunch, cycle back to the villa to enjoy some time in the spa, or add on some extra miles by riding along the ridge to the enchanting hilltop town of Cremolino. We’ll cap off the day with an included dinner at our friend Guido's private restaurant, located in the family farmhouse in the middle of his vineyards above Acqui. Meals: Breakfast/Lunch at Winery/Dinner at Winery. Accommodation: Hotel Roma Imperiale. Accomplished: 32 km/20 miles.

Day 3

Acqui Terme to Relais & Chateaux San Maurizio-Today you will cycle over the famous Langhe hills, an intimate landscape filled with vineyards, truffles, gracious medieval towns like Montabone and Rocchetta Palafea, and stunning panoramas of an ancient landscape. On clear days, views extend all the way to the Matterhorn in the Alps to the north as you are ringed on three sides by glimmering peaks and it is clear why the region is called Piedmont, "at the foot of the mountains". We will have lunch along the way with Gianni and Mina at their highly-regarded, yet out-of-the-way, ristorante before arriving at the converted monastery of San Maurizio, a luxurious Relais & Chateaux property. You are in for an unforgettable stay, as you will enjoy unsurpassed vistas over Dolcetto and Moscato vineyards, finely manicured grounds, and unique salt therapy treatments at the hotel’s Via del Sale Spa. Tonight we will dine at the Michelin-starred Ristorante Da Guido, accompanied by an assortment of fine local wines. Meals: Breakfast/Dinner. Accommodation: Relais & Chateaux San Maurizio. Accomplished: 40 km/24.9 miles.

Day 4

Santo Stefano Belbo to Monforte d’Alba-Today’s cycling is yet another magical ride, through prestigious Piedmont vineyards, hazel groves and truffle-filled chestnut forests. The grapevine is queen of the Langhe, and Barolo is king. We are entering the realm of the birthplace of the Slow Food movement, which prides itself on artisan cuisine using the freshest of ingredients: small production cheeses, meats and produce, and of course the white truffle, which flourishes in the region each autumn. Angelo Gaja, producer of the mythic Barbaresco, who considers himself a simple artisan, is the perfect example of this mentality. Perhaps you can meet him having lunch at a local trattoria. Our ride, which we like to call the "hazelnut route", takes us up and down along the Langhe's main ridgeline through the hazelnut groves that produce the main ingredient for Nutella, a local invention. Along the way, we will stop for a gourmet picnic with views out over the surrounding vineyards. Upon arrival in Monforte you will be received in an 18th century mansion, where you will spend the following two nights. Meals: Breakfast/Lunch. Accommodation: Hotel Villa Beccaris. Accomplished: 40 km/24.9 miles.

Day 5

Monforte to Barolo Loop-Leaving our hotel, we will wind our way through the village below and pedal out of town. As you cruise through the vineyards, stop to chat with a friendly local winemaker or snap a photo of a landscape devoted to wine. The day's first climb will take you into the world-renowned wine village of La Morra. Stop here to sample some Barolo or follow your guides to one of Italy's top pizzerias. Riding back to Monforte, we'll pass through the town of Barolo itself and some of areas most prestigious cru vineyards. There’s no better way to cap off your Piedmont trip than with a visit to the cellar of Domenico Clerico. You will enjoy a private wine tasting with him, where he will introduce you to his Barolo region, his viticultural friends, and some of the greatest Barolo, Barbera and Nebbiolo you will ever sample. Domenico is an ultra-modernist, using only small French barrique barrels. At dinner you will be welcomed like family at Monforte’s hidden and sophisticated osteria, La Salita. Meals: Breakfast/Dinner. Accommodation: Hotel Villa Beccaris. Accomplished: 32 km/19 miles.

Day 6

Monforte d’AlbaAsti-After breakfast on the terrace of the limonaia, say goodbye to Piedmont however you see fit. Challenge yourself with an optional morning loop ride or finish your shopping in Monforte. We will transfer you to the train station in Asti as you head to your next destination. Meals: Breakfast. Accomplished: Total Satisfaction! TRIP TOTAL: 165 KM/100 MILES, averaging 25-40 km/15-30 miles per day. Optional longer rides available each day.

About The Operator:

DuVine Adventures

Headquarters:

Somerville, MA

Each season over 25% of our guests are repeat DuVine Travelers. It is an honor to be selected as the bike tour operator of choice by seasoned and experienced travelers like you. Everything we do-from selecting the most beautiful destinations, to providing the high level of hospitality you crave-results in a truly outstanding travel experience. With DuVine you'll bike though beautiful landscapes at your own pace, indulge in gourmet regional cuisine, sample world-class wines, and rest in charming luxury hotels. Bike, eat, drink and sleep, while our guides handle every detail, so all you have to do is enjoy your vacation DuVine style.

Exceeding Expectations

At DuVine, we have a keen eye for detail. But we aren't the type of people to settle for basics. Our guests are special, and we pride ourselves on pampering our travelers each and every day. Over the years, DuVine Adventures has forged relationships with local innkeepers and restaurateurs in the regions we travel. Our friends, the vintners, chocolate makers, and colorful locals, love to share their stories and knowledge with DuVine travelers.

Experienced and Friendly Guides

We are particularly proud of our guides whose outstanding knowledge and efforts allow us to provide first-rate adventures. Your two dedicated DuVine guides will tirelessly work to make sure your experience is nothing short of exceptional.

Our guides are seasoned travelers who are fluent in the local language and customs and experts in wine, cuisine, art, and history. If you need help reading your menu, simply ask your guide. Want to know the best place to get gifts for family back home? Our guides can advise.

Our DuVine guides will anticipate your every need on and off the bike. They will
clean your bike, offer you a fresh towel or give you cool water before you even realize you're thirsty. Don't be surprised if you see one of your guides zipping off to orchestrate a gourmet picnic in the vineyard.

Our guides are passionate about creating whimsical memories. They love to see you smile and will ensure that you are totally satisfied! Their goal is to deliver the vacation of a lifetime, which is always DuVine!

Van Support

All guided tours are fully supported by a van that sweeps the day's route. As you bike along, our support vehicle is never far off to collect your purchases, distribute refreshments or offer a ride back to the hotel.

Bikes Included

Get ready to roll as DuVine includes bikes on all of its trips. We supply top-of-the-line hybrid bicycles with just the right combination of features. Our unique handlebar bag is the perfect size to hold a sweater, wallet, camera, and other personal items. Our bikes come in five sizes for a superior fit and ultimate riding confidence and comfort. All have light aluminum frames, a wide gear range with easy shifting, and comfortable saddles for effortless riding. If you prefer your own trusty steed, feel free to bring it along.

Wine Included with Dinner

DuVine Adventures is proud of the itinerary upgrades we make each season, which are always based upon the feedback of our guests. We include savory local wines with all dinners to provide maximum enjoyment at each meal.