As always, the Tourissimo family gave me the most wonderful, thoughtful, kind, knowledgeable, patient, and fun guides; beautiful, comfortable and this time historical places to stay; and a fascinating itinerary that incorporated cycling on small roads with amazing views and stops through the history and food and culture of Puglia. The guides will be friends forever, the memories of the ancient olive trees, the gorgeous and varied Adriatic seashore in calm and wind, cappuccini even after 11am!, meals ranging from picnics and pizza, to elegant courses through the seafood and vegetables of the region, the last night with the music of Puglia, the new and old friends who were along, and the joys of the rides up and down the hills on a perfect Bianchi bike fitted to me. Having Mary Sue on the trip always a plus. Joining her for walks through markets and watching her prepare food are fascinating and humbling. And helping her by chopping so many things along with local chefs I loved. All the chefs I have traveled with on Tourissimo tours are such fun, energetic and social people, welcoming all of us into their world or creating and learning about food from everywhere. Thank you, grazie mille, grazie mille.

Piedmont is a beautiful area for cycling, with long, gorgeous climbs and descents--but not the types of epic mountain rides that leave little time or energy for anything else. Instead, you get rides that are challenging enough amid beautiful landscapes, historical and cultural tours, generous quantities of delicious local food, and plenty of the wines that the area is famous for. I am a bit of a cheapskate and often reluctant to pay for this sort of guided tour, but there is just no way to replicate the experience that a knowledgeable local guide (and strong bike rider) can create for you. Tourissimo provides such guides who lead the tour in a consistently generous spirit that puts all questions of getting your money's worth out of your mind. It's just a wonderful week of cycling and other pleasures with wonderful people.

Tourissimo and especially Silvia Di Fiore organized and led a wonderful trip though the major wine regions of Tuscany. The attention to detail was awesome: just looking at the schedule handled out at the start of the trip showed how much thought had gone into arranging visits and tours (usually one in the morning and one in the afternoon), meals, and transfers from one (sometimes distant) location to another. Everyone was given a notebook and pen to take notes, a (wine-dyed) shoulder bag, maps, and even a guide to common Italian phrases and gestures. Sylvia was a superb leader, friendly, calm, knowledgeable -- she genuinely enjoys guiding trips. Five stars for a memorable trip.