Italy, September 2018
After a new false starts related to significant life events, my wife and I are finally making a cycling trip to Italy in September. She is a sometimes cyclist, but we have found a tour group that also does cooking classes so she will be happy on the days I am cycling or she can cycle depending on routes and her preferences. We are flying into Milan then taking a train the same day to Venice. After a day of recuperation, we will have 2.5 days to see some of the sights, then take a train fast train to Florence and then a Regional train to our destination in Tuscany. The cycling starts the next day for 8 days and then we head back to Florence for a night and then to Milan to fly out.
My wife and I have traveled a lot, but it has been many years since I have been to Italy. I know there are quite a few here who have been to Italy for general touring as well as cycling, so any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. My wife is mostly concerned about how casual or formal to dress (we will be in a relatively small village) in the evenings for meals and socializing. I am assuming it is relatively casual. We plan to hire a guide in Venice for a day and then just wander the other time we have there. For the short time we have in Florence, we plan to do some type of wine and food market tour to wrap things up for this trip.
We are trying to take only carry on size bags, but depending on how the packing goes, we may have to have one check bag and a couple carry-on bags. I plan to have all the essentials I need for cycling in a carry-on (shoes, helmet, pedals, glasses, computer, seat bag, cycling clothes, street clothes). My clothes plans are less complicated than hers: a couple pair long pants, shorts, 3 short sleeve shirts, 3 "nice" "t" shirts, slip on shoes, and cycling jerseys, bibs, socks, and a couple caps. I am renting a bike to keep the travel hassle to a minimum.
I will probably be the oldest in the group, but I am not too concerned about that. I have been riding and climbing enough to feel ready and I know how important it is to stay within my limits no matter what the group does. So, should be a fun time and my first ever cycling vacation.