March 29, 2007

Europe | Italy

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Cycling

By Nicole Cotroneo

Truffles, gelato and a lot of biking: welcome to epicurean travel, the Ciclismo Classico way.

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If there’s one food to build a vacation around, it’s gelato. And if there’s one way to eat Italy’s decadent frozen treat for eight days straight without porking up, it’s on Giro del Gelato, a cycling tour of southern Piedmont that Outside magazine just crowned their 2007 Trip of the Year. The two-wheel tour, tailored by Massachusetts-based outfitter Ciclismo Classico, weaves through the white truffle capital of the world, wedged between the Alps and the Italian Riviera. This May’s trip will be accompanied by Ciao Bella’s gelato maestro and Piedmont native Danilo Zecchin, who will showcase the ingredients that have inspired his standout flavors such as hazelnut biscotti and zabaione. Cycling 40 “intermediate” miles each day, past Barolo vineyards and hilltop castles, riders will break for visits to a truffle hunter and a gelato “laboratory.” Each night they will recoup their legs in elegant lodgings like the Sant’Uffizio, a former Benedictine monastery. Tour rates start at $3,995, which includes bike rental and all the gelato you can eat. For more reasons than one, spandex riding shorts are recommended.