Peter Kocher, Club Toscana's senior trip leader (top photo) will be in charge of your trip. After having spent over two decades biking and walking most of Europe's great trails and side roads, he has developed an intimate knowledge of each region's geography, its local flavors, its best lodging and dining establishments, its most interesting sites, and a deep appreciation for each region's historical and cultural significance.

Additional support on your trip is provided by other Club Toscana trip leaders and in-house staff members. On special occasions, local guides are included to compliment a trip. For example, a local town historian might be called on to provide a specific insight into the region's history and architecture or a naturalist will be called to explain the area's unique flora and fauna. On some sporting activities (eg. sea kayaking on our Island of Elba Multi-Sport trip), we use licenced instructors to guide and accompany the activity, and of course, most wine estates, food producers, craft shops, castles, natural and historic sites have their own staff that are always happy to give us the grand tour including the latest secrets of what makes their place so special.

To ensure that every aspect of your Club Toscana trip meets the president's approval, every feature of a Club Toscana trip is researched, organized and carried out only by Club Toscana's in-house staff.

Need more information! Click here to speak to our Senior Trip Leader.

During the traveling part of each day, our support vehicle is never far away. It will always be close enough to provide assistance when required (in case you wish a lift or your bike needs mechanical assistance) yet far enough away to give you a quiet, unhurried biking or walking pace. Generally the support vehicle will shadow the route continuously during the biking or walking portion of each day stopping at those places where additional effort is called for (e.g. the start of a long hill) or at important cross roads where a turn is necessary. On your final trip day, our vehicle will take you to a trip departure point selected to give you the most convenient transportation connections, or to your post-trip hotel.

Club Toscana uses lightweight aluminum TREK hybrid bikes, complimented with super-soft seats and suspension, and TREK road bikes, both outfitted with Shimano touring components. Each of our bikes are professionally maintained by Greve in Chianti's Marco Ramuzzi and staff, and come equipped with a handlebar mounted map case, a rear rack with an insulated bag ideal for carrying your camera or video equipment, a complimentary bike water bottle, a spare tube and air pump, and a combination bicycle lock. In addition, we have optional strapless toe cups (for easy exits) or if you prefer, you can bring your own clip-in pedals and shoes, or even your own seat, and we'll attach them to our bicycles to give you a more familiar cycling ride. Helmets are provided free of charge and are strongly recommended on all our biking trips.

All of our bikes are available in several sizes and frame types (male and sloped crossbar frames, traditionally used by female and smaller cyclists) that combine lightweight function, comfortable seating, easy to operate gears and are perfectly suited to the roads and country lane ways throughout Europe.

How do you assign hotel rooms to your guests? - Almost every one of our lodgings was originally an historical residential townhouse, a countryside villa or a centuries-old restored guest house. In these charming structures, every room is of a different size, has a different view (of a medieval piazza to the picturesque countryside) and comes equipped with period furnishings. All trip rooms are assigned on a rotating basis with an emphasis placed on your preferred bed type. For more information on our choice of lodging for each trip, please visit the trip of your choice or visit our Premiere Lodging & Dining or our Classic Lodging & Dining pages.

Can you pick us up at our hotel? - Absolutely. For your convenience, we would be pleased to meet you and drop you off at the hotel of your choice.

Which meals are included in the trip price? - All breakfasts, most dinners and some lunches (an introductory lunch on the first day and a picnic in good weather or a café lunch during the trip) are provided, generally starting with an introductory lunch on the first day and ending with breakfast on the last day. On every trip, usually in one of our more romantic settings where we spend a second evening, we'll leave that evening free for you to search out your own culinary pleasure. Your Club Toscana trip leader would be happy to offer you suggestions. Please consult each trip description for details.

Do we order from the menu or are meals pre-selected? - Our most memorable meals are when we are staying at a countryside villa or farmhouse B&B where our hosts prepare traditional dinners selected from the region's seasonal specialties. Most often, we venture out to the area's most notable restaurant for some fine dining or a favorite trattoria. Dining in Italy is such a personal choice so we encourage you to choose directly off the menu with recommendations from the chef. For more information on our trip dining choices, please visit the trip of your choice or visit our Premiere Lodging & Dining or our Classic Lodging & Dining pages.

Can you accommodate special diets? - Italian chefs use traditional cooking ingredients fresh from the garden. If you have any dietary or ingredient restrictions, let us know. Our dining establishments are always happy to accommodate.

Do you take care of our luggage? - From the trip start to it's finish, and every day that you are traveling to another lodging, our trip leaders will take your luggage and purchases to the next hotel and deliver them directly to your room awaiting your arrival.

Is the support vehicle nearby during the day? - Our support vehicle is never far away. Close enough to provide assistance when required (in case you wish a lift or your bike needs mechanical assistance) yet far enough away to give you a quiet, unhurried biking or walking pace. Generally the support vehicle will shadow the route continuously during the biking or walking portion of each day stopping at those places where additional effort is called for (e.g. the start of a long hill) or at important side roads where a turn might be missed.

What sort of fellow travelers can we expect? - Most of our guests come as couples between the ages of 35 and 70. About 80% are US residents, 10% are Canadians, and the rest come from England, Australia, and other English speaking countries. They comprise a wonderful diversity of interests and professional occupations, but most of all, they have the same desire to enjoy the great outdoors in the Italian and European countryside.

Do you ever cancel a trip with only a few trip participants? - Most of our trips have a 2 person minimum. We would only cancel a trip if logistically (i.e. weather damage or public transportation concerns) prevented us from producing a nice trip.

If my traveling companion is less active than I, will that be a problem? - Being actively incompatible is usually quickly tempered by the romanticism of the European landscapes, however if you would rather take in the view while your traveling companion tests their endurance, there are always others with the same frame of mind. For our actively incompatible guests, we have several Biking & Walking and Multi-Sport trips combining biking and walking (with other activities) where effort levels are reduced and the mixture of activities offers a nice compromise. For more information please visit our Home Page for our index of Biking & Walking and Multi-Sport Trip web pages.

Are children welcome on all trips? - Our trips are designed for adults and are compatible for youths 8 years and older. Open dates can be reserved as "Family" for parents traveling with their children which would limit additional participants of the trip to other families. Our regular trips are limited to couples, parents traveling with youths 16 and older and solo travelers. If your children are under the age of 8, please call our office to discuss the trip's suitability to your children. Please consult each trip's description to determine if the trip's general activity rating is within the realm of your child's abilities. Please see our General Information page for details.

Are there special rates for children? - All minors (less than 16 years) must be accompanied by at least one adult. Any youth sharing a room (subject to availability) with two adults would receive a 10% trip price discount. Please see our General Information page for details.

Do you have smaller bikes for youngsters? - For smaller riders, we have 24" bikes with other bike sizes available by special request.

Are your trips "singles friendly"? - All of our trips are designed for couples and solo travelers. Singles traveling on our trips find that they quickly blend in and become part of the family. For more information please visit our General Information page.

Will I have to pay extra If I am traveling solo? - In most Italian hotels, it is common to find single rooms a bit on the small side. As a benefit to our solo travelers, those requesting a room all to themselves will receive a regular sized room with a single large bed. For those willing to share a room with someone of the same sex that sign up more than 60 days before trip departure will not have to pay the Single Room Charge if no room mate becomes available. For those that sign up within 60 days of a trip, the Single Room Charge will apply if a room mate does not become available.

Who will be our trip guide? - Peter Kocher, Club Toscana's most experienced guide will be your trip leader, and guide. Other Club Toscana staff members or local guides will join the trip to provide additional support and assistance as required by your trip.

Do you ever hire other companies to do your trips? - All Club Toscana trips are researched, organized and carried out by Club Toscana and its in-house staff. During excursions as part of a trip's itinerary (e.g. sea kayaking on the Island of Elba) we use licenced instructors to guide and accompany the activity. For special town tours, villa tours and nature walks, we use local guides to accompany the group.

Do we need to bring any special clothing for our trip? - Our trips are designed for everyone and special clothing or equipment is not required. If you are an experienced biker, you will already have everything you will need. For walkers, a good fitting pair of cross-trainers or hiking shoes are recommended. After your trip reservation is complete, we will send you a complete list of recommended clothing for the type and length of trip you have requested, including items for the weather conditions you can expect.

Can I bring my own bike? - Absolutely, we can offer advice on how to safely transport your bike to and from the trip. We would be more than happy to help you arrange storage for your bike carrying case and transport your bike during the land portion of your trip including any assistance you might require during bike assembly / disassembly including any service and repairs. Club Toscana, however, can not provide a trip price reduction for those wishing to bring their own bikes.