March 30, 2025 • 32 mins
🌟 Episode 29: Exploring Italy on Two Wheels with Nancy De Losa! 🇮🇹🚴♀️
Get ready for an unforgettable ride! In this episode of Magical Destinations By Steve Podcast, we’re diving into the beauty of Italy with Nancy De Losa, Co-Founder of A’qto Italian Cycling Tours.
Nancy shares how cycling is one of the most immersive ways to explore Italy, from breathtaking landscapes to rich cultural experiences and, of course, the incredible food! We also chat about her journey in launching A’qto, her favorite hidden gem destinations, and what makes Italian hospitality so special for riders as well as non-riders who tag along.
https://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-29-exploring-italy-on-two-wheels-with-nancy-de-losa--65241073
#MagicalDestinationsBySteve #TravelItaly #CyclingTours #DreamVacation #ItalyAdventure #podcast #travel #travelpodcast #A'qto
Medic2Medic is back, bringing authentic voices, untold stories, and the human side of Emergency Medical Services and beyond.
Get ready for an unforgettable ride! In this episode of Magical Destinations By Steve Podcast, we’re diving into the beauty of Italy with Nancy De Losa, Co-Founder of A’qto Italian Cycling Tours.
Nancy shares how cycling is one of the most immersive ways to explore Italy, from breathtaking landscapes to rich cultural experiences and, of course, the incredible food! We also chat about her journey in launching A’qto, her favorite hidden gem destinations, and what makes Italian hospitality so special for riders as well as non-riders who tag along.
https://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-29-exploring-italy-on-two-wheels-with-nancy-de-losa--65241073
#MagicalDestinationsBySteve #TravelItaly #CyclingTours #DreamVacation #ItalyAdventure #podcast #travel #travelpodcast #A'qto
Medic2Medic is back, bringing authentic voices, untold stories, and the human side of Emergency Medical Services and beyond.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Seekers, Welcome to Magical Destinations by Steve, a podcast that
takes you on a journey around the world without ever
leaving the comfort of your headlines. I'm your host, Steve Cohen,
and I'm filled to be your guide through the exciting
realms of travel, culture and exploration.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Whether you're a seasoned traveler or an armchair explorer, this
podcast is your passport to a road of fascinating stories,
fading gems, and the cultures that make our planets are.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Rich and diverse.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
I'm here to ignite your boat charting and inspire your
next adventure. Join us as we navigate the twist in
terms of travel, offering practical tips, firsthand experience, and expert
insights to help you make for most of your own journeys.
Whether you're planning a weekend getaway or a dreaming of
an epic expedition. Magical Destinations by Steve is here to
(00:52):
be your trustee.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
Companis Welcome to Magical Destination. Oh, Welcome to Magical Destinations
by Steve. Travelers Welcome to this great travel podcast where
we turn your travel dreams into reality. I'm your host,
Steve Cohen. You can reach me at s co and
at curated travel collection dot Com. Of course, you know
we're coming from the Ferndale Magical Destinations by Steve Podcast Studios,
(01:17):
and I'm here as your travel advisor. You're expert to
bring you the latest trips, insider secrets and destinations and
inspiration to go to those fantastic places and make your
vacation truly unforgettable again. As you know, from the magic
of Disney to the thrills of Universal and to all
the all inclusive cruises and resorts and beyond. I'm here
(01:41):
and I've got you covered. So why you should book
your next trip with me? You should book your trip
because I take care of everything for you. You get
my expert guidance, personalized recommendations and stress free planning. I'm
so happy today to bring in a guest all the
way from Italy. That's right, you know me. I go
(02:02):
anywhere and everywhere for you, my podcast listeners, Nancy Delosa
and speaking of incredible experiences, she is my fantastic guest today.
She's the co founder of a Quto Italian Cycling and Tourists.
Nancy's all about crafting unforgettable cycling adventures through Italy, letting
breathtaking rides and rich cultural experiences. So, Nancy, welcome to
(02:27):
Magical Destinations by Steve Podcast.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Thank you Steve. It's great to be here.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
The first thing I want to know is how are
things in.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Italy all wonderful?
Speaker 5 (02:38):
I guess we're right in that early spring period and
trees is starting to bloom and you can just feel
that energy starting to sprout out into the piazzas we
live in a small town in Tuscany, riding the piazza
and you.
Speaker 6 (02:54):
Can just hear so many more voices coming to town
each day, and that's a beautiful feeling.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Well, besides, we'll get into chatting about what makes Italy
such a dream destination and your journey in launching your
QTO and why saking is one of the best ways
to experience the heart of Italy. But before we do that,
tell us a little bit about yourself.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Sure.
Speaker 6 (03:16):
So, I'm in my early fifties and together with my husband,
around about ten years ago, he had a cycling clothing business,
and around ten years ago we came to Italy together
on a business trip and he did a bike ride
at the time, which was one of his bucket list adventures,
and wrote a blog about it and the rest is history.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
It was the start of our cycling tours business. So
he wrote the blog.
Speaker 6 (03:41):
We had some clients right to us saying that looks amazing.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Do you take tours? And we looked at each other
and said, maybe we do.
Speaker 6 (03:48):
Ten years on, here we are. So it's been quite
the adventure over ten years. And I guess a little
bit like you Steve in the sense of coming into
it later, a little later in life. I mean, my
background and career has always been in marketing and brand
and I've worked for a number of organizations, from a
very large corporates in my early career through to sort
(04:11):
of more entrepreneurial businesses and across the whole range of
industries from property and real estate to finance and everything
in between. But travel was certainly a passion of mine
really all my life since I think the first trip
I took from Australia to Italy was in when I
was twenty one, and from then I was hooked. And
(04:32):
it was also a big part of my career in
my early days. So I've always been a traveler and
I think to now be living a life of travel
and being entrepreneurial and sharing amazing adventures with both my
husband but also obviously our guests.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
Who join us on tour. It's a great experience.
Speaker 4 (04:50):
What are your favorite places before you started your cycling
toward business, what are the favorite places you love to
travel to?
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Yeah, it's interesting.
Speaker 6 (05:00):
I always been very connected to Latin cultures, and so
I spent quite a bit of time traveling to South
America actually in my earlier travel days, and really loved,
you know, places like Argentina and Brazil and those types
of places. Obviously, Europe and many countries in Europe have
always been a favorite for me, and.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
I guess just with Italy.
Speaker 6 (05:23):
It's just such a such a connection point for me,
having Italian parents who immigrated to Australia in the fifties
and coming back to Italy was the minute I landed here,
I just recall the emotion within that was staring inside me.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
That just really brought me back to my roots.
Speaker 6 (05:43):
And I think from there, whilst we travel to other
destinations and many other wonderful places, I think Italy definitely
feels very much like home.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
We were talking earlier before we started the podcast. You
live both in Italy and Australia. When do you go
back to Australia.
Speaker 6 (06:01):
Yeah, so we live in eternal summer really, in fact,
winters very foreign to us, and even arriving here just
a couple of weeks ago and having what.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Italy's experiencing a bit of a late winter this year
has been a bit of a shock to the system.
But nice.
Speaker 6 (06:16):
So we tend to Our travel season in Italy is
really from March till October and then we're in Australia
for the Australian summer.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
So it's nice. We enjoy it.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
I like Italy and if I could have my brothers,
I would move to Italy, but that's a totally different podcast.
We'll go from there.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Yeah, definitely, no, we do. We say we have the
best of both worlds.
Speaker 6 (06:43):
Definitely have a great life in both countries and very
different life in both countries. Obviously, Italy is where we
deliver our experiences and we do a lot of research
and obviously spend a lot of time here creating the experiences,
but a lot of the working on the business, if
you like, really happens in our stint in Australia when
we're off tour and a little bit more time. So yeah,
(07:06):
both both destinations offer us completely different life experiences, I guess,
and it's a great balance.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
I know you've been going to Italy for a long time.
How hard was it for you to learn that language?
Speaker 5 (07:18):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Quite simple. Really really be grown up with it all
my life. So I spoke Atainan from.
Speaker 6 (07:22):
A very young age, being brought up with Italian parents
and in a rich Italian family, and the sense that
we had our nonas and our aunties and everyone was
around us. So Italian was very much part of my upbringing.
I also studied it through school, so I guess, you know,
understanding not just how to speak it, but also the
(07:44):
grammar and how to construct the language is an important
part of learning any language, I think, and I guess
I was very lucky to also study it all through school.
So I think the biggest thing I find is that
it really is time in country and time in place
speaking the language that really furthers the language. So I think,
while I've always had the foundations, and you know, I
(08:05):
have always been able to speak it too, and I
think being here and you know, using it a lot
really advances the language a lot.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
And I mean.
Speaker 6 (08:14):
Damon often says, you know, my biggest smile is when
I'm speaking Italian to the Italians.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
So that's a nice feeling.
Speaker 6 (08:20):
I think I really enjoy speaking it, and I think
when you enjoy speaking it, you want to speak it
even more.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
So, yeah, it's great.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
Before I get into talking about what you do and
how you do it, how'd you come up with the
brand name?
Speaker 6 (08:36):
Yeah, so the brand name was the birth child of
my husband, pre Me pre meeting me.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
So interesting story.
Speaker 6 (08:43):
There is he's always had an affinity with Italy and
all things Italian as well, and he started out the
business as an Italian cycling floating business, a real avid
cyclist from a very young age, and he decided, once
he'd had a fairly long stint in the advertising industry
that he was going to set up his own business.
And he'd also done a lot of art and design,
(09:04):
so he was designing clothing and all imported out of itly,
so he came up with the name which was Acuto,
which in Italian means essentially acute, like what we would
say in English as acute, but really to reflect that
kind of angle and the climb of a mountain. He
absolutely loves climbing mountains on a bike, and we found
(09:25):
out last week on skis as well well going down
on skize. So he came up with the name Akuton,
which was a the real word is a apostrophe c uto,
and he launched it and the Australians were saying a
cuto and.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
That really rubbed him up the wrong way.
Speaker 6 (09:43):
So he thought he'd try and make it fanetic and
he changed the cu to a Q, and then no
one knew how to say it, so it stuck. It's
been a brand name that yes, has been with him
for almost fifteen years and with our travel business now
for ten years. And yeah, it's a story to tell,
isn't it, Steve? Like everything, I think, if there's a
(10:03):
story behind it, hey it sticks.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
I know a lot of people that cycle here in
Washington State. Cycling here in our area is just so big.
Cycling through Italy sounds like an absolute dream. Can you
pet us a picture of what's the most breathtaking ride
that your group of vacationers will take? And maybe you
can talk about one of your best rides that creates
(10:30):
that most beautiful breathtaking picture.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
So I think, I.
Speaker 6 (10:33):
Mean, breathtaking can mean different things to different people. And
I think what instantly comes to mind is the Dolomites.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
I don't know if you've been.
Speaker 6 (10:42):
There, Steve, but the scenery is absolutely breathtaking, and I
think that's the only word you can use to describe it,
because it is absolutely amazing.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
However, the Dolomites is not for the faint hearted.
Speaker 6 (10:53):
It's definitely a very challenging ride climbing mountains, and not
just climbing mountains, you know, one of them a day,
but multiple.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
In a day, because that's really what a bi ride
in the Dolomites demands. But equally, you know, when I think.
Speaker 6 (11:10):
About the Dolomites, I equally think about Tuscany and sicily
completely different landscapes, but as breathtaking in different ways and
very beautiful. So I think the real beauty of visually,
and probably one of the things that has made us
realize that we really don't need to venture any further
is that every region is so different, and every region
(11:31):
offers very different beauty and very different culture, very different
food and wine. So a very different experience, you know,
is experience from north to south and everywhere in between.
And I think a big part of what we aim
to bring out in our tours is not just that
writing experience that is breathtaking wherever you are, but really
(11:53):
that cultural element as well.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
On the food and wine experience.
Speaker 4 (11:57):
Well, I believe your tours are probably all about immersives.
Is there are other moments that can surprise your guess
or your bike riders.
Speaker 6 (12:05):
Yeah, I think one of the things that we really
aim to do and you know, and I think across
a set of cycling tours, you're going to have a
whole different range of experiences. I know, we know companies
that you know, it's all about the ride. For us,
it's always been about the ride and the rest of
the experience as well of Italy, which is really important.
And with that we really mean being exposed to local
(12:28):
people having the opportunity to you know, will do wine
tastings for each of our tours, for example, but instead
of just picking you know, one of the biggest or
most recognized wineries, will pick the small family vineyard with
a very immerssive experience where you're sitting in you know,
just up the hill from here.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
We do a wine tasting with a family who.
Speaker 6 (12:51):
You know, we're sitting in their kitchen area, in their
dining area, and it's just a very personalized, welcoming experience.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
The people are surprise fight.
Speaker 6 (13:00):
I think, And I think the other beautiful part of
that is not just you know, the actual experience itself,
but the storytelling that goes with that, what that family
has gone through to develop. You know, a winery in
a region that is so renowned all over the world
and be able to really mix it up with some
of the bigger wineries in terms of the quality of
(13:21):
their wine. And I think it's those types of interactions
and those types of experiences that we really try to
bring out on our tours.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
That sounds so exciting the wine puart, especially if you
had to pick an underrated off the radar Italian region
for cycling, where would it be and what makes it
so special?
Speaker 3 (13:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (13:41):
So with Italy there's just there's so much great cycling.
I mean, Italy's terrain is well, very spectacular, as you've
already identified, and very diverse. There are some sort of
up and coming regions, I guess, and probably one of
them that comes to mind as very beautiful and probably
(14:02):
only starting to emerge in the last couple of years
is Sardinia. We also do a tour in Ployer which
Pullya has always been, you know, sort of one of
the poorer cousins of Italian travel, but over recent years
has really become a must do travel destination for many
people coming to Italy.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
So some of these regions.
Speaker 6 (14:22):
While they haven't been what we've been, would have been
known to be real cycling regions because of their beauty
and because of their terrain. I guess companies like US
are creating cycling and active experiences in these regions that
you start to really match it with some of the
more traditional cycling destinations. And I say more traditional mainly
(14:43):
because the cycling history of places like Italy and the
culture of cycling has really grown out of some of
the probably.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
The more northern regions.
Speaker 6 (14:53):
Where a lot of the bike brands were born, and
you know where there are amazing mountains that are synonymous
with the girodi Italian or in France, the Tour de France.
So that's the only reason why I think cycling traditionally
has been associated with certain regions in Italy.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
But I think a lot of the newer regions.
Speaker 6 (15:11):
That are starting to really position themselves with full cycling
tours are because the beauty and terrain is as magical
but just being fairly untouched from a cycling professional cycling aspective.
Speaker 4 (15:25):
Let me give you a scenario. You have a guess
who's a newbie to cycling and find your immersive tour
and they book a tour, they arrive and they're just
I guess I'll use me. You know, I can ride
a bike, I'm just not a active cyclist. And how
(15:45):
do I get hooked on cycling in Italy? I guess
the other question is do you have electric bikes?
Speaker 3 (15:51):
Yeah? Question?
Speaker 6 (15:54):
So I think probably the first thing is that we
prepare guests really well. So I think it's fair to
say that most of Italy is terrain is you know,
fairly onerous from a cycling perspective, very hilly and mountainous.
There's a couple of regions in Italy I mentioned to
pull you earlier and probably one of the main reasons
we introduced Pullia to our mix of tours, and that was,
(16:16):
you know, about six years ago, was because of its
flatter terrain and with the opportunity it brings to attract
probably not so much a newbie, but someone who is
familiar with writing but really sees it as an aspirational
tour something you know, that's there's many people who aspire
to ride seven days of writing and achieve X number
(16:37):
of kilometers on a bike ride, for example.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
So part of it is that we.
Speaker 6 (16:43):
David and myself as owners of the business, also lead
our tours. But from the minute someone engages with us
and inquires to when they join us on tour, they're
always dealing with us, and so we get to know
fairly quickly how experienced somebody is and can guide people
to the various is based on.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
Obviously, our website has a.
Speaker 6 (17:01):
Lot of this information as well, but sometimes you can't
tell everything on our website, so we engage with clients
and really get an understanding of where they're at also
what they're prepared to do.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
I think the other thing Steve here is.
Speaker 6 (17:13):
It's not just the physical pursuit, but the mental pursuit
as well. So not too many people, even if they're
a cyclist back home in Washington State, and mind you, Steve,
I must ask you, it's Spokane in Washington State.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
It is.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
It's on the east coast of Washington, Steed.
Speaker 6 (17:30):
So we have some guests from Washington State who have
been too with us and are coming back this year actually,
so I do know that it's a big cycling region
and so even though they may be cycling, you know,
back in their home state, they're not often cycling seven
days in a row. And that's kind of when you know,
really from a physical and a mental perspective, you know, fatigue,
(17:51):
con zetting, or people get tired. So part of the
whole preparation phase for us is about really guiding people
through that pre to experience. To answer your question about
e bikes, yes, we do offer e bikes. The only
premise I will say with that is that we tend
to say to people you still need to have some
experience with riding a bike. And I think part of
(18:12):
what we're seeing in Italy as well with e bikes
is there are many people who are jumping onto e
bikes who don't ride in their home country and then
find themselves in tricky situations over here because the terrain
is not as easy as they imagined, or you know,
it's not just the beautiful gentle wind in my hair
as I've flowed along for ten kilometers. You know, they're
(18:32):
busy roads sometimes in some regions, and you know there's
a lot going on to be thinking about so you
do need to have a level of cycling experience we
believe to really enjoy the riding in Italy. And I
think what we're doing is we're actually just designing a
couple of new tours for next year, and part of
that is about trying to open it up to the
(18:54):
newbie or the person that is new to cycling but
has an aspiration to ride a cycling to in Italy
and trying to make that very accessible, which a pull
you tour is that, but even more so I guess
in a couple of regions that we're looking at at
the moment.
Speaker 4 (19:11):
Thinking back to your very first a Quto tour, what's
one thing you did back then that will make you
laugh today?
Speaker 3 (19:22):
Yeah, I think it was the leap of faith we
took Steve.
Speaker 6 (19:26):
It was the situation where tours really came to us
in the sense that Damien had done a bike ride
in Tuscany that was on his bike bucket list. It's
a cycling event in out what is now our hometown.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
Actually called Larroica.
Speaker 6 (19:42):
Very beautiful event, which is people ride all old steel
bikes from the thirties and forties and fifties.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Where all the old woolen gear and it's a real
festival of cycling.
Speaker 6 (19:54):
And Damien did that bike ride and then we had
some people from our database inquire and ask us where
the we take tours, and we looked at each other
and said, maybe we do. And with that we came
back to County. We've just left the region a couple
of days earlier. We came back, booked some accommodation for
the next year, and off we went and designed a tour.
I think when you look back, you just think, wow,
(20:16):
would I do that now? Like you know, but it
just felt so natural and so so much part of
the journey that we needed to take. So funny in
the sense that we came knocking on doors and people
were laughing because when we first knocked on doors, the
town is one thousand people, but twenty thousand people come
for this cycling event. So, as you can imagine, there
(20:37):
aren't too many hotel beds in town.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Over twenty five years that.
Speaker 6 (20:40):
It's been going, it beds have increased, but still it's very,
very hard to get in. So we knocked on the
doors of a couple of bnbs and they said, oh,
no chance, it's already been booked for next year, but
then we struck a chord with a couple who run
a BMB here in town, who have since become very
close friends of ours. Have laughed and said, come in
(21:01):
and let's see what we can muster up. But you know,
it's those things that happen almost by chance, sometimes almost
by intuition. It's about taking that leap of faith and saying, yeah,
let's do this. So I think whether that's funny, well,
whether that's I guess, you know, just following where you
think your heart needs is and where you want to be.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
It's all part of the journey.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
You kind of talked about this a little bit about
Italian hospitality because it is legendary. People are very friendly,
and we're talking about storytelling. What's the most I guess
heartwarming or unexpecting the act of kindness that you've experienced
on one of your tours. If you don't mind talking
about one of them or two of them, they'd be great.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (21:49):
So I think, really it takes me back to some
of the early stages about tour development and just when.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
You are, you know, starting out, like you'll.
Speaker 6 (21:58):
Turn up to a destination and you're done your research,
around some villas or masaia in.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
Pul Eu or what have you, that you want a
book for the.
Speaker 6 (22:06):
Tour to be one of one of our partners, and
just on arrival, just how warm the partners are and
the people who own these venues are.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
I think one of our key criteria around.
Speaker 6 (22:19):
The choice of the places we stay on tour is
definitely it's family run.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
It's a small villa. We've actually purposefully made.
Speaker 6 (22:29):
Our tours and our groups small, so we have a.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
Maximum four ten guests. And part of the rationale.
Speaker 6 (22:35):
There is that we can choose to stay in accommodation
that you wouldn't otherwise be able to access if you
have a very large tour group. So it means that
we can stay in family run villas. It means that
you know, all of the destinations we take our people
are that very warm hospitality that you described. So if
I trace my mind back to some of the first
(22:58):
people we interacted with in designing our Tuscany tour, which
was one of our first tours.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
Here, as I say, just turning up to a destination.
Speaker 6 (23:07):
That we never really tell them in advance that we're looking.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
To book this place for our tour, we sort of turn.
Speaker 6 (23:13):
Up and experience it for ourselves, and you know, obviously
through the conversation, then lead.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
If we think this is a place.
Speaker 6 (23:19):
That we want to pursue, then lead it leads us
to booking that place. But I think just that sense
of hospitality and being with couples and families who you
know this is their lifeblood but also what they really
love doing, they live with their heart, and I think
just those experiences of meeting these families and couples all
over the place has been a big part of our journey.
Speaker 4 (23:42):
We've spent a lot of time talking about dicycling and
some of the tours, but now I got to ask
you about the wine because that would be my favorite part.
But can you talk about how you chosen wineries and
what's it like? And then the second half of that
question is, if you don't mind just giving us a
brief overview, what one of the toys look like?
Speaker 3 (24:04):
Yeah? Sure, so the wine. I think it would be
fair to say that Damien, like you, wine is a very.
Speaker 6 (24:10):
Big part of his life and a very big part
of the joy of life in Italy as well. And
I think probably one of the most beautiful things is
just how diverse and how many varieties of wine there are.
And I think we were reading something recently that you know,
there's three hundred varieties of commercialized wine in Italy, so
there's no end of new wines to try and new varieties.
(24:34):
But I think for us, one of the real joys
is just within a geographic region. You know, we can say,
let's just say Tuscany. We can say within Tuscany, you know,
just from one region in county to twenty kilometers down
the road, the county in one area to twenty kilometers
down the road in another area of county can be
(24:54):
completely different, and I think that just getting to understand
and experience those differences is really special. And certainly what
we do on tour is we remain very very local
with our wine.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
So guests will often say, oh, but I'm not.
Speaker 6 (25:10):
A really light wine sort of person. I don't like
a light red and we're like, well, you're in Tuscany.
We're just going to encourage you to try the wine
and you tell.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
Us whether you like it or not.
Speaker 6 (25:21):
So I think people come with preconceived ideas. We definitely
stick to the philosophy and ethos that you need if
you're coming to a place, you need to try the
local wines, and so everywhere we go it's.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
About being very local. When we're in County, you're drinking County.
Speaker 6 (25:36):
When we're in Montucino, you're drinking Russo di Montucino or Brunello.
When you're in Sandiugnano, which is a third destination on
a tour, you're drinking Bonacca, which is a white wine,
which is actually one of the very few white wines
in Tuscany. So I think that sense of being very
local and opening people up to that very local ethos
and philosophy around wine is a really important part of
(25:58):
the experience of Italy and certainly something that we try
to bring out as much as we can.
Speaker 4 (26:04):
Can give us an idea of what a tour looks like.
Speaker 6 (26:08):
Yeah, so generally seven days, some a little bit longer,
some a little bit shorter, but around seven days.
Speaker 3 (26:16):
One of the key things that I think.
Speaker 6 (26:18):
We offer that others often don't is a non ride
partner program. So for cyclists who their partner doesn't ride
a bike, we invite their partners on tour and so
Damien runs the cycling program, so each day there's a
ride dedicated for the cyclists. Cyclists go out and average
(26:39):
days sort of from about nine o'clock to three pm
in the afternoon. That includes a lunch stop, it includes
a coffee stop, it includes you know, taking in the
scenery and enjoying the ride. And then late in the afternoon,
we always encourage people to have some time off and
enjoy the place that we're in and however they wish
to enjoy it. And then we group in the late
(27:01):
afternoon for a peri tibo and then dinner.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
And our food and wine.
Speaker 6 (27:04):
Experience is it's almost like a tour within the tour.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
So very big focus.
Speaker 6 (27:09):
For Damian and I is as I mentioned earlier, about
the wine, but also about the food, is really bringing
out that very local experience of food as well.
Speaker 3 (27:18):
And so that's kind of the writing program.
Speaker 6 (27:20):
But running in parallel with the writing program is also
the non writing program.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
So I host non writers.
Speaker 6 (27:27):
And we tend to engage in other activities still active,
so we do do some hiking or some water sport
type activities, but we also do a range of cultural activities.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
Like cooking classes.
Speaker 6 (27:40):
And engaging with you know, producers such as olive oil producers.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
For example.
Speaker 6 (27:43):
I think a big part or so of immersing in
Italy is learning about and understanding how their ethos and
philosophy around food production. So I think just what goes
into a bottle of olive oil is quite an incredible
learning experience and I like to bring that out as
part of the program. So our ride is it our
non writers that each in their respective programs during the day,
and then we come together to celebrate and each night.
Speaker 3 (28:06):
So that's generally how our day rolls.
Speaker 6 (28:09):
We tend to stay at most three places across seven days.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
We like to We don't like that point to point.
Speaker 6 (28:18):
We feel that you never quite get to really appreciate
a place when you're leaving and going somewhere near the
next day. So we really like to try and encourage
as much as we can places three two three nights
per place at least. So yeah, so that sort of
all comes down to how we design the tour to
really be immersive, and also from the riding perspective, we
(28:42):
like to try and have a situation where the writers
almost don't get in a van for the entire tour
that they ride from one even when we transfer into
a new place that they're riding to the next place
so it's really about as much time as possible on
the bike, immersing culturally, enjoying the food and experience, meeting
local people.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
Fantastic. Now, let's just have a little bit of fun.
If you could go on a dream ride with anyone
past or president, who would it be and why?
Speaker 3 (29:12):
Such an interesting question, Steve. Actually I'm reading Michelle Obama's
book at the moment.
Speaker 4 (29:17):
Okay, there you go.
Speaker 6 (29:18):
She's come to mind.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
I like her style, I like her as a person.
Speaker 6 (29:24):
I think, I mean, you know, obviously I'm reading a
book and I'm getting a sense of her through a book,
but I think she's a very grounded person, a person
that's warm, a person that, you know, as she describes it,
was brought up with adverse situation being, you know, a
black American, and I think just being with somebody that
I could learn from as much as and she seems
(29:46):
to be a fun spirit as well from some of
the stories that I've been reading in her book.
Speaker 3 (29:51):
So yeah, she's just the person who came to mind, Steve.
That's right.
Speaker 4 (29:56):
A favorite Italian dish.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
Yeah, so, I mean in our hometown, I'm wearing.
Speaker 6 (30:00):
Tuscany, probably the Bistecca Fiorentina has to be right up
there as a favorite dish. I mean, we're talking an
amazing bistecca that is so unique and cooked so uniquely,
accompanied with beautiful roasted potatoes and some saltata, which is
usually a green vegetable that's pan fried with some garlic
and olive oil. Is usually a really great meal. But
(30:23):
I will say that my heart in terms of food
is definitely in the south of Italy, in Sicily and
Pullia and Campagna, in those regions.
Speaker 3 (30:33):
Where very fresh vegetables.
Speaker 6 (30:36):
And very fresh seafood is a big part of the
cuisine and definitely with a nice crisp glass of white
wine or prosecco, definitely some freshly grown vegetables and seafood
is definitely.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
Right up there for me.
Speaker 6 (30:49):
Good for you.
Speaker 4 (30:51):
Best Italian song the Blast when you're paddling Vallati Okay,
very good.
Speaker 6 (30:58):
Yeah, it always brings a happy spirit.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
To the group.
Speaker 4 (31:02):
And last question, if you weren't writing a quto, what
do you think you'd be doing.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
I think I'd be writing a book.
Speaker 4 (31:11):
And what would w's book about?
Speaker 3 (31:14):
Yeah, I'm still working that one through. I think there's
a there's a connection back to my roots story.
Speaker 6 (31:20):
Okay, yeah, I think you know, we spoke earlier about
preparing ourselves for future years as well, and yeah, I
think I could see myself down on the Mediterranean in.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
Living on an island or something like that and writing.
Speaker 4 (31:38):
Tell us how my listeners can get in touch with
you and learn more about the tour and the wine.
Speaker 3 (31:45):
Yeah. One of the best, I guess resources is our website,
so www dot a qto a q t o.
Speaker 6 (31:51):
Cycling dot com, Instagram and Facebook our major social media
channels which we post on very regularly, and I'll set
myself on LinkedIn.
Speaker 4 (32:02):
Great Nancy, it's been my pleasure to meet you and
talk to you and learn all about cycling and wine
in Italy. I appreciate you joining me on Matural Destinations
by Steve podcast.
Speaker 3 (32:13):
Thank you Staved. It's being a pleasure
Seekers, Welcome to Magical Destinations by Steve, a podcast that
takes you on a journey around the world without ever
leaving the comfort of your headlines. I'm your host, Steve Cohen,
and I'm filled to be your guide through the exciting
realms of travel, culture and exploration.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Whether you're a seasoned traveler or an armchair explorer, this
podcast is your passport to a road of fascinating stories,
fading gems, and the cultures that make our planets are.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Rich and diverse.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
I'm here to ignite your boat charting and inspire your
next adventure. Join us as we navigate the twist in
terms of travel, offering practical tips, firsthand experience, and expert
insights to help you make for most of your own journeys.
Whether you're planning a weekend getaway or a dreaming of
an epic expedition. Magical Destinations by Steve is here to
(00:52):
be your trustee.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
Companis Welcome to Magical Destination. Oh, Welcome to Magical Destinations
by Steve. Travelers Welcome to this great travel podcast where
we turn your travel dreams into reality. I'm your host,
Steve Cohen. You can reach me at s co and
at curated travel collection dot Com. Of course, you know
we're coming from the Ferndale Magical Destinations by Steve Podcast Studios,
(01:17):
and I'm here as your travel advisor. You're expert to
bring you the latest trips, insider secrets and destinations and
inspiration to go to those fantastic places and make your
vacation truly unforgettable again. As you know, from the magic
of Disney to the thrills of Universal and to all
the all inclusive cruises and resorts and beyond. I'm here
(01:41):
and I've got you covered. So why you should book
your next trip with me? You should book your trip
because I take care of everything for you. You get
my expert guidance, personalized recommendations and stress free planning. I'm
so happy today to bring in a guest all the
way from Italy. That's right, you know me. I go
(02:02):
anywhere and everywhere for you, my podcast listeners, Nancy Delosa
and speaking of incredible experiences, she is my fantastic guest today.
She's the co founder of a Quto Italian Cycling and Tourists.
Nancy's all about crafting unforgettable cycling adventures through Italy, letting
breathtaking rides and rich cultural experiences. So, Nancy, welcome to
(02:27):
Magical Destinations by Steve Podcast.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Thank you Steve. It's great to be here.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
The first thing I want to know is how are
things in.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Italy all wonderful?
Speaker 5 (02:38):
I guess we're right in that early spring period and
trees is starting to bloom and you can just feel
that energy starting to sprout out into the piazzas we
live in a small town in Tuscany, riding the piazza
and you.
Speaker 6 (02:54):
Can just hear so many more voices coming to town
each day, and that's a beautiful feeling.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Well, besides, we'll get into chatting about what makes Italy
such a dream destination and your journey in launching your
QTO and why saking is one of the best ways
to experience the heart of Italy. But before we do that,
tell us a little bit about yourself.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Sure.
Speaker 6 (03:16):
So, I'm in my early fifties and together with my husband,
around about ten years ago, he had a cycling clothing business,
and around ten years ago we came to Italy together
on a business trip and he did a bike ride
at the time, which was one of his bucket list adventures,
and wrote a blog about it and the rest is history.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
It was the start of our cycling tours business. So
he wrote the blog.
Speaker 6 (03:41):
We had some clients right to us saying that looks amazing.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Do you take tours? And we looked at each other
and said, maybe we do.
Speaker 6 (03:48):
Ten years on, here we are. So it's been quite
the adventure over ten years. And I guess a little
bit like you Steve in the sense of coming into
it later, a little later in life. I mean, my
background and career has always been in marketing and brand
and I've worked for a number of organizations, from a
very large corporates in my early career through to sort
(04:11):
of more entrepreneurial businesses and across the whole range of
industries from property and real estate to finance and everything
in between. But travel was certainly a passion of mine
really all my life since I think the first trip
I took from Australia to Italy was in when I
was twenty one, and from then I was hooked. And
(04:32):
it was also a big part of my career in
my early days. So I've always been a traveler and
I think to now be living a life of travel
and being entrepreneurial and sharing amazing adventures with both my
husband but also obviously our guests.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
Who join us on tour. It's a great experience.
Speaker 4 (04:50):
What are your favorite places before you started your cycling
toward business, what are the favorite places you love to
travel to?
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Yeah, it's interesting.
Speaker 6 (05:00):
I always been very connected to Latin cultures, and so
I spent quite a bit of time traveling to South
America actually in my earlier travel days, and really loved,
you know, places like Argentina and Brazil and those types
of places. Obviously, Europe and many countries in Europe have
always been a favorite for me, and.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
I guess just with Italy.
Speaker 6 (05:23):
It's just such a such a connection point for me,
having Italian parents who immigrated to Australia in the fifties
and coming back to Italy was the minute I landed here,
I just recall the emotion within that was staring inside me.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
That just really brought me back to my roots.
Speaker 6 (05:43):
And I think from there, whilst we travel to other
destinations and many other wonderful places, I think Italy definitely
feels very much like home.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
We were talking earlier before we started the podcast. You
live both in Italy and Australia. When do you go
back to Australia.
Speaker 6 (06:01):
Yeah, so we live in eternal summer really, in fact,
winters very foreign to us, and even arriving here just
a couple of weeks ago and having what.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Italy's experiencing a bit of a late winter this year
has been a bit of a shock to the system.
But nice.
Speaker 6 (06:16):
So we tend to Our travel season in Italy is
really from March till October and then we're in Australia
for the Australian summer.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
So it's nice. We enjoy it.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
I like Italy and if I could have my brothers,
I would move to Italy, but that's a totally different podcast.
We'll go from there.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Yeah, definitely, no, we do. We say we have the
best of both worlds.
Speaker 6 (06:43):
Definitely have a great life in both countries and very
different life in both countries. Obviously, Italy is where we
deliver our experiences and we do a lot of research
and obviously spend a lot of time here creating the experiences,
but a lot of the working on the business, if
you like, really happens in our stint in Australia when
we're off tour and a little bit more time. So yeah,
(07:06):
both both destinations offer us completely different life experiences, I guess,
and it's a great balance.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
I know you've been going to Italy for a long time.
How hard was it for you to learn that language?
Speaker 5 (07:18):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Quite simple. Really really be grown up with it all
my life. So I spoke Atainan from.
Speaker 6 (07:22):
A very young age, being brought up with Italian parents
and in a rich Italian family, and the sense that
we had our nonas and our aunties and everyone was
around us. So Italian was very much part of my upbringing.
I also studied it through school, so I guess, you know,
understanding not just how to speak it, but also the
(07:44):
grammar and how to construct the language is an important
part of learning any language, I think, and I guess
I was very lucky to also study it all through school.
So I think the biggest thing I find is that
it really is time in country and time in place
speaking the language that really furthers the language. So I think,
while I've always had the foundations, and you know, I
(08:05):
have always been able to speak it too, and I
think being here and you know, using it a lot
really advances the language a lot.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
And I mean.
Speaker 6 (08:14):
Damon often says, you know, my biggest smile is when
I'm speaking Italian to the Italians.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
So that's a nice feeling.
Speaker 6 (08:20):
I think I really enjoy speaking it, and I think
when you enjoy speaking it, you want to speak it
even more.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
So, yeah, it's great.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
Before I get into talking about what you do and
how you do it, how'd you come up with the
brand name?
Speaker 6 (08:36):
Yeah, so the brand name was the birth child of
my husband, pre Me pre meeting me.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
So interesting story.
Speaker 6 (08:43):
There is he's always had an affinity with Italy and
all things Italian as well, and he started out the
business as an Italian cycling floating business, a real avid
cyclist from a very young age, and he decided, once
he'd had a fairly long stint in the advertising industry
that he was going to set up his own business.
And he'd also done a lot of art and design,
(09:04):
so he was designing clothing and all imported out of itly,
so he came up with the name which was Acuto,
which in Italian means essentially acute, like what we would
say in English as acute, but really to reflect that
kind of angle and the climb of a mountain. He
absolutely loves climbing mountains on a bike, and we found
(09:25):
out last week on skis as well well going down
on skize. So he came up with the name Akuton,
which was a the real word is a apostrophe c uto,
and he launched it and the Australians were saying a
cuto and.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
That really rubbed him up the wrong way.
Speaker 6 (09:43):
So he thought he'd try and make it fanetic and
he changed the cu to a Q, and then no
one knew how to say it, so it stuck. It's
been a brand name that yes, has been with him
for almost fifteen years and with our travel business now
for ten years. And yeah, it's a story to tell,
isn't it, Steve? Like everything, I think, if there's a
(10:03):
story behind it, hey it sticks.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
I know a lot of people that cycle here in
Washington State. Cycling here in our area is just so big.
Cycling through Italy sounds like an absolute dream. Can you
pet us a picture of what's the most breathtaking ride
that your group of vacationers will take? And maybe you
can talk about one of your best rides that creates
(10:30):
that most beautiful breathtaking picture.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
So I think, I.
Speaker 6 (10:33):
Mean, breathtaking can mean different things to different people. And
I think what instantly comes to mind is the Dolomites.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
I don't know if you've been.
Speaker 6 (10:42):
There, Steve, but the scenery is absolutely breathtaking, and I
think that's the only word you can use to describe it,
because it is absolutely amazing.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
However, the Dolomites is not for the faint hearted.
Speaker 6 (10:53):
It's definitely a very challenging ride climbing mountains, and not
just climbing mountains, you know, one of them a day,
but multiple.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
In a day, because that's really what a bi ride
in the Dolomites demands. But equally, you know, when I think.
Speaker 6 (11:10):
About the Dolomites, I equally think about Tuscany and sicily
completely different landscapes, but as breathtaking in different ways and
very beautiful. So I think the real beauty of visually,
and probably one of the things that has made us
realize that we really don't need to venture any further
is that every region is so different, and every region
(11:31):
offers very different beauty and very different culture, very different
food and wine. So a very different experience, you know,
is experience from north to south and everywhere in between.
And I think a big part of what we aim
to bring out in our tours is not just that
writing experience that is breathtaking wherever you are, but really
(11:53):
that cultural element as well.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
On the food and wine experience.
Speaker 4 (11:57):
Well, I believe your tours are probably all about immersives.
Is there are other moments that can surprise your guess
or your bike riders.
Speaker 6 (12:05):
Yeah, I think one of the things that we really
aim to do and you know, and I think across
a set of cycling tours, you're going to have a
whole different range of experiences. I know, we know companies
that you know, it's all about the ride. For us,
it's always been about the ride and the rest of
the experience as well of Italy, which is really important.
And with that we really mean being exposed to local
(12:28):
people having the opportunity to you know, will do wine
tastings for each of our tours, for example, but instead
of just picking you know, one of the biggest or
most recognized wineries, will pick the small family vineyard with
a very immerssive experience where you're sitting in you know,
just up the hill from here.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
We do a wine tasting with a family who.
Speaker 6 (12:51):
You know, we're sitting in their kitchen area, in their
dining area, and it's just a very personalized, welcoming experience.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
The people are surprise fight.
Speaker 6 (13:00):
I think, And I think the other beautiful part of
that is not just you know, the actual experience itself,
but the storytelling that goes with that, what that family
has gone through to develop. You know, a winery in
a region that is so renowned all over the world
and be able to really mix it up with some
of the bigger wineries in terms of the quality of
(13:21):
their wine. And I think it's those types of interactions
and those types of experiences that we really try to
bring out on our tours.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
That sounds so exciting the wine puart, especially if you
had to pick an underrated off the radar Italian region
for cycling, where would it be and what makes it
so special?
Speaker 3 (13:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (13:41):
So with Italy there's just there's so much great cycling.
I mean, Italy's terrain is well, very spectacular, as you've
already identified, and very diverse. There are some sort of
up and coming regions, I guess, and probably one of
them that comes to mind as very beautiful and probably
(14:02):
only starting to emerge in the last couple of years
is Sardinia. We also do a tour in Ployer which
Pullya has always been, you know, sort of one of
the poorer cousins of Italian travel, but over recent years
has really become a must do travel destination for many
people coming to Italy.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
So some of these regions.
Speaker 6 (14:22):
While they haven't been what we've been, would have been
known to be real cycling regions because of their beauty
and because of their terrain. I guess companies like US
are creating cycling and active experiences in these regions that
you start to really match it with some of the
more traditional cycling destinations. And I say more traditional mainly
(14:43):
because the cycling history of places like Italy and the
culture of cycling has really grown out of some of
the probably.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
The more northern regions.
Speaker 6 (14:53):
Where a lot of the bike brands were born, and
you know where there are amazing mountains that are synonymous
with the girodi Italian or in France, the Tour de France.
So that's the only reason why I think cycling traditionally
has been associated with certain regions in Italy.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
But I think a lot of the newer regions.
Speaker 6 (15:11):
That are starting to really position themselves with full cycling
tours are because the beauty and terrain is as magical
but just being fairly untouched from a cycling professional cycling aspective.
Speaker 4 (15:25):
Let me give you a scenario. You have a guess
who's a newbie to cycling and find your immersive tour
and they book a tour, they arrive and they're just
I guess I'll use me. You know, I can ride
a bike, I'm just not a active cyclist. And how
(15:45):
do I get hooked on cycling in Italy? I guess
the other question is do you have electric bikes?
Speaker 3 (15:51):
Yeah? Question?
Speaker 6 (15:54):
So I think probably the first thing is that we
prepare guests really well. So I think it's fair to
say that most of Italy is terrain is you know,
fairly onerous from a cycling perspective, very hilly and mountainous.
There's a couple of regions in Italy I mentioned to
pull you earlier and probably one of the main reasons
we introduced Pullia to our mix of tours, and that was,
(16:16):
you know, about six years ago, was because of its
flatter terrain and with the opportunity it brings to attract
probably not so much a newbie, but someone who is
familiar with writing but really sees it as an aspirational
tour something you know, that's there's many people who aspire
to ride seven days of writing and achieve X number
(16:37):
of kilometers on a bike ride, for example.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
So part of it is that we.
Speaker 6 (16:43):
David and myself as owners of the business, also lead
our tours. But from the minute someone engages with us
and inquires to when they join us on tour, they're
always dealing with us, and so we get to know
fairly quickly how experienced somebody is and can guide people
to the various is based on.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
Obviously, our website has a.
Speaker 6 (17:01):
Lot of this information as well, but sometimes you can't
tell everything on our website, so we engage with clients
and really get an understanding of where they're at also
what they're prepared to do.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
I think the other thing Steve here is.
Speaker 6 (17:13):
It's not just the physical pursuit, but the mental pursuit
as well. So not too many people, even if they're
a cyclist back home in Washington State, and mind you, Steve,
I must ask you, it's Spokane in Washington State.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
It is.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
It's on the east coast of Washington, Steed.
Speaker 6 (17:30):
So we have some guests from Washington State who have
been too with us and are coming back this year actually,
so I do know that it's a big cycling region
and so even though they may be cycling, you know,
back in their home state, they're not often cycling seven
days in a row. And that's kind of when you know,
really from a physical and a mental perspective, you know, fatigue,
(17:51):
con zetting, or people get tired. So part of the
whole preparation phase for us is about really guiding people
through that pre to experience. To answer your question about
e bikes, yes, we do offer e bikes. The only
premise I will say with that is that we tend
to say to people you still need to have some
experience with riding a bike. And I think part of
(18:12):
what we're seeing in Italy as well with e bikes
is there are many people who are jumping onto e
bikes who don't ride in their home country and then
find themselves in tricky situations over here because the terrain
is not as easy as they imagined, or you know,
it's not just the beautiful gentle wind in my hair
as I've flowed along for ten kilometers. You know, they're
(18:32):
busy roads sometimes in some regions, and you know there's
a lot going on to be thinking about so you
do need to have a level of cycling experience we
believe to really enjoy the riding in Italy. And I
think what we're doing is we're actually just designing a
couple of new tours for next year, and part of
that is about trying to open it up to the
(18:54):
newbie or the person that is new to cycling but
has an aspiration to ride a cycling to in Italy
and trying to make that very accessible, which a pull
you tour is that, but even more so I guess
in a couple of regions that we're looking at at
the moment.
Speaker 4 (19:11):
Thinking back to your very first a Quto tour, what's
one thing you did back then that will make you
laugh today?
Speaker 3 (19:22):
Yeah, I think it was the leap of faith we
took Steve.
Speaker 6 (19:26):
It was the situation where tours really came to us
in the sense that Damien had done a bike ride
in Tuscany that was on his bike bucket list. It's
a cycling event in out what is now our hometown.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
Actually called Larroica.
Speaker 6 (19:42):
Very beautiful event, which is people ride all old steel
bikes from the thirties and forties and fifties.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Where all the old woolen gear and it's a real
festival of cycling.
Speaker 6 (19:54):
And Damien did that bike ride and then we had
some people from our database inquire and ask us where
the we take tours, and we looked at each other
and said, maybe we do. And with that we came
back to County. We've just left the region a couple
of days earlier. We came back, booked some accommodation for
the next year, and off we went and designed a tour.
I think when you look back, you just think, wow,
(20:16):
would I do that now? Like you know, but it
just felt so natural and so so much part of
the journey that we needed to take. So funny in
the sense that we came knocking on doors and people
were laughing because when we first knocked on doors, the
town is one thousand people, but twenty thousand people come
for this cycling event. So, as you can imagine, there
(20:37):
aren't too many hotel beds in town.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Over twenty five years that.
Speaker 6 (20:40):
It's been going, it beds have increased, but still it's very,
very hard to get in. So we knocked on the
doors of a couple of bnbs and they said, oh,
no chance, it's already been booked for next year, but
then we struck a chord with a couple who run
a BMB here in town, who have since become very
close friends of ours. Have laughed and said, come in
(21:01):
and let's see what we can muster up. But you know,
it's those things that happen almost by chance, sometimes almost
by intuition. It's about taking that leap of faith and saying, yeah,
let's do this. So I think whether that's funny, well,
whether that's I guess, you know, just following where you
think your heart needs is and where you want to be.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
It's all part of the journey.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
You kind of talked about this a little bit about
Italian hospitality because it is legendary. People are very friendly,
and we're talking about storytelling. What's the most I guess
heartwarming or unexpecting the act of kindness that you've experienced
on one of your tours. If you don't mind talking
about one of them or two of them, they'd be great.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (21:49):
So I think, really it takes me back to some
of the early stages about tour development and just when.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
You are, you know, starting out, like you'll.
Speaker 6 (21:58):
Turn up to a destination and you're done your research,
around some villas or masaia in.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
Pul Eu or what have you, that you want a
book for the.
Speaker 6 (22:06):
Tour to be one of one of our partners, and
just on arrival, just how warm the partners are and
the people who own these venues are.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
I think one of our key criteria around.
Speaker 6 (22:19):
The choice of the places we stay on tour is
definitely it's family run.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
It's a small villa. We've actually purposefully made.
Speaker 6 (22:29):
Our tours and our groups small, so we have a.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
Maximum four ten guests. And part of the rationale.
Speaker 6 (22:35):
There is that we can choose to stay in accommodation
that you wouldn't otherwise be able to access if you
have a very large tour group. So it means that
we can stay in family run villas. It means that
you know, all of the destinations we take our people
are that very warm hospitality that you described. So if
I trace my mind back to some of the first
(22:58):
people we interacted with in designing our Tuscany tour, which
was one of our first tours.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
Here, as I say, just turning up to a destination.
Speaker 6 (23:07):
That we never really tell them in advance that we're looking.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
To book this place for our tour, we sort of turn.
Speaker 6 (23:13):
Up and experience it for ourselves, and you know, obviously
through the conversation, then lead.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
If we think this is a place.
Speaker 6 (23:19):
That we want to pursue, then lead it leads us
to booking that place. But I think just that sense
of hospitality and being with couples and families who you
know this is their lifeblood but also what they really
love doing, they live with their heart, and I think
just those experiences of meeting these families and couples all
over the place has been a big part of our journey.
Speaker 4 (23:42):
We've spent a lot of time talking about dicycling and
some of the tours, but now I got to ask
you about the wine because that would be my favorite part.
But can you talk about how you chosen wineries and
what's it like? And then the second half of that
question is, if you don't mind just giving us a
brief overview, what one of the toys look like?
Speaker 3 (24:04):
Yeah? Sure, so the wine. I think it would be
fair to say that Damien, like you, wine is a very.
Speaker 6 (24:10):
Big part of his life and a very big part
of the joy of life in Italy as well. And
I think probably one of the most beautiful things is
just how diverse and how many varieties of wine there are.
And I think we were reading something recently that you know,
there's three hundred varieties of commercialized wine in Italy, so
there's no end of new wines to try and new varieties.
(24:34):
But I think for us, one of the real joys
is just within a geographic region. You know, we can say,
let's just say Tuscany. We can say within Tuscany, you know,
just from one region in county to twenty kilometers down
the road, the county in one area to twenty kilometers
down the road in another area of county can be
(24:54):
completely different, and I think that just getting to understand
and experience those differences is really special. And certainly what
we do on tour is we remain very very local
with our wine.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
So guests will often say, oh, but I'm not.
Speaker 6 (25:10):
A really light wine sort of person. I don't like
a light red and we're like, well, you're in Tuscany.
We're just going to encourage you to try the wine
and you tell.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
Us whether you like it or not.
Speaker 6 (25:21):
So I think people come with preconceived ideas. We definitely
stick to the philosophy and ethos that you need if
you're coming to a place, you need to try the
local wines, and so everywhere we go it's.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
About being very local. When we're in County, you're drinking County.
Speaker 6 (25:36):
When we're in Montucino, you're drinking Russo di Montucino or Brunello.
When you're in Sandiugnano, which is a third destination on
a tour, you're drinking Bonacca, which is a white wine,
which is actually one of the very few white wines
in Tuscany. So I think that sense of being very
local and opening people up to that very local ethos
and philosophy around wine is a really important part of
(25:58):
the experience of Italy and certainly something that we try
to bring out as much as we can.
Speaker 4 (26:04):
Can give us an idea of what a tour looks like.
Speaker 6 (26:08):
Yeah, so generally seven days, some a little bit longer,
some a little bit shorter, but around seven days.
Speaker 3 (26:16):
One of the key things that I think.
Speaker 6 (26:18):
We offer that others often don't is a non ride
partner program. So for cyclists who their partner doesn't ride
a bike, we invite their partners on tour and so
Damien runs the cycling program, so each day there's a
ride dedicated for the cyclists. Cyclists go out and average
(26:39):
days sort of from about nine o'clock to three pm
in the afternoon. That includes a lunch stop, it includes
a coffee stop, it includes you know, taking in the
scenery and enjoying the ride. And then late in the afternoon,
we always encourage people to have some time off and
enjoy the place that we're in and however they wish
to enjoy it. And then we group in the late
(27:01):
afternoon for a peri tibo and then dinner.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
And our food and wine.
Speaker 6 (27:04):
Experience is it's almost like a tour within the tour.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
So very big focus.
Speaker 6 (27:09):
For Damian and I is as I mentioned earlier, about
the wine, but also about the food, is really bringing
out that very local experience of food as well.
Speaker 3 (27:18):
And so that's kind of the writing program.
Speaker 6 (27:20):
But running in parallel with the writing program is also
the non writing program.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
So I host non writers.
Speaker 6 (27:27):
And we tend to engage in other activities still active,
so we do do some hiking or some water sport
type activities, but we also do a range of cultural activities.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
Like cooking classes.
Speaker 6 (27:40):
And engaging with you know, producers such as olive oil producers.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
For example.
Speaker 6 (27:43):
I think a big part or so of immersing in
Italy is learning about and understanding how their ethos and
philosophy around food production. So I think just what goes
into a bottle of olive oil is quite an incredible
learning experience and I like to bring that out as
part of the program. So our ride is it our
non writers that each in their respective programs during the day,
and then we come together to celebrate and each night.
Speaker 3 (28:06):
So that's generally how our day rolls.
Speaker 6 (28:09):
We tend to stay at most three places across seven days.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
We like to We don't like that point to point.
Speaker 6 (28:18):
We feel that you never quite get to really appreciate
a place when you're leaving and going somewhere near the
next day. So we really like to try and encourage
as much as we can places three two three nights
per place at least. So yeah, so that sort of
all comes down to how we design the tour to
really be immersive, and also from the riding perspective, we
(28:42):
like to try and have a situation where the writers
almost don't get in a van for the entire tour
that they ride from one even when we transfer into
a new place that they're riding to the next place
so it's really about as much time as possible on
the bike, immersing culturally, enjoying the food and experience, meeting
local people.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
Fantastic. Now, let's just have a little bit of fun.
If you could go on a dream ride with anyone
past or president, who would it be and why?
Speaker 3 (29:12):
Such an interesting question, Steve. Actually I'm reading Michelle Obama's
book at the moment.
Speaker 4 (29:17):
Okay, there you go.
Speaker 6 (29:18):
She's come to mind.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
I like her style, I like her as a person.
Speaker 6 (29:24):
I think, I mean, you know, obviously I'm reading a
book and I'm getting a sense of her through a book,
but I think she's a very grounded person, a person
that's warm, a person that, you know, as she describes it,
was brought up with adverse situation being, you know, a
black American, and I think just being with somebody that
I could learn from as much as and she seems
(29:46):
to be a fun spirit as well from some of
the stories that I've been reading in her book.
Speaker 3 (29:51):
So yeah, she's just the person who came to mind, Steve.
That's right.
Speaker 4 (29:56):
A favorite Italian dish.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
Yeah, so, I mean in our hometown, I'm wearing.
Speaker 6 (30:00):
Tuscany, probably the Bistecca Fiorentina has to be right up
there as a favorite dish. I mean, we're talking an
amazing bistecca that is so unique and cooked so uniquely,
accompanied with beautiful roasted potatoes and some saltata, which is
usually a green vegetable that's pan fried with some garlic
and olive oil. Is usually a really great meal. But
(30:23):
I will say that my heart in terms of food
is definitely in the south of Italy, in Sicily and
Pullia and Campagna, in those regions.
Speaker 3 (30:33):
Where very fresh vegetables.
Speaker 6 (30:36):
And very fresh seafood is a big part of the
cuisine and definitely with a nice crisp glass of white
wine or prosecco, definitely some freshly grown vegetables and seafood
is definitely.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
Right up there for me.
Speaker 6 (30:49):
Good for you.
Speaker 4 (30:51):
Best Italian song the Blast when you're paddling Vallati Okay,
very good.
Speaker 6 (30:58):
Yeah, it always brings a happy spirit.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
To the group.
Speaker 4 (31:02):
And last question, if you weren't writing a quto, what
do you think you'd be doing.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
I think I'd be writing a book.
Speaker 4 (31:11):
And what would w's book about?
Speaker 3 (31:14):
Yeah, I'm still working that one through. I think there's
a there's a connection back to my roots story.
Speaker 6 (31:20):
Okay, yeah, I think you know, we spoke earlier about
preparing ourselves for future years as well, and yeah, I
think I could see myself down on the Mediterranean in.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
Living on an island or something like that and writing.
Speaker 4 (31:38):
Tell us how my listeners can get in touch with
you and learn more about the tour and the wine.
Speaker 3 (31:45):
Yeah. One of the best, I guess resources is our website,
so www dot a qto a q t o.
Speaker 6 (31:51):
Cycling dot com, Instagram and Facebook our major social media
channels which we post on very regularly, and I'll set
myself on LinkedIn.
Speaker 4 (32:02):
Great Nancy, it's been my pleasure to meet you and
talk to you and learn all about cycling and wine
in Italy. I appreciate you joining me on Matural Destinations
by Steve podcast.
Speaker 3 (32:13):
Thank you Staved. It's being a pleasure
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