This is a photo journal of our Experience Plus cycling tour in the Piedmont area of Italy, June 22 to July 2, 2003. The photos were shot with either my Canon D30 digital SLR, or the new compact Canon S50.

Experience Plus tour Description: Bordered by France to the west and Switzerland to the north, Italy's Piedmont region and Lakes District offer an assortment of splendid scenery and fascinating history. Here, among fertile valleys of the Po River, the Kings of Savoy built castles and fortified cities to protect wine merchants from marauding pirates, and Count Camillo Cavour first introduced the idea of a unified Italian state. An ideal destination for cyclists, the Piedmont and Lakes District combine the best of Italian and French cuisine and wine with scenic pedaling through rolling hills dotted with vineyards, castles, and Roman ruins. For more info go to http://www.experienceplus.com

The tour began in Saluzzo and ended in Verbania on Lake Maggiore.

There were 13 of us on the tour, along with two guides, Massimo and Claudio. It was one of the best vacations we have ever taken. We simply did not want to go home. We met some great folks on this tour. It has been two years since our first trip to Italy; we remembered that life is good when you are cycling in Italy, and we learned that we should just, "Relax, and follow the arrows"! BUT.. we all know that (now famous) quote, "I cannot put arrows everywhere!"

:-)

-- Enjoy the photos and the ride info. Please email me if you are interested in obtaining any of the larger digital .jpg or .tiff files for printing, as these files were all reduced in size an quality for web display - Jeff