Clients

Press Releases
Italiaoutdoors

ITALIAOUTDOORS: EXPERT PRIVATE RECREATIONAL AND CULINARY TRAVEL PROGRAMS IN NORTHERN ITALY

Italiaoutdoors offers custom lifestyle vacations for the active traveler. Distinctive programs are offered with biking, hiking, skiing and walking, complemented by a focus on the food, wine, culture and history of the region. Daily adventures are designed to be educational, healthy, earth friendly, and fun. The intimate size of each group, ranging from 4-8 participants, allows for daily program customization based on participants’ fitness level, desired pacing and interests.

Italiaoutdoors began in 1996 with a desire to provide the curious traveler with an opportunity to enjoy an active vacation while experiencing a full immersion into the cultural and historical aspects of Northern Italy. Combining the founders’ expertise in recreation with history and the culinary arts, all Italiaoutdoors itineraries include picturesque backroad and city explorations of the Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Emilia Romagna, regions ideally suited to outdoor adventures, while still relatively unknown to visitors to Italy.

The Italiaoutdoors Team

Vernon McClure
Expert Recreational Guide

Vernon McClure, owner and expert guide, has been teaching and leading outdoor programs in Northern Italy and Europe for 19 years. During his career, he has earned numerous certifications and training in outdoor activities, program design, safety and risk management, including ski Instructor, snowboard Instructor, bike mechanic, Mountain Guide, NOLS Risk Management Training, Emergency First Responder Instructor, SCUBA and sailing.

Originally from Kentucky, Vernon served as an Airborne Ranger in the United States military for more than nine years. In 1992, he arrived in Italy and fell in love with the mountains and recreational opportunities available. He established roots in Vicenza, Italy and began working for the Department of Defense teaching mountaineering, scuba diving, and ski programs at military bases in Italy. Vernon subsequently served as a regional Director of Outdoor Recreation and Travel Services for ten years, planning, developing and leading recreational activities for individuals, families, and small groups throughout Italy, Europe and North Africa.

Combine these years of recreational programming, guiding and outdoor adventure training skills, Vernon founded Italiaoutdoors in 1996 to focus on recreation tours and instruction with a specific focus on the regions in Northeastern Italy.

Kathy Bechtel
Culinary Programmer

Kathy Bechtel is a culinary school graduate, WSET wine education graduate and PSIA certified ski instructor.

A former Bell Lab telecommunications engineer with an MBA in Strategic Management, Kathy left the corporate world to attend culinary school, where she graduated first in her class. An avid hiker, biker and skier, she joined Italiaoutdoors in 2010 to share her culinary and wine expertise, passion for the outdoors, and love of Italy. When not on tour with Italiaoutdoors, Kathy works as a ski instructor at Sugarloaf in Maine, leads cooking classes in Italian cuisine, researches Northern Italian food history and wines, and develops food recipes which she includes on her blog www.chefbikeski.com. This coming ski season, Kathy and her recipes will be featured in a cooking show on the Sugarloaf TV station, WSKI.

Read about Italiaoutdoors’ 2010 trips with Master Chef Jody Adams on Chef Adams’ blog, www.inthehandsofachef.com. To receive Italiaoutdoors’ newsletter, which includes trip information, travel tips, recipes, wine information, and more, visit http://bit.ly/qt3vyT.

Upcoming Tours:

Chefs on Bikes: June 24 – June 30, 2012

Primavera del Prosecco – Bike the Wine Roads: April 1- April 8, 2012

Bike the Wine Roads of the Veneto: September 15 - 24, 2012

Bike the Wine Roads of Trentino-Alto Adige: September 29 – Oct. 8, 2012

About Italiaoutdoors
Italiaoutdoors is an owner-operated private guide service, creating and guiding active culinary tours in Northeastern Italy. Unique in their ability to combine active biking, skiing and hiking adventures with world-class culinary programs — including tours with James Beard award-winning chefs — Italiaoutdoors customizes vacations for groups of 4 to 12 people. Italiaoutdoors has more than 15 years of recreational programming experience in the region, plus formal culinary and wine training. Programs also include cooking classes, wine tastings, and restaurant dining which explore the best in local regional cuisine and undiscovered wines. Itineraries are rounded out with city visits, shopping, cultural excursions or just relaxing. The owners — experts in fitness, food, and the region — personally lead each tour.

www.italiaoutdoorsfoodandwine.com
1-978-270-5774