Welcome to the March 2008 ExperiencePlus! Rambler E-Mail Newsletter

• Dear Folks...
• Three Faces of Italy
• From Our Customers: Brian Boyle
• Film Review: Two Movies about the Po Valley
• From Paola's Kitchen - Monica's Ricotta Mousse

Dear Folks,

Spring is nearly upon us and airfares to Europe have dropped a bit for travel in May and June. So there's still time to join us on one of the tours we'll be leading. When you search for airfares (I like to use Kayak.com) try searching non-traditional destinations, like Pisa in Italy. I found May flights into Pisa from Denver for $1057 and into Bologna for $1087. From Philadelphia into Bologna flights are listing at $817 and from Boston at $849. So go have some New England clam chowder, visit the relatives, and jump on that flight to Pisa.

Rick and Paola will be leading the following tours in May and June:

• our inaugural Bicycling the Coast of Tuscany (developed last summer) May 4th and June 15th
• our Greek Bike, Walk and Cruise (May 29 - June 6)
• Cycling Corsica, Island of Beauty (May 13 - 23)
• Stage 1 of our new ExpeditionPlus! Danube River bicycle tour from Germany's Black Forest to Vienna, and on to Budapest (June 26 - July 11)

Maybe it's time for a family tour? Bring the kids and the folks along and pedal France's Loire Valley in August or Italy's Po Valley from Venice to Florence or Faenza to Verona. These are three tours that are perfect for multi-generational trips. When we can we include pools so the young'uns can have a reward for pedaling!

We have a bunch of new US trips through our TourzPlus! program. Click through to our US tours and you can scan them all. Or, if you are limited to a certain month, go right to tours by date: here's July, for example.

If you are in Colorado, or will be in late June, join the ExperiencePlus! team in the Colorado MS 150 charity ride. Register by March 31, 2008 to receive a $15 discount ($35 registration fee). From April 1 until the event date, the registration fee will be $50. To participate you just commit to raising $300 in donations and to riding 150 June 28 and 29th. The Colorado MS 150 will provide you all the support you need to get started on your fundraising. What better way to get in shape for the summer cycling season than training for and riding in the MS 150.

We're sponsoring this ride and an ExperiencePlus! team at the request of our customer Kathy Price. Read Kathy's profile and interview here, then join our team! We'll announce some training rides in May and June to help you get ready!

Happy cycling,

Rick and Paola Price

Even the briefest glance at a map of Italy's long, thin profile -- which extends from the snowy Alps nearly to the coast of North Africa -- should indicate that there might be some pronounced regional differences. Get to know the country and its people better, and you'll find that initial impression is spot-on. It's a country sewn together from dozens of separate histories: prior to the mid-1800's, the Italian peninsula was a patchwork of city-states, regional powers, and overlapping imperial boundaries for more than two thousand years. It's a country simultaneously embodied by the sinking cultural treasure that is Venice, the rich river-valley farms (and cuisine!) of the Po Valley, the hills of Tuscany, and the sparkling beaches of Puglia. As many times as we go back, we always find Italy ready to show us more -- a fact underscored by the three distinct regions highlighted by this month's featured bicycle tours: Tuscany, the Po Valley, and Puglia.

Read more about what makes these places unique, or jump straight to the tour information for each one below.

• Bicycling Venice to Florence
• Bicycling Venice to Pisa
• Cycling the Coast of Tuscany
• Cycling the Coast of Tuscany Plus! Vineyards and Olive Groves
• Puglia -- Cycling Southern Italy
• Puglia -- Cycling Southern Italy Plus! the Ionian Seaside

This month's interview comes from Brian Boyle, who managed to find a common thread between Venice and Tijuana, Mexico. Take it away, Brian!

What is the most unique or meaningful souvenir you've ever brought home from an ExperiencePlus! tour or from another trip?
Years ago, my sister lived in Southern California and took me across the border to Mexico. There were some kids peddling some small hand-painted bobble head turtles and I picked up a couple. When I visited Venice with Experience Plus, I was in a shop and found a small Murano glass turtle to go with my bobble head turtle.

• Read more from Brian here.

Facing his first chance to vote in an Italian election, Rick turns to two classic Italian films for a little historical context on Italian politics.

Last spring I became an Italian citizen just to catch up with the rest of the family (everyone else has dual US-Italian citizenship). Since Italians now allow absentee voting, I'll be able to vote in the upcoming elections scheduled for April 13, 2008. That's a first and the responsibility weighs heavily. I consider myself an "informed" voter. But just keeping up with Italian politics is a major challenge.

Read the rest of Rick's review of 1900 and The Tree of Wooden Clogs here.

If you tried last month's homemade ricotta recipe and have been looking for something to make with your fresh ricotta, you might enjoy this light and versatile dessert from Monica Malpezzi Price:

I ate a cheese mousse served with persimmon sauce in a small restaurant in Rocca d'Orcia, and it was DELICIOUS! I thought I would try to make it myself, especially since it was persimmon season here in Italy (late October/November). I adapted the following recipe, and have eaten it with persimmon sauce, strawberries, jam, chocolate shavings, just about any topping possible!

Click here to read the rest of Monica's Ricotta Mousse recipe.

If you would like additional recipes, visit our online recipe archive. You'll find recipes for European and Latin American specialties like Panzanella: a Tuscan Salad, Tapenade, Gallo Pinto, and more.

Happy Walking and Cycling until next month!

E-mail us at tours@ExperiencePlus.com with comments and questions. Or give us a call at 800-685-4565.

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