Why Hiking Italy’s Apennine Mountains Is the Destination Travelers Don’t Know They’re Missing When people dream of Italy, they usually picture Florence, Rome, or the Amalfi Coast. Iconic places, without question — and often crowded, fast-paced, and familiar. But there’s another Italy.A quieter Italy.One best discovered slowly, on foot, along historic mountain paths where daily Continue Reading →
Category: Tuscany
Where are the Apennine Mountains?
Where are the Apennine Mountains? That is a question to which most Americans do not know the answer. Almost No Tourists We recently ran our first tour in the Apennine Mountains, a seven-day hiking adventure. From the moment we left our meeting city to the point we reached our final destination, we saw only two Continue Reading →
Self-Guided Tours
We at Zephyr Adventures have been offering self-guided tours for decades but in 2025 are focusing on them by offering eight new self-guided hiking and biking itineraries. Self-guided tours are very popular among Europeans. What is a self-guided tour? We make your hotel reservations, provide route directions via GPS, bike rental on biking tours, and Continue Reading →
The Dreamscape of Tuscany on Foot
One of the best aspects of running a tour company is getting to know small regions of the world really well. I can’t say I know all of Europe or even all of Italy, but in the areas we run tours, we get to know the paths, hotels, restaurants, people, and culture fairly intimately. In Continue Reading →
Self-Guided Travel in Europe: England, Spain, and Italy
For some reason, the secret of self-guided travel has not yet gotten out. We at Zephyr Adventures have been running self-guided tours in Italy for about five years. We have found them so appealing, this past summer we spent the time to add two new destinations to our list of self-guided tours: Hiking tours on Continue Reading →
Tuscan Wine, Pasta, Gelato and More!
I didn’t want to go home. Overseas travel is not something I can often afford. But when Kris from Zephyr contacted me saying that there was space remaining on the upcoming Tuscany/Umbria cycling trip, I had 24 hours to decide. I had just received my tax refund, so it was a no-brainer. I jumped at Continue Reading →
Favorite Italian Moments: a Second Perspective
This post is written by Zephyr traveler and 20-something-year-old guest blogger Chris Jarrett, who went on last month’s Tuscany & Umbria Hike, Bike, Wine & Food Adventure with his family and friends.  His mom Rhonda wrote a guest blog last week, but we asked  Chris to share his thoughts about the trip for another perspective!   He is pictured Continue Reading →
My Favorite Things While Hiking and Biking in Italy
This post is written by Zephyr traveler and guest blogger Rhonda Jarrett, who went on last month’s Tuscany & Umbria Hike, Bike, Wine & Food Adventure with her family and friends. Â We asked her to write about her favorite part of each day of the trip. Â Her husband and son will also be sharing their Continue Reading →
3 Misconceptions about Group Travel
NOTE: Though this post was originally written several years ago, the most common misconceptions certainly still ring true! Zephyr Adventures has been in the group travel business for over 15 years, so we understand that like most people who join us for the first time, you might feel a bit uneasy about the “group tour” Continue Reading →
How to Make a Travel Blog
Gone are the days of projector slideshow recaps of your summer vacation. Yet in a digital age, there’s even more to share with your friends and family! I have been sharing my photos, videos and thoughts from my travels on my Facebook for years, but it doesn’t offer the organization or presentation I’m really looking Continue Reading →