Athleta Tuscany Tour: Day 1
Ashley, Team Athleta • Aug 6th, 2008 • Category: Adventure Travel, Cycling
Today we arrived in Pisa. There were a bunch of us on the same flight out of JFK and it left late in classic JFK style (“this is your captain speaking, we’re number 28 for takeoff, so settle in and I’ll let you know when we’re getting closer to taking off”). I noticed a couple women in the airport with bike helmets attached to their carryon bags and one woman was even wearing her Women’s Quest t-shirt. But I didn’t speak to any of them. I wasn’t ready to check out of “solitary mode” and into “group mode” just yet. Airport time is alone time for me. It’s that time you’ve checked off your schedule when no one is expecting you and you can’t really get anything done, so you just get to float between time zones for a bit.
Plus, I figured I had a whole week ahead of me to get to know the women on the trip.
Once I got on the plane, I saw Debbie from Athleta and I was glad to see a familiar face, though it was clear she wasn’t in “group mode” yet, either.
I’ve flown into the Pisa airport a number of times over the years. It’s familiar to me. I know you generally get routed out over the Mediterranean and you come in over that U.S. Air Force base off Livorno. You descend over fields of trees and farmland and when you finally touch down, you look around for the airport and there’s just some tiny cinderblock building off in the distance.
We all tumbled out of the plane in that travel fog, groping for our passports at customs and pulling our monster bags off the carousels at baggage claim. Debbie had finally entered her “group mode” persona and by the time she found me at baggage claim, she was chipper and excited. We were in Italy! There’s something amazing about going to sleep on the ground at JFK and waking up overseas. I don’t care how jaded you ever get in life, if you’re not just floored by a 747 lifting off into the sky and heading out over the ocean, then you’re well on your way to getting old. They say childhood is about wonder and if they’re right, then keeping that sense of wonder is what keeps you a kid. When you lose it, you’ve rolled over the apex of aging and started your descent into the other side.
Debbie and I have hardly lost our senses of wonder. We were giddy.
“I can’t believe we’re in Italy!” she said.
“I know!”
I grabbed my bike and my giant rolling duffel and started outside with the others. Our plane had come in late, so the women who’d flown in early to spend a couple days in Italy had already been waiting for us a couple hours. No one seemed put out, though. It was maybe 80 degrees and sunny. The air in Pisa had that burning wood smell that comes up off the countryside out there, like the whole thing is a Disney movie for all your senses.
A bus was waiting and we brought our luggage out, stuck it in the bottom of the bus and found seats inside. I jumped into the seat next to Debbie. As we drove the 45 minutes south to Castagneto Carducci, we talked to the others around our seats. Flights. Italy. Food. Where we all lived. Who’s been to Italy before. How we all ended up on the trip.
When we arrived at Campastrello Sport, which was to be our home for the next week (minus a two day jaunt inland to Tre Quanda), we piled back out of the bus, met Colleen Cannon (who founded Women’s Quest after her career as a professional triathlete) and the rest of the crew, and were ushered into the dining room of the hotel for the first excessive and insanely delicious meal in Tuscany. The chef had prepared a virtual mountain of dishes for us to sample. Prosciutto with melon. Several different Pecorino cheeses. Fresh baked breads. Frittatas. Risotto. Grilled vegetables. Potatoes. Just piles and piles of that classic fresh Italian food you know was probably grown on the grounds of the hotel (we later found out most of it was) and was picked that very afternoon, doused in some fresh local olive oil, dusted with salt and cooked.
It’s crazy how good the simplest foods are when they’re fresh. That’s one thing Italy will teach you. That same movement that’s supposed to be revolutionary and innovative in big U.S. cities: go local, eat seasonally. It never changed in Italy. When the rest of the world started flying in produce from overseas and trucking in cheap ingredients from out of state, the Italians were still growing food in their gardens, buying their cheeses from the local sheep farms and pressing olive oil at the frantoios just down the road.
We were midway through our fabulous lunch when there was a hubbub in the dining room. A woman arrived and I noticed that she was the woman who’d picked up my iPod off the ground at JFK when I dropped it.
“You’re going to need this,” she’d said.
“Yeah, it’ll be a rough week without it,” I told her. I don’t do well without music.
And then I’d never seen her again. Well, rumor buzzing through the dining hall was that we’d left her at the Pisa airport. But not until after she’d put her luggage (with her packet that had the name of the town, the name of the hotel, and all the European emergency contact numbers for Colleen’s staff) into the bus. The only thing she had walked away from the bus with was her wallet.
Good thing she’d at least thought to bring that with her.
After lunch, we suited up for our first ride in Italy. While I’d been eating, my bike was being assembled by Riccardo, our mechanic and sag wagon driver for the week. Riccardo’s family owns owns CicloSport, the local bike shop in town. I’ve known him since the first time I ever came to Italy about 8 years ago. And when I lived a year in Italy, Riccardo and I used to ride together about once a week. When he saw me come out of the bus, he just guffawed. He couldn’t believe it.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“I came to see you,” I laughed. We hugged. I haven’t seen him in five years. That’s another thing about Italy, at least the countryside. It’s like time stops. It was as if I’d stopped into CicloSport yesterday to ask Riccardo about adjusting my derailleur.
We rode a short flat ride out to Bolgheri for our first day. Everything out there smells like jasmine and the burning wood coming off the fields. We rode the Strada del Vino, the ancient Etruscan coastline of the Mediterranean, along the vineyards of the best Super Tuscan wineries: Sassicaia, Ornellaia and Gaia. We ate gelato in Bolgheri and then dropped down the stair step hill of the Avenue of the Poets, the road that descends out of Bolgheri to the Mediterranean, lined with a wall of cypress trees on each side. We chased each other down the roads through the fields and past the agriturismos, stands selling local olive oil and wine along the side of the road, fields of poppies and olive trees. Above us, the town of Castagneto Carducci loomed out of a hunk of rock hanging off the hillside. And just offshore was Elba, where I know Napoleon was exiled and where he should have just stayed. I would have stayed. He should have forgotten Paris and the Hundred Days and the rest, lived out his days with his servants and his farmland and his winter palace. Forget Waterloo.
At dinner that night, I talked to Joanne, the woman we’d left in Pisa.
“What happened?” I asked.
“It was really my own fault,” she told me. She laughed, didn’t seem bothered about it at all. I was disarmed by her taking responsibility for something that didn’t seem to be her fault at all to me.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well, I think maybe I just wasn’t ready to talk to people yet,” she said. And I couldn’t believe she was saying exactly what I had been thinking all morning (albeit a morning that had lasted 30 hours by this point). “I was thinking, when we got off the plane, that I just wanted a little more solitary time, a little more time to read my book. And well… that’s what I got.”
It was hilarious. I couldn’t believe she was simply taking it on herself, in the great karmic pool of life, that she was accepting it as something she may not have directly caused, but somehow put out signals to receive.
“Ok,” I said, “but how on earth did we leave you there?”
“OK,” she told me, “we got off the plane and I brought my stuff to the bus with all the others. I told Julia that I wanted to go back inside and get some water for the drive. And I looked her in the eyes and said ‘don’t leave without me,’ and she said ‘we won’t leave without you.’ Done deal, right?”
I nodded. Sure. Done deal.
“But no. I went in to get water and I figured I’d get a few extras for the others. Maybe everyone else was thirsty, too, right? And when I came outside to where the bus had just been, it was gone. I thought: ok, maybe this is a joke? But I waited. And waited. And nothing. I figured: they’ll notice I’m not there, they’ll turn around somewhere, they’ll come back for me.”
“But we never did. We never even noticed you weren’t there.”
“Nope. You never did.”
“So, how did you find this place? Did you know the name of the town? Or the hotel?”
“Nope. Didn’t know anything. Well, no, I remembered the name of the hotel. So I went back inside, talked to the woman at the tourist information desk, told her the name of the hotel, and she found it in the system. We went outside and she got me a cab.”
“Well, good you at least remembered that!”
“Yeah,” Joanne laughed. She seemed lighthearted about the whole event, about nearly being misplaced in a foreign land. “And you know what?”
“What?”
“I ended up getting exactly what I wanted. I got to sit and read my book in the back of the cab. And I didn’t have to talk to anyone yet.”
Loading ...
This looks like a beautiful trip - however I recently returned from a vacation in Italy and have seen most of these beautiful spots.
Is there any chance there may be a hiking trip on the west coast or southern Italy? Mountainous areas?
Just a thought. I love getting these e-mail and would love to partake…
Thanks for creating a spot for us gals.
:-)
My experience with Women’s Quest & Ahtleta has been nothing short of FANTASTIC!!! I (comfortably & with great style) experienced an AMAZING adventure of fun, food and friendship. And I learned so much more about myself and my heart’s desire.
My favorite Athleta togs: Pilayo Pants, Ventiallation Top (in all 4 colors!), Empire Tank (w/a zip pocket for my pocket angel!), and Organic Yonder Wrap, have seen me through 4 Women’s Quest Adventures — from early a.m. (scooooooooop) to late nights (hahahahahaha, heeheehee, r u kidding me?!) — I enjoy life so much more with Women’s Quest & Athleta! Thank you!!!
Women’s Quest has changed my life. I have participated in two adventures over the past 5 years and am getting prepared to head to Italy in 12 short days. I can’t wait! My husband and I are participating in the Coed Tuscany Tour. Reading Ashley’s journal has heightened my excitement even more.
Colleen Cannon truly is an inspiration! She is working on helping the planet one women at a time with the hope that each women she inspires, has contact with, will pass that passion for life and loving themselves down to the next generation.
It is an experience of a lifetime to participate in a Women’s Quest and it will truly CHANGE YOUR LIFE. I would encourage everyone to attend….
Thanks for featuring this amazing, inspirational company Athleta!!!
I’ve just returned from my second Women’s Quest trip (VT) refreshed, renewed and reminded of my proper path in life. Each Women’s Quest trip I’ve gone on has left me filling more fit, more healthy and most importantly more full of life and spirit than before I left. I fill my personal gas tank through great adventures on hiking trails, mountain bikes, kayaks, river rafting and through yoga poses. At first, I was concerned that a vacation without my husband and children was overly indulgent. Now I know that such a vacation really helps me to be the woman I can be back home and therefore is a gift to my family as well. While it’s tough to fit kayaking and river rafting into my life in suburban New Jersey, I’ve managed to hang onto the spirit of the trip, share it with my family and translate the lessons of strong women and kinship into my relationships and life at home.
Every woman, regardless of her current fitness level, would grow in ways she’ll never imagine possible by spending time in the fresh air, pushing her physical and emotional limits and soaking up the amazing strength that comes only from a group of women on a quest! Can’t wait to go on the next trip.
So I held it together when I left and said my good-byes to the VT Women’s Quest, but that did not hold for the plane ride back. Then I cried. I came to women’s quest with friends and left with more. It hurt to leave. Of course I love being home too, with family who were wonderfully supportive of my desire for this adventure.
I came for fun and challenge. I found more of both then I ever could have expected. I return inspired to continue challenging myself, expanding myself and having fun (Oh! so much fun!). Laugh Out Loud! Live Out Loud!
Two days after returning from the Vermont retreat with Women’s Quest, I am still basking in the afterglow of all of the exciting experiences that took place on this trip! I initially discovered Women’s Quest and their travel adventures in the Athleta catalog, and knew that it was exactly what I have been looking for over the past couple of years. For me, it began out of a desire to find more fun and outdoorsy ways to meet my fitness goals. I also was drawn to a situation that would allow me to focus on all things good and leave the routine of daily life behind. Turning 40 had a positive impact on me in that I knew it was a time in my life that I need to focus on a healthy lifestyle and explore active hobbies that I could enjoy for the rest of my life. I got exactly what I came for and more. I’ve returned home with a more empowered attitude about my athletic abilities. It is amazing how much the body and mind can improve in less than a week. I have plans starting with a couple new classes today to explore more options to add to my fitness schedule. Even with the amazing food we had at the lodge, my clothes are fitting a little better and I have strength in my core that has improved my posture. But it does not end there… The women that I met were all so inspiring each in their own way. It was so easy to bond with all of them and the variety of activities allowed for opportunity to get to know everyone. It is so life affirming to be in the presence of such strong women who persevere to have peace in what can be a crazy world. I was moved by the experience on all levels. Colleen is an amazing and visionary woman, and has put together such a talented and supportive staff. Everyone should be lucky enough to be touched by her positive and elevating spirit. She is the real deal.
Having just returned from the Vermont retreat I find myself longing for MORE. I am looking around from all my Women’s Quest friends and missing all the smiling faces. I went to Vermont feeling lost and selfish for taking time for myself. I came home healthier, happier and incredibly full of love (and GREAT FOOD!!). I tried to explain my quest experience today and couldn’t find the correct words, just grinning from ear to ear, finally the girl asking said “Your face says it all”. Women’s Quest has given me the confidence to be the woman I always wanted to be. Thank you to Colleen, Shannon, Cynthia, Christina, Carolyn, Carol, Holly and Oliver Twist; you have all touched my life in the most amazing way. Colleen - you are my soul spark. Oliver - YOU ROCK!! Cynthia - I think of you every time I look into my dogs eyes. Shannon - your gentle spirit soothes my soul. Carolyn - your laughter and open spirit make me smile. Christina - as your hands worked their magic on my body, you touched my heart, what an inspiration. Carol - your steady rhythm was soothing to my soul. Holly - your generosity was amazing, Lake Mansfield Trout Club rules!!! See you on my next quest.
Imagine: blue sky, puffy white clouds, sunshine on your face, reflecting off the river. You and your kayak, taking the path that flows beneath you. Plenty of new friends to share the day with, lots of space for peaceful reflection. My favorite day of Women’s Quest in Vermont. I went to Vermont because I wanted to go to camp - I left with a renewed spirit of self, admiration for the strength of women, new friends, and an appreciation for life. Thanks, to all at Women’s Quest in Vermont - staff and campers!
Just spent the past week in Vermont with M’Lou, Chris, Holly, Ericka, Peggy and a whole ton of other amazing women. I found out about Women’s Quest from my Athleta catalogue. I wanted to go to have a little time to myself, and to challenge myself physically. I dithered and dithered about whether to go–felt really selfish about leaving husband, kid, job, etc. and taking time just for myself. The payoff, however, was so worth it. I did get some time for myself. I did challenge myself physically (still can’t believe we did some of those mountain bike climbs, and Oliver, the terrain park was fantastic). But I also made some amazing new friends. I saw some countryside that was so beautiful it made you want to weep. I came away having a stronger, clearer vision of how I’d like my life to be going forward. In many ways, that is due to Colleen. She really pushes each Women’s Quester–not just to test one’s physical limits, but to look inside, and really ask oneself the hard questions. Don’t take a Women’s Quest trip just because you’re looking to see a new geographical area–you can do that on a guided tour. This is something completely different. This is a chance to change how you look at your life, and to meet people who will inspire and transform you. I hope I can hold on to the “spark” for a while–at least until my next Women’s Quest adventure! And a warning to future Women’s Questers–Cynthia is NOT the quiet one, Shannon will shame you with her organizational skills and her yoga prowess, and the Energizer Bunny looks like a nursing home resident next to Colleen! Thank you all for such an amazing adventure.
My Women’s Quest adventure blew away all of my expectations and boosted my confidence in my physical abilities. I was challenged mentally, physically and spiritually in ways I had not been in a long time. Colleen is an amazing women with a gift for inspiring people to push their limits. The staff was supportive and kind. It is an environment that should be copied and applied to all human habitats! I can’t wait for my next Women’s Quest adventure.
I just returned from the VT Women’s Quest and find it hard to put to words how impactful the experience was. I signed up for the trip in the hopes that I would find other women that enjoyed similar activities and to spend some quality time outside. I didn’t know what to expect from the trip but after spending a week surrounded by inspirational women, I’ve returned feeling rejuvenated, recentered, and both physcially and emotionally stronger. I made many wonderful friends and spent the week doing something that I sometimes forget to do: laughing out loud. This trip inspired me, and I’ve returned with a new appreciation for life, and a stronger spirit. Colleen’s energy and perspective is truly inspirational. All of the instructors are supportive, energizing, and work closely with all participants to feel comfortable with the variety of activities. I find it comforting to know that there are people out there that also crave friendship and peace in a world that can be overwhelming. And I thank each and every person there for sharing their lives and thoughts with me. I can’t wait until my next Women’s Quest Adventure!!
The moms at the bus stop want to know… so I tell them… the attire is ATHLETA… the attitude is WOMENSQUEST. To all of those inspirational women who sparked my soul– thank you for the opportunity, encouragement and fun. I’m looking forward to the next experience with my mom, my daughter, my sister and friends- new and old; silver and gold.
My trip to Vermon with Women’s Quest was an amazing time for me. This was the first opportunity that I had given myself to travel alone without husband, children, work or friend. I decided to embark on this as a new adventure and learn how to play again. There is no better place on earth than Women’s Quest to do just that! Friendships were established within the first hour of arrival, and with the help of all the staff and their continued support, each one of us pushed ourselves beyond our comfort zones and broke new ground in mind, body and spirit. I will return again when my cup is running empty, but for now, thanks to Womens Quest, it is quite full.
Sharing a Vermont Women’s Quest retreat with my Mom is an experience I will cherish forever. I want to thank everyone for making that the experience of a lifetime for her and to support her in living outside her comfort zone, even if just for a little while. One of the highlights for me on the trip was the peacefulness and serenity of the river trip. The surrounding beauty is almost too much to take in but I did the best I could. I will remember this special time getting to know so many beautiful, powerful women in a really beautiful place. Thankyou!
I love all the comfortable clothing that Athleta has for workouts or just to run errands around in. I had first learned about Athleta from Womens Quest and I have just returned from another Womens Quest adventure and all of the women there all love all of the clothing from Athleta. Keep up the good work. Also a big thanks to Colleen for getting these wonderful trips together for women to enjoy!!
Thank you, Athleta, for introducing me to Womens Quest! If you want to know why I thrive on WQ adventures, you have only to read the spirits of the above ‘chi’ comments. Each woman brings to the adventure her own unique character (and sometimes that’s the perfect word!) and gifts. Colleen Cannon is our gifted ‘pied piper,’ and she gathers us together with a staff that is both inspiring and gracious in lifting each of us to new levels of ability & possibility.
Vermont WQ was my second WQ adventure, and while I confess some apprehension in returning, I found no room or reason for disappointment in our quest-filled week together. Whether hiking, mountain-biking or kayaking - or rocking by the fire - the activity is simply a vehicle for exploration of self & our surroundings. Plus, women ‘get it’ - they recognize that we’re created for community - with others & with ourselves - and while our respective communities pull at us, prod us & challenge us, too, it is fitting at times that we ‘retreat’ to camp, where we can re-fuel & re-fill our tanks - emotionally, physically & mentally. We do so together & alone, walking trails, rocking on the porch, biking down the rocky slopes that provide a metaphor of our lives.
WQ is definitely an adventure to be embraced, and it is one where you discover the adventure within . . . leaving with a new family of fellow-adventurers, spirited & spirit-filled, sharing the journey, lifting the weight of the redundant & mundane dished out by the world, and changing the world - mind, body, spirit - one woman at a time.
A HUGE HUG and heartfelt thanks to all - see you on the next adventure!
It was 2006 and the Athleta catalog arrived brimming with the latest in colorful athletic wear. Alongside all the fabulous patterns and smiling athletes was an article about the Women’s Quest biking adventure in Italy. Well it took most of 2007 to finally commit to the February 2008 WQ trip to Colorado. Let’s just say it was impossible NOT to drink the Kool-Aid!! I just got back from WQ Vermont and am eagerly planning the NEXT WQ trip.
The laughter, safety, love, sense of community, freedom and positive evergy that emanates from these trips is intoxicating and addictive. Colleen is like Nirvana unleashed with her uninhibited abandon for helping women find and ignite their own “Soul Sparks”. Thank you Athleta for recognizing the unique attributes of her program and bringing it into the homes of unsuspecting clothing shoppers!!