Tofino Expeditions Kayaks Italian Style Between Aegean and Mediterranean with Stops for Vineyards and Trattorias

Tofino Expeditions adds a new splash to an active vacation in Italy. A brand-new nine-day tour, Due Mari – Two Seas introduces paddlers first to the Aegean, to paddle-worthy lakes and finally to the Mediterranean.

This innovative way to get to the next pasta con vino embraces agriturismo (farmhouse accommodatin) and vineyards. Paddlers often step from their kayaks to meet locals on to-be-explored shores fringed with medieval fortresses and vine-clad villas.

Sea kayak adventure specialist, Tofino Expeditions (https://www.tofino.com/), labels this itinerary an “active” vacation that allows clients to burn off calories by paddling before digging in at the next trattoria. The point of embarkation is the Aegean Sea in the Marche, a region between the water and the mountains on the “calf” of Italy’s boot. The destination is the Mediterranean – technically the Tyrrhenian Sea -- in a seaside town, Orbetello in the Maremma, another region many miles west. Guests paddle enroute across lakes and through Umbria and Tuscany to arrive here.

Due Mari – Two Seas (Kayaking Tuscany, Umbria and Marche) provides ample opportunity to walk into shoreline villages to sample a local vintage, perhaps to become a burgeoning ichthyologist by sampling the fish served up from two seas and fresh waters. The per person double rate is $4,190 inclusive of accommodations, most meals, ground transportation, attractions entry fees, expedition sea kayaks and equipment, and luggage transfers. Departures are July 8-16 and Sept. 2-10, 2017.

Guests gather the first night surrounded by the marchigliani (locals), agriturismo-style near Ancona in Italy’s Marche for a farm-to-table dinner that sets the tone for organic, fresh and local throughout the adventure. Averaging four to six hours of easy to moderate paddling daily, guests enjoy two days exploring the Adriatic Sea, dining in Senigallia, an ancient port town founded by the Gauls in the 4th century BC.

Italy is synonymous with mountains. After driving through the Apennines guests dine at a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Assisi, at an agriturismo near Lago Trasimeno, the largest lake in central Italy and a stopover on a migratory flyway from Africa. Guests kayak around ancient olive groves near the medieval monastery and castle on Isola Polvese, the largest island here.  Dinner that night focuses on a freshwater fish that is the specialty of a restaurant in nearby Passignano. Another UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tuscan’s Val d’Orcia, greets guests the next day. Nearby are the cellars of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, housed in caves carved by the Etruscans. Siena is the next stop, another UNESCO site and a reason for lunching at a typical classic Sienese trattoria.

“We’ve created the quintessential Italian kayak experience full of history, moderate activity and culture,” explains Grant Thompson, director and founder of Tofino Expeditions. “Imagine slowly paddling toward the walls of an ancient castle at a pace that reveals intimate detail that land-based tour groups will never see. Add to that the welcoming response we get from locals as we come ashore powered by nothing but muscle. It truly is a magical feeling!”

The peninsula of Monte Argentario in the Maremma introduces guests to the Tyrrhenian Sea, so called where the Mediterranean laps Italy’s western shore and a favored locale of the mysterious but lyrical Etruscans. Guests launch their kayaks at the harbor of Porto Sant’Ercole, passing Fortress Filippo, built in the 16th century against pirates. After kayaking, swimming and picnicking feed the senses before a farewell dinner in Orbetello, a long-ago Etruscan settlement whose city walls, in part, date to the 5th century BC.

The suggested arrival gateway is Ancona and departure gateway Rome. For more information please see: https://www.tofino.com/italy/kayaking-tuscany-umbria-and-marche-two-seas-tour/.

For information on all of Tofino’s world-wide tours, availability and reservations please contact Tofino Expeditions by phone: 800-677-0877 or (541) 389-6091; email: [email protected]; or visit online at http://www.tofino.com/. Request or download a catalog online at: https://www.tofino.com/#catalog.

About Tofino Expeditions

Grant Thompson, owner/director, founded this family company in 1988 as a single fleet sea kayaking tour company in the small fishing town of Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. Today this family owned and operated active adventure travel company offers a selection of the world’s finest sea kayaking destinations and tours. Its team, many of whom hold degrees in natural sciences, embrace sustainable wilderness ethics and authentic cultural discoveries. Luxury comes in the form of local connections, intimate knowledge and special access thanks to local guides who also educate clients on safety and kayaking skills that allow even the inexperienced to feel confident and secure on the water. The vast majority of Tofino’s trips include immersive visits into UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Norway, Sardinia, the Amazon rainforest, the Costa Verde, Brazil, Cinque Terre and the Italian Riviera, Venice, Halong Bay in Vietnam, Croatia's Dalmatian Coast and the Galapagos Islands.