Let's face it, those 5 minutes climbing up the stairs to the ancient citadel aren't going to cut it. Staggering from wine bar to wine bar doesn't count as exercise! Anyone suffering from a love affair with the gastronomic delights of their holiday destination, risks coming home with more than they bargained for. And we're not talking luggage here!
Luckily there is a way around it. Gourmet walking holidays are on the up. Combine hiking during the day with a strong focus on local cuisine at night and you've got a perfect partnership. Pay your dues during the day, enjoying the vistas while 'toiling' through the countryside, work up that appetite and burn those calories. In the evening it's time to yield the rewards and indulge in the local fare. Another glass of wine? Yes of course, I've been good today!
Australia's own Food and Wine Travel is now offering gourmet walking holidays for the European summer season (April - September 2011).
A cross section of active walking holidays with plenty of room for wining and dining:
* Walking and fine dining in Suffolk, UK
* Volterra and the Marema - Secret Tuscany
* Italy - Mont Blanc & Alpine Meadows - Gran Paradiso Val D'Aosta
* Parma, Tuscany & Cinque Terre Coast - Prosciutto and Parmesan, Pilgrims and Poets
* The Jewels of Piedmont - A Celebration of Slow Food
* Tuscany & Umbria - In the Footsteps of Francis of Assisi
* A week in Tuscany - Chianti, Castles and Tuscan cooking
For more information on these itineraries contact Karen Ridge at Food and Wine Travel Karen@foodandwinetravel.com.au and visit www.foodandwinetravel.com.au
