Jane Mangione, Author | Backroads Blog Archive

Hiking in Cinque Terre

Do your friends keep saying that you MUST visit Italy's Cinque Terre...but you're not sure how to start planning your adventure? First off, they're absolutely right--this string of colorful centuries-old seaside villages that cling to the rugged coastline of the Italian Riviera is a true bucket-list destination! As a Backroads Trip Leader, I've been introducing…

Traveling Gluten-Free in Italy

Dreaming of traveling in Italy, but not sure if you can navigate the land of pizza and pasta with a gluten allergy? Go ahead, book that trip—incredible gluten-free Italian dishes await!

Tuscany’s Best Cycling Routes

Working as a Backroads Trip Leader in Tuscany certainly has its perks. Besides the great food and wine, there is a fabulous cycling culture supported by an excellent infrastructure of well-paved and well-marked roads. Over the years I've created a list of my favorite rides in the region, some featured on our Backroads trips and others a combination of local favorites. Here are my top five bike rides that showcase the best of the heart of Tuscany, the idyllic region between Florence, Arezzo and Siena.

Staying Warm in Italy’s Dolomites

Wait! Don’t put that winter active wear away just yet. If you’re planning a trip to the Dolomites during the summer, you might just need it. There is often this misconception about “sunny Italy” being, well, warm all the time. But it’s a long peninsula that experiences true seasons and isn’t always under the Tuscan sun.

Guest Profile: Collier & Kate

It was pure serendipity that allowed Collier Lumpkin and me to be here together, enjoying an enormous fish stew at Ristorante Belforte overlooking the tiny harbor of Vernazza in Italy's Cinque Terre. Our lives had been running parallel paths for some time, but it wasn't until a year before that our worlds finally collided on a Backroads trip in Puglia.

Leader Stasa Kraljic

"Tourism: Your everyday life is somebody else's adventure." Staša Kraljiĉ uses this quote from international free speech organization Loesje to rationalize her love for working in tourism, which she has done--to some extent--since she was in college. You could easily replace 'tourism' with 'Staša' in this quote, as this Backroads Leader is a fun-loving, globe-trotting polyglot who tirelessly lives life to the fullest.

Connect with Locals

One of the best parts of a Backroads trip is the connection with a place and its locals, and one of the best parts of being a Backroads leader is creating our own connections and facilitating them for our guests. At the beginning of my first season leading trips in Italy, I was unsure about my ability to provide this connection.