For many descendants of Italian immigrants, active travel offers a meaningful way to reconnect with ancestral villages, family history and Italian culture. But the experience rarely remains personal for long—family stories and discoveries often become part of the collective journey, adding meaning for everyone along the way.
I was leading a biking trip in Piedmont last September when, at the end of the first ride, one of our guests mentioned that she had family roots in the area. Her mother’s sister had not emigrated to America and was still living in a nearby village. She hadn’t seen her aunt in years.
They arranged to meet, and a few days later I found myself sitting with them in the hotel lounge. The aunt spoke very little English, and our guest knew only a handful of Italian words. I helped translate between English and Italian from time to time, though it turned out they hardly needed me. Language quickly became secondary as they caught up over glasses of Barbera. Tears soon filled their eyes and the conversation flowed easily as they shared childhood memories and stories of two lives that had unfolded on opposite sides of the Atlantic.
I was struck by the beauty of that moment. To witness a family reconnect across generations and continents felt like a privilege.
When One Person’s Story Becomes Everyone’s Story
But what stayed with me wasn’t only the reunion itself. In the days that followed, fellow travelers asked questions, exchanged stories of their own families and celebrated her discoveries as if they were their own. What began as one guest’s personal journey became part of the collective experience of the entire group.
As a trip leader in Italy, I’ve seen this happen time and time again. Many of our guests arrive with a desire to explore Italy’s landscapes, food, wine and culture. Others come carrying something more personal: family history. They may be second-, third- or fourth-generation descendants of Italian immigrants; they grew up hearing about a village, a region or a family name passed down through generations. For them, Italy is not just a destination. It’s a place that lived in family memories long before it became a travel plan.
A History of Millions
In the early 20th century, millions of Italians left their villages and immigrated to the United States in one of the largest mass migrations in modern history. They carried with them traditions, recipes and memories that evolved into a lasting family heritage. Now, decades later, many descendants feel a natural curiosity to reconnect with the places their ancestors once called home. For some, it’s about genealogy. For others, it’s about understanding where family stories began.
Some hope to walk the streets their grandparents once knew. Others want to rediscover the flavors of their nonna’s cuisine, see the countryside that shaped their family’s history, or simply experience the culture that has echoed across the Atlantic through generations of traditions. Yet with Backroads, one of the most beautiful aspects of these journeys is that they rarely remain personal for long.
A guest tracing family roots may arrive with an individual mission, but their discoveries often become part of the collective story of the trip. Around dinner tables, during bike rides and on walks through quiet villages, stories are exchanged. Connections are made. Curiosity is shared. One person’s journey of discovery enriches everyone else’s experience.
Why Active Travel Deepens the Experience
In a world where vacations can sometimes feel as rushed as everyday life, walking and biking along the back roads of Italy invites us to slow down and enjoy some dolce vita.
Rather than moving quickly from one landmark to the next, Backroads guests experience a more human pace: one where church bells echo through village squares, conversations spill out from local cafés, and encounters with locals whose families have lived there for generations happen naturally.
For travelers searching for their roots, that slower pace creates space for meaningful discoveries. And for everyone else, those discoveries become part of something larger, shared moments that deepen the experience for the whole group.
Perhaps that’s why journeys back to Italy are rarely only about geography. They are about memory, identity and belonging. For sure, Italy’s landscapes are unforgettable, and its food, history and culture are extraordinary. Yet the moments that stay with us most are often the human ones: stories exchanged around a dinner table, unexpected encounters and memories created together along the way.
Regardless of family ties to Italy, travelers often discover that the most meaningful souvenirs are not the photographs or the meals, but the people they meet and the stories they carry home.
In the end, active travel reminds us that while places matter, it is the experiences we share with others that give them meaning. Whether returning to a place once called home by your family or discovering Italy for the first time, the journey becomes richer when it is shared, a philosophy that lies at the heart of every Backroads trip.
