Seeing Ferrara on two wheels: Join bike-mad Ferraresi as they zip along narrow, cycle-friendly lanes that snake through the city's old center, past the Castello Estense and the Renaissance elegance of Palazzo Schifanoia. You can also bike a circuit atop the city's medieval walls. 

Kayaking or paddleboarding around Venice: Why let the gondoliers have all fun? Piloting a rented kayak or stand-up paddleboard gives you an entirely different angle on the noble palaces and quiet canalside corners of Italy's fairy-tale floating city. 

Riding the Monte Bianco Skyway, Valle d'Aosta: In Italy's far northwestern corner, you can catch a revolving cable car and travel high on Europe's tallest mountain, departing from the hiking, biking, and skiing resort of Courmayeur. Standing 4,810m (15,780 ft.) tall on the border between France and Italy, Monte Bianco (“Mont Blanc” to the French) is flanked by perilous glaciers and jagged granite peaks, all visible from cableways that opened in 2015. It’s pricey, but unforgettable.

Walking the Cinque Terre (Liguria): For sheer beauty, we prefer the 3-mile path from Corniglia to Vernazza and the 2-mile section from Vernazza to Monterosso, but the entire area is rewarding: Narrow paths skirt past terraced vineyards, as olive and lemon groves hover over the sapphire Mediterranean Sea. This coastal path is best tackled in the early morning, before the crowds. Out of season, you might even have it to yourself. 

 

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.