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Epic Italy started with a question. Why do so many people visit Italy without ever experiencing the Italy that people here actually live in?
Our story
2019 · CHIANG MAI
Benji was teaching, Susi was travelling. A shared sense of adventure in a very loud city, which turned into a plan to go and look at the rest of it.
2019 TO 2021 · EVERYWHERE
Trails in Peru, lesser-known vineyards in Indonesia, and a lot of being the guests rather than the hosts. You learn quickly what good hospitality feels like when you are on the receiving end of the other kind.
2021 · MENDOZA
Cycling between vineyards in Argentina, talking about combining travel, cycling, food and wine into something of our own. Ben's parents' friends were following along and asking for tips, which was the first clue that there was something in it.
NOW · BASSANO DEL GRAPPA
Susi grew up in Veneto. Benji moved here. We ride these roads every week of the season and eat in the places we send you to, which is the only real qualification this job has.
Why we exist
Plenty of people come to Italy and see the famous places. Far fewer meet the people, the traditions and the small landscapes that make it worth the flight.
We think travel should leave you with conversations and connections rather than a list of things you have now seen. We also think it should be quiet, slow and low impact for the people who live here, which is most of why we work the way we do.
A family vineyard is usually more memorable than a famous attraction. A local story beats a monument. We would rather run fewer trips and do them properly than fill a calendar.
The team
Small on purpose. If you book a trip you deal with Susi or Benji, start to finish, and you will probably meet Andrea at the airport before either of us.
Founder · routes and riding
British, in Bassano since 2021. On a bike since he was thirteen, racing or touring. Plans every route and rides it before you do, usually twice. The relationship with Basso is his, which is why you are on their bikes and why the factory door opens.
Founder · food and wine
Born and raised in Veneto, sommelier in training, flawless English. Chooses where you stay, eat and drink, and knows the families behind most of them. Drives the support vehicle on guided weeks, which means she is usually at the top of the climb before you are.
Logistics
Every transfer, airport pickup and luggage move. Plays bass in a punk band. If something needs to be in two places at once it is Andrea's problem, and he has usually solved it before anyone notices there was one.
Cycling coach
Ex professional, coaching amateurs and professionals since 2018. Benji's brother. Works with guests in the months before they arrive so they turn up ready for the climbs rather than surviving them. Train smarter, not longer.
How we build a trip
A bike ride on its own is not enough. Neither is a wine tasting, or a restaurant booking. The thing that makes a day stick is when all three are connected to a person and a story.
So every enquiry starts with a conversation, not a brochure. We listen first, then design the week around the answers. Contrast matters more than consistency: a trattoria lunch one day, somewhere you dress for the next.
People we work with
Official Tour Operator of Basso Bikes. Bassano Club House (BCH) is a partner, and where most weeks begin.
“Professionalism, attention to detail, and contagious passion for this country.”Emmanuel Phaneuf · September 2026
Fifteen minutes with Susi and Benji. We will ask how you ride, how you like to travel, and when you can get here.
Book a call Or message us on WhatsApp, or email info@epicitaly.cc