From Campus to Como
Casey Thompson ’15 is on a roll with her bicycle shop and tour company in Italy’s Bellagio region
November 19, 2024
By
Jackson Maynard ’25
Growing up in Virginia, Casey Thompson ’15 always knew a state school would be her path, but it wasn’t until she did research on language departments that she decided William & Mary was the place for her.
She originally planned on studying Spanish, which she had grown up learning in school, but she pivoted to Italian after she became interested in the community of the W&M Italian House.
It was a pivot that paid off. Now, Thompson uses the skills she learned at William & Mary every day in running a bike shop with her husband, Luca Negri, in the Bellagio area of Italy, on the shores of Lake Como.
Along with learning Italian, she eventually decided to major in finance. Her interest in business stemmed from her high school years when she took an International Baccalaureate business class during her senior year.
In her business, Bike It Bellagio, she combines those interests and uses lessons from classes she took at W&M’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business, including Excel and accounting.
“Now that I’m an entrepreneur, I’m really glad I had those classes, because all of that background knowledge has been really useful,” she says.
Thompson says her family played a big part in her decision to attend William & Mary, as both her dad, N. Ross Thompson III ’74, P ’15, P ’17, P ’20 and uncle, Patrick B. Thompson ’89, are alumni. Casey’s siblings, Bridget M. Thompson ’17, M.A.Ed. ’18 and Ian R. Thompson ’20, M.S.B.A. ’24, also attended W&M.
During her first year at W&M, Thompson began taking part in numerous activities at the Italian House, which inspired her to study Italian. She worked with language professors and Italian House tutors to test out of the introductory level class to move onto the intermediate level, despite never taking an Italian class before.
Later, when living in the Italian House as a sophomore, junior and senior, she met students from many different backgrounds.
“That plays into our business now since we are meeting and presenting our business to people from all across the globe,” she says.
Outside of her studies, Thompson was a member of the Cycling Club at William & Mary and worked at the former Bikes Unlimited shop, where her love for bicycles blossomed. Bikes Unlimited was a Bianchi dealer, an Italian cycling brand that makes road bikes. After working with this brand, Thompson says, “I thought I would want to work for Bianchi either in Italy or Bianchi USA, which is still in the back of my mind.”
Her involvement with the Italian House gave her the idea to study abroad in Italy, and Thompson ended up choosing Bocconi University in Milan, where she continued her business studies. During her time in Italy, she met some of Negri’s friends and family at various cycling competitions before she hopped on a train to Lecco, where she finally met him.
Thompson and Negri opened Bike It Bellagio in 2018 to showcase the beautiful landscapes and bike routes the Lake Como area has to offer. This idea came to them while they were leading bike tours. They realized there was no bike shop or tour business in the area, so they decided to capitalize on this opportunity.
She vividly remembers opening day, when the first two customers walked in, and how exciting that moment was. Still, she says operating a business abroad can often be challenging.
“Getting all my business knowledge translated to Italian” proved to be the first step, she says, adding, “In Italy, for any business, you must have an accountant.”
Success has fueled growth for Bike It Bellagio, which now has three employees and four on-call guides to support the operation. Before hiring employees, Thompson and her husband were doing every single part of the business, so adapting to have other people help them was an adjustment.
Having an online presence is something that Thomson emphasizes as being crucial to spreading the word about her business. Prior to opening the store in 2018, she spent many hours creating the company's website with the help of free tools and articles. Thompson and Negri also needed to break into the close-knit town in Bellagio, since they were both outsiders to the area.
“That we inserted ourselves nicely and got along with everybody and are now a part of the tourism community is very important,” she says.
Despite the challenges, operating her own business has been rewarding for Thompson. She enjoys the creative aspects of her job, including the “freedom to make all of the decisions.” In addition to offering bike rentals and guided tours, the company sells bike equipment and other merchandise. Thompson designs clothing, plans tours and selects products.
Bike It Bellagio is focused on building relationships with customers and creating experiences that bring them back for more. Many people also return because they have fallen in love with the area, Thompson says. As an example, one couple comes back to Bellagio every year and lives there for a month so they can explore all the routes and experiences around them.
“At the end of the day, what we’re doing is giving people happiness, because everyone leaves our shop either happy from a bike ride they completed on their own or from an experience that they’ve done with us or our staff,” she says.
Thompson is looking to expand Bike It Bellagio's current offerings, which include regularly scheduled day tours, group trips and custom rides. She hopes to include excursions with food and drink outings, as well as multiday experiences. Furthermore, Thompson highlights the possibility of expanding beyond road cycling and venturing into the nearby mountains. She also sees e-bikes or electronic bikes as an avenue for the company to continue exploring.
While developing her business, Thompson continues to maintain ties with the William & Mary community. She says numerous alumni and parents of students have visited the shop. She also tells about visits from a coworker from Bikes Unlimited and from a member of the Cycling Club.
“When my husband and I return to Williamsburg to visit, usually annually, we reconnect with a local cycling group that developed from the bike shop,” she says. “We love it when W&M cyclists come into the shop. It’s always great to see a Tribe shirt in Bellagio!”