Are you Italian? You will be amazed at how many enchanting and semi unknown corners you will encounter everywhere by bicycle. Are you used to the bicycle paths beyond the Alps? Even we in Italy have excellent greenways worthy of competing at the European level, given by very low-traffic secondary roads ideal for biking, riverbanks and canals, decommissioned railroad tracks, abandoned historic viaducts.
Let’s find out which are the best regions in Italy to explore by bicycle!

Piedmont by bicycle

As a Piedmontese, I can only start with the Langhe-Roero and Monferrato: these wine-growing landscapes have recently become a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the Residences of the House of Savoy, which well rival their French cousins the Loire castles.

Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige, from the Dolomites to the Lagoon

Staying to the north, here is also the Long Dolomite Way, from Calalzo di Cadore to Dobbiaco (or vice versa), from which you can connect to the entire network of bicycle paths in Trentino-Alto Adige and Veneto, to reach Venice and the Lagoon. Cycling in the Dolomites is a unique and not at all demanding experience, which will let you discover the architectural beauty, traditions and flavors of these places rich in history and timeless legends. Discover all the bike trips in Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige.

The Alpe Adria Cycle Route

Among my favorite routes is also the Alpe Adria Cycle Route, which brings the Alps closer to the sea through evocative landscapes, unspoiled nature, quaint villages and places rich in thousands of years of history.

This is a 400-kilometer cross-border bicycle route on the Eurovelo 7 route, connecting Salzburg to the Grado Lagoon, passing through Villach, Tarvisio, Gemona, Udine and Aquileia. On the Italian side we find the route of the disused Pontebbana railway in Friuli, which is truly remarkable. See bike trips along the Alpe Adria Cycle Route.

Puglia and Sicily by bicycle

As I descend to southern Italy, I immediately think of Salento, where there is plenty to fill one’s eyes pedaling on low-traffic back roads among olive trees, cliffs, turquoise sea and baroque towns, with possible extensions to Matera and Alberobello. See all bike trips in Puglia.

Some of my best cycling experiences in Italy include Sicily, either the Palermo area or the southeastern lands of Montalbano and the Noto Valley or even the Trapani area. Here hospitality and beauty are truly top notch!

Bicycle trips in Italy

Believe me, in Italy, the reuse and enhancement of existing infrastructure and territory allow anyone to tackle a one- or multi-day itinerary in areas of naturalistic value and rich in history and art. Moreover, last but not least, we can count on Italian eno-gastronomy, and that’s all I’m adding!
Discover all of Girolibero’s organized trips to our beautiful country.

By Laura Bertinetti: affected Girolibero bike rider, for her the bicycle is the ideal way to do tourism and get to know places at the right time. She is a firm believer in sustainable mobility and the opportunities given by “bikenomics,” the new economy that revolves around … the wheels of a bicycle!