salsaandcream

Hey there!

First Post around here. (And I'm sure I'll get directed to the "Search function")
But just wondering if anyone has any advice on routes to tour around Italy?
I'll be starting in Rome most likely and have just a short week to toodle around, though the girl friend and I are in pretty good shape and should be able to cover decent ground every day.
We could bring a tent with us, but also since we'll be renting bikes and I don't know what options there may be it would be really nice to keep that pack as light as possible.
Unless some one has some bike rental suggestions as well?

Thanks for any help and feed back! cheers!

FBinNY 

There's too much ground to cover even for a strong cyclist willing to do nothing but ride all day.

So approach it as you would any other tour and decide where you want to go and what you want to see, then plan around that. If it were me, I'd move north and tour Florence and Tuscany, but you should plan according to your preferences.

BTW the season may be a factor, so if the trip is in mid summer, I'd definitely avoid riding farther south, and maybe even use a train to go as far north as the Plain of Venice, maybe riding from Milan to Venice or Bologna. It all depends on what you want. You really can't go wrong, except possibly a long ride along the coast in tourist season where you might see more traffic than necessary.

TRac

Here's a good website for measuring amount of traffic on routes you plan to ride. Ride safe!

https://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#15/1...7078/blue/bike

imi

Whatever you do... Avoid Naples!
You have been warned!

In my totally honest opinion which I wrote in another thread, it is the most horrible, dangerous, frightening city I have been in - and fwiw I've been around a fair bit in the last forty years.

Mogadishu is said to be worse...

CliffordK

You could easily spend several days around Rome. I think the Roman Youth Hostile was a bit out of the way near an Olympic Stadium, and the bike was nice to get around the city, although the glass was hard on my sewups (a few decades ago). I remember a nice ride out a Roman road outside of the city near Rome, but don't remember the name.

About a day's ride from Rome, is Terni, which also has a small area of Roman ruins which I thought was quite spectacular, with an actual segment of original Roman cobbles with very very deep wheel ruts.

If you wish to hit the big tourist areas, you may find it advantageous to also use the train. Look up the current rules. I was kicked off the train once for taking my bike aboard, but things may have changed over time.

Assisi might be a smaller town a bit off the beaten path, and perhaps important with respect to our recent Pope's namesake.

Pisa and the Piazza Dei Miracoli is a wonderful place to visit for a day, but it would be a long ride from Rome and back.

If you are in Italy during the summer, consider the Palio di Siena.

Cinque Terre is also a magical place, although perhaps not the best destination for biking. There is a path between the 5 towns, but primarily a walking path.

And, don't forget Venice.

Depending on what kind of cycling you like, the Po Valley is FLAT and very bicycle friendly, from Milano to Bolognia, and up to Venice.

I had fun touring many of the little castles and walled cities around Italy.

salsaandcream

Thanks for all the replies everyone!
Were headed there this March, I'm slowly finding more and more information about cycling in Italy. And the idea of using the train to get a broader view of different terrain sounds like a great idea!
Yeah 7 days isn't a lot but, school and work bugger you down.

and Noted about Naples thanks

Going North does look beautiful for sure!

Thanks again all!

spinnaker

I prefer northern Italy and southern Austria. The mountains are just beautiful. Brenner Pass is awesome. Check out the Imst bike path in Austria.
Lago Garda is very pretty, as well as Como. Near Comon is Bellegio and near Bellagio is the La Madonna del Ghisallo La Madonna del Ghisallo ? the Patron Saint of Cycling | Cyclingnews.com . Tried to make the ride twice in two different trips and was rained out twice. I mean pouring cats and dogs kind of rain.

spinnaker

Other good spots in the north are Cento Valli. And the ride from Lugano to Porletzza.

indyfabz

March could easily be too cold and snowy in the north. Spent two weeks in Bassano del Grappa. Late May to early June. Fresh snow on Monte Grappa a couple of nights.

spinnaker

Yeah there might still be show up on the Brenner in March. But still lots of great places down at base of the mountains. You can lookup and see the wonderful snow covered peaks.

Steve B.

Been to Italy 3 times, never on a bike but always with a eye towards the cycling possibilities.

1) Ditto skipping Naples. The worst town in Italy. Other then the region along the coast to the south, I'd stay away.

2) I've read and been told that Rome is very unfriendly to bikes and cyclists (but had a terrific time in Rome on foot - loved Rome). Thus would not plan on starting or ending my Italy trip in Rome on a bike. I'd use a train instead to get into/out of.

3) Tuscany is hilly. Other then the rare long valley, such as the Arno valley to the west of Florence and the feeder rivers, there's not a lot of flat. OTOH, it's simply a beautiful area, so if you have a triple, you'd probably have a great experience.

4) Umbria is a hair flatter then Tuscany. It has the Tiber river flowing thru the heart so is easier in that sense. Of course like most of Italy, the towns are all on the hilltops - easier to defend back in the Middle Ages etc... so you end up going uphill to the hotel, is the typical end of day.

5) I've been to both of the above regions April into May, 2 weeks in each. The weather at that time of year was 70's during the day, so shorts and short sleeve jersey. For me I actually like it cooler so March into April would be perfect at this latitude.

6) In general, it's warmer and flatter on either coast.

7) There's no riding to be done in Venice. The historic district is off limits.

In truth and with rare exception as noted above, you could throw a dart at a map of Italy and go there, and have a terrific time. My wife and I love Italy and will go back a 4th time on our next trip, even though I still want to see more of France, would like to see Ireland, would like to see the Balkans and a lot of former behind-the-iron-curtain countries that we could never go to. Italy is that special, as far as I'm concerned.

Squeezebox

Does Sicaly, Corsica, and Sardinia count as Italy. The Meditarian islands tour would be extra good.

imi

Sicily and Sardinia are regions of Italy, Corsica a region of France

becnal

paulthepyke

indyfabz

It is for many:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FA0RVQ...ng=UTF8&btkr=1

gerryl

I was in Naples in the summer of 2017. I pretty much agree with Paul's opinion, it's not necessarily bicycle friendly, but I loved it none the less.