Randomus

I have a family member who will be in Italy for 2-to-3 weeks in June, and he is looking for places that he could go cycling. It would probably be for day trips or a weekend, but he certainly wants to go and do the tourist thing on the bike.

Any recommendations as to where he should go? Also, does anyone have experience renting a bike in Italy?

I wish I knew where he was planning to go in Italy, but I don't even think he has concrete plans as to where he'll be yet.

dorkypants

No doubt lots of people are going to recommend Tuscany. To be sure, there's good biking there, but Italy isn't only Tuscany. There's also great biking (as well as good food, wine, art, history, architecture...) next door in Umbria and the Marches (Le Marche), in the Dolomites, in Piedmont (Piemonte), in Sicily, and lots of other places.

The spots I'd avoid are the big cities (obviously) and the shores of the big lakes (Garda, Como, Maggiore), which tend to have a lot of motor traffic on the lakeshore roads, especially in the summer. Personally I find the seaside resort areas also generally overdeveloped and congested with traffic. To wit, I showed some Italian friends pictures of Hanauma Bay in Hawaii--they were astonished at the lack of buildings, the expanse of beach not fronted by asphalt and cars, the absence of concessions hawking lounge chairs, umbrellas, food, etc.

markf

Italy isn't only Tuscany, but Tuscany is still a great place to start. There's a reason why Florence, Siena and all those little hill towns are so packed with tourists, they really are neat places with a lot to see. If you can find a copy of the Lonely Planet Cycling Guide to Italy it lays out a really good route from Florence to Siena that gets you out of Florence on relatively quiet roads, and takes you through some really pretty country. One or two days down, a morning wandering around Siena (before the tour busses arrive) and a train back would make a great intro to cycling in Italy.

Wherever in Italy your family member ends up in, he should get the Touring Club Italiano regional maps (the folding ones with the cardboard cover). I found them to be excellent cycling maps while I was there. Get them online from https://www.trektools.com before you go.

xilios

Hi, after cycling through Italy in 2005 and planning a return trip this spring (with my wife this time) I would recomend finding an area that has many national parks.
It would also help if he had the Auto Route Express, Euorpe. It's very easy to plan rides this way, just set the kms per day, riding hours per day and types of roads and he's there. Oh, and Auto Route also has the national parks.
Hope it helps some cheers

spinnaker

If you want flat, then the Po Valley is an option. The trails along the canals are an easy ride and can be very beautiful. There are definitely more beautiful areas but not many other places with so few tourists. The only problem is that not many people in this area speak English. If your friend speaks no Italian, it will be a bit of a challenge. Also, if you are not traveling the canals, then some areas can be a bit boring traveling past fields, from town to town. But there are a number of wonderful little towns in the area.

Pisa and Lucca are really not that far off.

I know of a very nice B&B in Pavia and Viegevano. Let me know if you are interested.

The train system is very good in Italy. If your friend wants to sample several places then this is a great way to go. The only problem is that long distance trains are not bike friendly but you will do just fine with Regionale trains. If you have a folding bike or a bag for your bike then it should not be a problem on any train.


If your friend is looking for more of a challenge then you might want to check out www.toproute.com. It will give you a altitude ride profile.

spinnaker

I was just a little disappointed in the TCI maps but I got the Provincial maps. They just don't have enough detail. I would also recommend the regional maps. The only problem is that you would probably need a number of them. This can be expensive but more importantly a lot to carry.

But nothing beats local knowledge. Ask a lot of questions. It's a great way to interact with the local people. The Italian words for bicycle path is pista ciclabile.

dorkypants

Pronounced "PEAS-tah chee-KLAH-bee-lay"...which may or may not be paved. An unpaved one is "sterrata" (stay-RAH-tah), a paved one is "asfaltata" (ahs-fahl-TAH-tah). Sometimes a bike path may have both paved and unpaved sections. So, I suppose it would also help to know that "tutt' e due" (TOOT-ay-DOO-ay) is "both".

wwwmikeb

I want to do a tour of Italy specifically in the Naples or Palermo region as this is where my ancestors are from. I'm doing Google searches and not finding. Please let me know if there's a credible company to tour with through Italy and what you find and I will do the same. Thank you.

spinnaker

Humm Napoli, not a very good city from what I am told. Lots of crime.

I ran into an outfit in Malepensa. People seemed to be happy with them. They are located in Borgomanero near Milan but they may be able to make a recommendation. Their email address is info@bikeadventures.it.

Be prepared to layout a lot of cash for a tour. You can do it on your own a lot cheaper.

arie

For a tour-description, look at www.cycletours.nl
Text in Dutch but routes are very useful.
I made one in Tuscany and rode by myself in the Urbino-area (Marches). Wonderful.
P.S. In the Tuscany-group were also some Americans!!!

acantor

I heard the same warning about the lakes when I mentioned my intention to bike around Lake Como, but I did not experience the traffic as unbearable. It was fine, actually. Drivers gave me plenty of berth, and the roads were not packed with the big, noisy, diesel-spewing trucks I have had to contend with on other tours. I have experienced much worse during trips in scenic rural areas of Ontario, Quebec, and Massachusetts.