It’s all about balance brakes and the desire for freedom.
Whether shared or branded, two wheels are the new conscientious and quiet engine of those who like to move slowly.
“It is by riding a bicycle that you best learn the contours of a country, for you have to sweat up hills and freewheel down slopes,” wrote Ernest Hemingway.
There are those who do it in an extreme way, like the Italian explorer Alessandro Da Lio who set off solo to travel around the world by pedal in 28 months, and those who do it to travel, discovering the thrill of exploring places in a slow and sustainable way.
They set off with family or a group of friends, use social media to connect to communities of cycle travelers, and study itineraries that combine movement with a few stops: in the most beautiful villages, to visit museums, shop at producers, and enjoy cultural and food and wine experiences.
New bicycle tourism projects.
Begun as a hobby for the adventurous few, it now forms a veritable pedal-powered army that moves a market of 5.5 billion euros in Italy alone. Thanks in part to assisted bicycles, increasingly popular services and the many bicycle paths that crisscross the world, including Italy. The Italian capitals of the bike economy are specifically twelve, led by the pair Pesaro and Bolzano, cities where about one in three inhabitants moves on two wheels. To travel, on the other hand, bike paths are inaugurated and completed every year, hospitality facilities are increasingly bike friendly and bicycle tourism projects are born.
Among many, the project UpSlowTour in Pinerolo, Piedmont where 15 loops have been created for more than 400 kilometers of routes on paved and unpaved secondary roads. Each loop includes a free charging station for e-bikes. Moving southward , under the name of Sicily Divide there are 470 kilometers of bicycle routes. They are divided into two routes: one from Trapani to Catania and an alternative route starting in Palermo. Both are ideally divided into 7 stages that are described and geo-referenced on the dedicated website.
Italian bicycle and cycleways.
Ciclopista del Sole is the main branch of Bicitalia’s national network, and involves a single route that crosses all of Italy, from San Candido to Palermo.
It is currently only partially built, but is still totally rideable by taking advantage of existing low-traffic roads.
It is part of the EuroVelo 7, which runs from the North Cape to Malta.
With 124 kilometers of tracks reserved for bicycle transit, on the other hand, the Destra Po cycling route is one of the longest in Italy, and runs along the right bank of the Po River from Stellata di Bondeno, a charming village on the plains, to Gorino Ferrarese.
A romantic route that accompanies the Po River to the sea on a flat, paved route.
It’s called Garda by Bike the bicycle path around Lake Garda unites some 20 municipalities (most of them attractive, from Sirmione to Limone sul Garda) and covers a unified route of more than 140 km, unique in Europe.
Pedaling home.
For a bike tour in Emilia Romagna .
Emilia-Romagna also has its tricks up its sleeve.
Not only is it the land of great cycling champions, but with some 9,000 kilometers of routes including cycle paths, dirt roads and gravel trails, it is a region with a high pedaling rate.
Famous is the Via Romagna with 460 kilometers of natural beauty, art cities and historic villages, while it brings gastronauts and sportsmen together in the Food Valley which develops between Parma and Busseto, an itinerary in the name of good food and culture.
Several bicycle routes of varying lengths depart from Monticelli Spa, and there are sport bikes available to guests and upon request.