The desire for a holiday remains unchanged, whatever the moment when we can start traveling again. It is therefore legitimate to think about what is the best solution to fully enjoy your free time with friends and family, to rediscover the pleasure of being outdoors and practicing physical activity after weeks of giving up, why not go to discovery of territories and hidden corners of our beautiful country, perhaps in “slow” mode.
Cycle tourism, a phenomenon that has been growing steadily in recent years and of which FIAB-Italian Federation of Environment and Bicycles has always been a great promoter and supporter, is certainly the holiday formula suitable for everyone that contains all these characteristics.
A cycling holiday, in fact, allows you to stay away from the crowds and pedal in the beauty of the landscapes, between places and villages far away from mass tourism. Stopping, visiting, sleeping, refreshing yourself and shopping in nearby structures also represents a concrete form of support for local economies.
The Italian territories where you can go for daily rides along cycle paths or well-marked cycling routes, are all easily accessible by car: opportunities at your fingertips to live authentic quality eco-tourism experiences.
The ALBERGABICI.IT website, the search engine conceived and managed by FIAB which today includes over 600 bike friendly accommodations, or hotels, hostels, bed & breakfasts, campsites, etc. is very useful for autonomously planning a holiday cycle. . equipped to guarantee the essential welcome services for those who travel on two wheels: a shelter for bikes, basic maintenance tools, the possibility of washing clothes and equipment, abundant breakfast, information on cycle routes and itineraries in the area and much more.
Another valid tool to consult, to decide where to plan a cycling holiday, is the BICITALIA.ORG website which, in addition to the description of the 20 great itineraries for 20 regions of the National Cycle Network mapped by FIAB, includes the practical sections:
- Thematic Networks: where to find the greenways; the cycle paths along disused railway lines (easy and engaging itineraries, present a little across the peninsula); and cycle paths linked to culture, such as the one of the cities of art of the Po Valley, the UNESCO cycle path Castel del Monte-Matera-Trulli and the itinerary on the traces of Dante Alighieri from Florence to Ravenna.
- Quality cycle routes, with an indication of over 60 cycle paths of more than 5 km which, for infrastructure, landscape features, safety, services offered, are considered above the national average and are also suitable for day trips;
- Regional Networks, where quality cycle routes are suggested in the various territories.
FIAB AND BICIVIAGGI IN ITALY
In collaboration with the main tour operators in the sector, FIAB-Italian Environment and Bicycle Federation also proposes a rich calendar of organized bike tours every year. Of course, the 2020 programming is constantly revised and the updates of the proposals can be consulted directly on the website www.biciviaggi.it.
Here are some of the Italian destinations selected by FIAB for BiciViaggi 2020:
• MARCHE, from the sea to the hills where you can lose your gaze as in Leopardi’s infinity – Lonely Planet has included the Marches in the Best in Travel 2020, in second place in the list of regions that are worth a visit this year. FIAB-Italian Federation of Environment and Bicycle, offers a 4-day bike trip to discover this wonderful land moving along and around the Adriatic Cycle Route.
Among the scheduled visits to Porto San Giorgio, with dinner in a restaurant overlooking the sea; the Parco della Sentina and its wildlife oasis, Ascoli Piceno which can be reached by following the Tronto cycle path. And then Porto Sant’Elpidio and Cascinare with excursion along the Cycle Route of the Abbeys between hills and villages, where you can visit the Imperial Abbey of Santa Croce, the Abbey of San Claudio and the Abbey of Santa Maria Piè di Chienti. Last stop Civitanova Marche with a visit to the port area which houses over 200 artistic works, and then along the Civitanova Alta cycle path to the suggestive ancient village with the Theater of Annibal Caro, the Church of Sant’Agostino, the Jewish Ghetto and all the beauties of one of the most beautiful villages in Italy.
• SICILY, with Ulysses’ gaze in the “green Trinacria island, the island of the sun” – The bike trip organized in Sicily by FIAB-Italian Environment and Bicycle Federation follows an itinerary that, among hills, beaches, wetlands, fishing villages and baroque towns, leads to the discovery of the main UNESCO sites in the central eastern area of the island. Departure from the magnificent Piazza Armerina, where you can visit the Villa Romana del Casale, to arrive in Syracuse with stops in Caltagirone, Ragusa, Modica, Scicli, Marzamemi, Noto. The average for daily cycling routes is 55/60 km.
• TUSCANY: “Naturally Piano” in the Casentino – In conjunction with “Naturally Piano”, the appointment in the Casentino that every year combines music with the beauty of Tuscan landscapes, FIAB-Italian Federation of Environment and Bicycle promotes a 4-day bike trip to discover the lands of Casentino. Based in Stia, the trip includes daily bicycle tours along the Arno Cycle Path or minor cycle routes, among hills, villages and castles, including culinary stops to appreciate the typical products of the area. The entire trip includes over 200 km by bicycle, 50 of which are uphill. This is certainly a satisfying, but also demanding proposal, suitable for those who have a little training.
• PARMA: the small world of Guareschi in the great land of Parma. – The FIAB BiciViaggio in Parma and surroundings has been reprogrammed for the Ognissanti bridge (from 30 October to 1 November) with a program that includes easy routes to discover the placid and welcoming Po Valley narrated in Guareschi’s books and in the unforgettable films of Peppone and Don Camillo. The first day is dedicated to visiting Parma with a 9 km bike ride to learn about the history of the city through the statues of its historical characters. Possibility of guided visit to the Duomo and Baptistery. Saturday, October 31 excursion “Guareschi and his land”, along a flat path to discover the “Small World” made of men, landscapes, passions and bicycle, through the places of the films of Peppone and Don Camillo. It continues on November 1 with the bike excursion Parma – Brescello and back.
