- Intro
We passed through northern Italy briefly in early summer 2007 and then, after going through eastern Europe, we returned to the country, this time going through the Tirol region near Austria, all the way down the Adriatic coast to just south of Ancona. The Dolomite mountains were beautiful and provided stunning, if difficult cycling, but we found the flat Po river plain too hot and muggy to be enjoyable. Italy offers plenty of culture but is an expensive country to tour in. We sometimes struggled to find quiet roads and drivers were often impatient or aggressive.- Route
For our first swing through Italy, we crossed from Briancon, France over the Col de Montgenevre and into Pinerolo. From there, we cycled through corn and rice fields to Pavia, before turning north through Milan and up the side of Lake Garda. We followed a marvellous cycle path from Trent to Bolzano, then pedalled up three passes to arrive in the posh ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo. After a few days in Cortina we headed east towards Slovenia. The second time we entered from Austria, following the Via Claudia bike path all the way to Verona. From Verona we cut across flat farm land to Ferrara, then hit the coast around Ravenna and followed the seaside all the way to the Le Marche region, just south of Ancona. We left the country by ferry boat to Greece.-
- Road condition
Roads were generally in good shape but it was sometimes difficult to find low-traffic routes. Even roads that looked to be secondary routes on our map sometimes turned out to be filled with bumper-to-bumper cars and heavy trucks. There are a few cycle paths around, notably the Via Claudia which is signed all the way to Verona and a dedicated cycle path for almost the entire distance from the Austrian-Italian border to just south of Trento. On the Adriatic coast the traffic was heavy but there were good shoulders for most of the way. We were travelling in the peak holiday season so off-season cycling might be more tranquil. - Map
We used free maps from tourist bureaus for the first few days. In Milan we picked up a 1:300 000 atlas covering northern Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and parts of France. It also has helpful larger scale maps of Europe and Turkey. Campsites are marked, helpfully quite close to their actual locations (not just as a general sign next to a town name, as Michelin maps mark campsites). The map is published by Studio F.M.B. Bologna. We also had the Lonely Planet cycling guide to Italy, which gave good ideas for routes but is now a bit outdated in terms of prices since it was published in 2003.- Highlights
The northern region of Italy, including South Tirol and the Dolomites were by far the most beautiful part of our trip, particularly the Seiser Alm just outside Bolzano. The going can be tough (unless you are cruising downhill from Austria) but the views make it worth the slog, and there are plenty of opportunities for wild camping in the mountains. Lake Garda also offered nice views but was very touristy. Verona was a gorgeous city to see, although it was packed with people in August. Further down the boot, we stayed a few weeks in the Le Marche region. We did not do much cycling but if you felt like a few climbs this would be a great spot. So many gorgeous walled hill-top towns to admire with olive groves and grapevines everywhere, plus a downhill run to the sea if you fancy a swim. - Lowlights
The Po river plain was far too hot for comfortable cycling when we were there in early June and the rice fields made an ideal breeding ground for mosquitos. We also found the Alps bordering France to be less impressive than we’d hoped for, although the weather was quite grey and rainy. Perhaps in the sun we might have had a different view. We were also frustrated by expensive campgrounds, tourist bureaus who often maintained it was “impossible” to get places by bike and outrageous prices for internet access.- Particular challenges
Water fountains in the Alps coming over from France didn’t seem to be as common as in other parts of Europe, such as France and Spain. We had an almost daily hunt for water. Tourist bureaus often offered to fill our bottles from their private bathrooms, however we had to time our visits with their slightly irregular hours! A water filter would be handy in the mountains, when you also need to take extra water for the climbs and stock up on food too, especially if you are travelling outside the peak months of July and August. We found many businesses closed and towns deserted in June in the Alps and Dolomites.- Camping
Although wild camping is illegal in Italy, we camped without problems a few times. This was easiest in the mountains and we also had luck camping behind the numerous chapels alongside the road. Campgrounds are only common in the very touristy areas like Lake Garda and they are expensive. Count on 15-30 euros for a tent and two people, depending on the season and area.- Budget
We were pleased to see the cost of coffee go down compared to France (you can find a good espresso or cappuccino for just over 1 euro if you avoid the touristy spots). In other areas, however, Italy seemed expensive. Simple but clean hotel rooms ran around 75 euros. A meal in a pizza restaurant would run about 15 euros a person. Internet access was particularly pricey. On our first run through Italy we never saw it below 3 euros an hour and the cost soared as high as 9 euros an hour in Cortina. The second time round we did see it as low as 2 euros an hour. Two beers went for about 5 euros. A pleasant surprise was the price of fruit and vegetables. Produce was almost entirely grown in Italy and the prices were very reasonable for good quality fresh food.
