Touring Italy in 2 weeks time

[beano]

Gidday everyone,

I've just found myself out of a job (thanks RBS!), and have decided to get myself out to Italy in October for a bit of riding to celebrate my unemployedness.

I've got a general basic route in mind starting in Bologna, moving south through tuscany, Rome, Naples, Amalfi coast, through Calabria, over to Siciliy, and posibily finish in Sardinia. I didn't want to start further north because I'm guessing its getting colder there in October.

I'm interested in anyones Italian cycling experiences as I've never been there before, possibly places to avoid, or places that were really great and worth visiting. I'm not sure if I should be hugging the west coast the whole way down as my map shows some interesting national parks down the middle of the country as well.

This is all a tad last minute, but thats the story of my life :-) I've got to get a new bike too as mine got pinched (don't move to Ealing!)

I managed to get hold of 'Lonely Planet: Cycling Italy', which was conveniently out of print now, and this has some good rides listed but not a longer suggested route to tackle the whole bottom half of the country.

I'm reckoning I can do about 50km/day for the first few days to wake the legs up (it's been a while) and then push it up to around 100km/day. I'm currently unsure if I should take a tent or go for BnB's, I'll probably take the tent as I'll never get organised to pre-book any accomodation!

Any info on the best mapping software/gps for italy would be a help too.

cheers,
beano

 

[rich p]

I cycled in Italy last year but mainly north of your planned route. I did stay in a campsite in Zocca about 30 miles south of Bologna called Campeggio Montequestiola which was superb. I also stayed in thge Bologna city site which I recommended too.

This link may be of use

http://www.campeggi.com/en/

I would recommend the interior for at least some of the ride as the countryside and hilltop villages are superb.
I just use local road maps as I'm not in a rush!

 

[Andy in Sig]

There seems to be an Italian end to end route ciclopista del sol. Have a look at www.fiab.onlus.it/cps.htm
There is a pdf you can print off which gives an overview of the route.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

Ha!..gotta love the financial services industry eh!

..anyway...Italy sounds funissimo...I can thelp because I have never been there...well once as a kid to club med on sardinia but that doesnt really count.

Are you riding there or flying there and back?

 

[friedel]

The north is fabulous but, as you say, probably a bit too chilly this time of year. You might be surprised at some chilly temperatures even where you're going. Could be fickle so pack some rain/warm gear. We have friends in Le Marche, just off the Adriatic coast, and we spent a month with them last year. I wouldn't so much recommend the Adriatic coastline (too much traffic) but go just a few kms off it and things get stunningly beautiful. This is an area more or less directly east of Rome. Worth an inland detour if you can handle the hills.

 

[Percy]

I rode from the French border, on the West coast, down to Grosseto, then across through Tuscany and Umbria over to Ancona last year.

I found the roads and traffic to be much less of a problem than people had told me to expect - the drivers were mostly very courteous and occassionally even encouraging.

The coast was a bit of a mix - some long boring stretches of seemingly endless holidaying Italians (although I might have found it boring 'cos it made me feel lonely!), mixed with amazing sacenery and some really nice stops - Rapallo stood out. Inland Tuscany and Umbria certainly stood out - Tuscan hills, and the towns that sit on top of them, and of course the food. I rode it in July/August and it was definitely hot! But bearable - especially compared to Greece in August!!

I was told by many (mostly Italians) that the coast below Rome is much nicer and less crowded than the stretch I rode but I alas my timescales last year meant I had to mis that out, for now.

Riding/surviving on a bike in Italy is as easy as any other Western European country - plenty of options for sleeping, eating, bike repairs etc. I stayed in campsites and some B+B type places - I didn't pre-book any and never had a problem, even in July. I even managed to haggle the price of a 4* hotel room down to my budget, while chatting to the reception girl who had come out to bring me a cold carton of orange juice while I was resting in the shade of their doorway - it was about 35 degrees, in one of those on-top-of-a-very-steep-hill Tuscan towns and I must have looked like I needed it - the orange juice and the room!

 

[rich p]

I I even managed to haggle the price of a 4* hotel room down to my budget, while chatting to the reception girl who had come out to bring me a cold carton of orange juice while I was resting in the shade of their doorway - it was about 35 degrees, in one of those on-top-of-a-very-steep-hill Tuscan towns and I must have looked like I needed it - the orange juice and the room!

Any extras??

 

[Percy]

Any extras??

I think I got breakfast too

 

[beano]

geez Percy, with stories like that I might have to go tomorrow, do you remember the name of this village/hotel/and girl? ;-)

Thanks for the responses everyone, it's a good help... will give a run down of the trip when I'm back

cheers
beano

 

[Percy]

Of course. Orvieto is the town. Amazing place, especially if you hang around long enough for the coach loads of tourists to disperse. Evening is the best, in summer at least. The hotel was the Aquila Blanca, according to my journal, but, again, I imagine it depends what time/under what circumstances you arrive there. I've just been looking at the photos...ahh...memories.

 

[xilios]

I wouldn't so much recommend the Adriatic coastline (too much traffic) but go just a few kms off it and things get stunningly beautiful. quote]

X2 I rode down along the Adriatic in '05 and there were some very long streches that were boring. A few places were nice like Parco Nationale del Gargano before Bari. My wife and I rode through Tuscani in '07 and can highly recomend the R222 between Florence and Siena.
We found this page in crazyguyonabike.com to be very useful check it out.