
Hey all! I'm Eddie, 24 πΈπͺ
Skip this paragraph if you'd like.
Ever since I started learning Italian by myself during the pandemic I've dreamed about biking through the Italian countryside talking with locals and experiencing the true Italian culture. Born and raised in Sweden, the loud-speaking, extrovertedness and imperfections of Italian culture is just what I'm missing. The food and nature seems splendid.
I will be committing ~30 days (~25 May – 25 June) to bikepacking Italy. I want to focus on experiencing the contrasts of the countryside and nature in different Italian regions (I would skip cities actually). Ideally I would want to see most of Italy (Piemonte, Lombardy, Venetia, Abruzzo, Lazio, Puglia, Calabria, Sicily, Sardinia and everything in between) but I'm beginning to accept there is just too much to see, maybe I should focus on a handful regions and speed through other… I will do about 150km per day; sometimes more, sometimes less. I've got good stamina and crossed Sweden 2300km at 100km/day fully self-sustained on 30β¬/day.
Q1: What kind of rough itinerary would you recommend based on these dates?
Q2: I know Italian traffic is bad. I'm planning to keep myself on gravel roads and avoid Autostrada, SS and SR. Are the communal and smaller streets safer? Are most roads good enough for an experienced rider?
Q3: I was thinking about starting the adventure by crossing Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily in 8 days, is this feasible 22-30 May?
Q4: I perceived central appennines and Calabria may be underrated. Which regions are underrated and less trafficated? Preferrably by lovely villages and natural beauty.
Q5: Any special events I could adapt my itinerary to based on your answer in Q1?
by Hovering-Clouds6823
2 Comments
I recommend corsica to Sardinia. The roads and scenery in Corsica are unbelievable, a short ferry trip takes you to Sardinia for quiet roads and the type of experience you are after. Visit La Maddalena archipelago if you have time (NE Sardinia). Bear in mind that corsica is super hilly, its not the daily miles that count but the ascent.
Knowing that a big part of the Alps are in Italy, would it not be a little bit sad to not even visit the Dolomites and the South Tyrol ?!…