I'm planning a March and April ride across Italy and in the early stages of route planning. I've got about 38 days to ride, starting and ending in Milan. Also btw if anyone is looking for flights, Milan is crazy cheap to fly to, I got round trip tickets for $535 from my rural airport in the USA.
My initial plan is to fly down to Reggio Calabria then bike north back to Milan, hopefully catching the warmer weather in the south and following it north as the season turns.
My route starts with the Ciclovia Parchi Calabria. It seems to be mostly paved ride through the national parks. I'd love to find gravel/singletrack alternatives, the route looks great but I don't want to spend the entire time on pavement.
After that, I've used brouter set to mountain bike mode to route me from the end of the Parchi route to Rome with a stop over in Pompeii. I haven't been to either place before and I'm a huge fan of Roman history so I definitely want to stop there, but routing through them pulls me away from the mountains and into big urban areas which usually suck to ride through. Another option would be to assemble my bike upon arriving in Milan, then take regional trains south, with a stop in Rome and Pompeii before starting the bikepacking trip. The big downside to this is regional trains all the way to Reggio Calabria will be a series of long train rides with lots of transfers, but I could avoid having to ride over to Pompeii and Rome on my way back north. My route between Pompeii and Rome is on the Via Francigena so it may be pleasant, I'd love to hear from people who have ridden between them.
After Rome, I've got two options. I can either continue on the Via Francigena, or take the Francesco Trail pt 1 and 2 that I found here: https://www.ghiaiaexplorers.it/trails/francesco-trail-2/. I know nothing about this route, but it looks like it goes up into the mountains more than the VF, which appeals to me. Either way, eventually the Francesco Trail reconnects with the VF, which I'd then take all the way to Milan.
My big questions about this route are:
- Open to any alternatives, I'm riding from early March to mid April, so I'm down for anything really.
- Should I hit Rome/Pompeii by train before starting the bike trip and avoid them completely on my way north?
- Assuming I do bike through Rome, should I take the VF through Tuscany or the Francesco Trail?
- Weather, is it too early to ride my route as mapped?
I can either bring a rigid hardtail on 2.4" tires or a gravel bike on 700x40s. I'd rather bring the hardtail and try to find as much singletrack/rough riding as possible, but if that's not easy to do in Italy the route as I have it planned is probably best done with the gravel bike.
Thanks for any comments/suggestions! Also if anyone wants to join hit me up.
by Striking-Ice2591