I'm planning a long-term tour with my partner and are looking to do an "adriatic sea" tour. We're looking at going through Italy from South to North before going into the Balkans. I've got a few different routes that I've looked at but would love to hear pros/cons of anyone who's done them. Specifically curious about camping/wild camping options, how busy it is (both population-wise and with car traffic), and how pretty.
Couple small pieces of context: Likely starting in mid-April. We'll be coming from the Route of Caravans in Morocco, so while off-road is great we're open to doing some quiet pavement for a bit of a rough-road break.
Routes I'm looking at, but open to other options:
-
Riding along the coast. Something like this route: https://www.komoot.com/collection/2409146/trieste-to-santa-maria-di-leuca-the-adriatic-cycle-route Pros: Flat and easy, along the water the whole way, takes us Northeast. Cons: More populated by people and cars, not sure what camping options are
-
Follow the Italy Divide Tour: https://www.italydivide.it/ Pros: More off-road, hits major cities, likely more wild camping options, nice views. Cons: Takes us away from adriatic coast, major cities are nice but also likely busier? More challenging riding, so less of a break (also being conscious of schengen rules), would need to find route to go Northeast at the end.
-
Apennino Bike Tour: https://www.mobilitadolce.net/appennino-bike-tour-oltre-3mila-km-in-bici-per-riscoprire-litalia-dei-piccoli-borghi/ Pros: Goes through smaller towns which seems nice, on pavement but quieter roads, nice views. Cons: Not sure about camping options, also hilly (but maybe easier than Italy Divide since on pavement), would need to find route northeast at the top.
I think my partner is leaning towards option 1 given the water access, but I'm leaning towards option 3 since I'm worried about camping options given that option 1 will be more populated.
Would love any feedback folks have!
by RoundTouch7813