Italy

Those who want to cycle in beautiful landscapes and who do not despise culture and the coast will find all this in Italy. A short distance from each other you will find mountains, sea and beautiful cities. If you avoid the major roads, Italian traffic is doable. The art cities with squares, marble buildings, beautiful churches and typical Italian atmosphere are all worthwhile. The evening life can also be amazing; there is a wide range of concerts or events.

The people are generally very friendly, but make contact themselves less quickly than in third world countries. Yet they are very helpful. Speaking Italian is of course an advantage, but you can also make do with Spanish. In southern Italy people hardly speak English. Communication is therefore very difficult when you do not speak Italian. That's a shame because people are very interested in you. You don't see many holiday cyclists there.

People from EU, Canada, Japan and USA don't need a visa. All other people need a Schengen visa to visit this country. You can find more information here https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/tourist-schengen-visa/. The visa is valid for 90 days, and allows you to travel through all Schengen countries.

Italy is a safe country for tourists. The maffia won't bother you if you don't bother them. Just be cuatios in big cities. In hotels, always leave your bike in the room or safely stored. In the youth hostels, if no storage room is available, properly lock and remove your saddle.

Supermarkers

Supermarkets and other shops often hold a siesta for a very long time: sometimes from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

Stalls on the street

Along the way you regularly come across fruit stalls in the villages.

Restaurants

Every village has a 'bar' where you can drink something and have breakfast. You can have an excellent lunch in most bars. After eleven, most bars have exchanged their sweet assortment for a collection of savory sandwiches that are excellent for lunch, and that are often even heated for you between the toasted sandwich plates if you wish. Furthermore: do as any Italian and stand still in a bar. Different prices apply for sitting down, you are often twice as expensive. Just stand at the bar and eat your coffee and your sandwich, or else sit outside on a wall ...

The food in restaurants is excellent and the pasta is very nutritious for cyclists. In short: Fantastico !! Restaurants are often closed in the afternoon after lunch. On the other hand, they are still open late into the night.

Sometimes they charge 1 euro p.p. when you sit down at a table. So if you only take a coffee for 1.50 euros, the coffee quickly becomes quite expensive. You do not pay this when you drink your coffee at the bar. In restaurants you pay 1 euro extra for use of the table anyway.

Drinkable water

Water can usually be drunk straight from the tap or the village fountain. But in the south and in Sicily here and there brackish water comes out of the tap. It is not for nothing that you see people everywhere along the side of the road pouring bottles from mountain water sources. Drinking water in Sardinia is often supplied with chlorine.

If there is no good pump in the area, you can try it in a restaurant or at a farm. Bottled water is widely available.

Nice routes

Many cycling routes have been laid out in the valleys of the Dolomites. The best known is the Reschenpass to Merano, Bolzano and Trento. But also from Bolzano to Bruneck and Lienz. Our experience: if the valley becomes flatter and wider, pay attention to bicycle signs, often there is a bicycle route, sometimes these routes are used as a cross-country route in winter. The quality varies.

The quiet cycling area of Oltrepo Pavese, in the south of Lombardy, is unknown but very worthwhile. You cycle in the hills between the vineyards and enjoy beautiful views. This area is also very popular with Italian cyclists.

For an overview of the bicycle network in Italy map with bicycle routes in Italia.

Best period to cycle

Spring is very good for cycling, summer can also be good when in the mountains or on the coast. Leave early on warm days. September is a wonderful month for cycling.

Spring (May - mid-June) is the most pleasant for cycling. The weather is fine, there are few rainy days. Summer is the best cycling time in the high mountains. In the lower regions, but also in the low mountain ranges, it can sometimes get pretty hot in the summer. The chance of rain in the summer is quite small. In Tuscany, on the other hand, it can rain a lot. If you want to cycle in Sardinia, avoid the hot summer months. Spring has a pleasant temperature.

Spare parts

There are plenty of bicycle repair shops in most places. However, if you are cycling in Sardinia, take enough spare parts with you. Bicycle shops are scarce there (still?). In southern Italy it is difficult to find modern bicycle repairers. So bring the right spare parts.

Tips

On beautiful Sundays, all city dwellers go out to the beach, lakes or mountains, where it is very busy and not pleasant to cycle. So it is easier to drive through Milan, for example, but it is better to postpone a trip along a lake or over a beautiful col.

Many museums and attractions are closed on Mondays, even in high season. A great cycling day ...

As soon as the sun has set, it becomes cozy in the villages / towns. Everyone comes out and sits around the village square. Young and old are together. It is still very quiet and the atmosphere is great.