600 miles across Italy

[MaxC]

Hi!

My cousin and I are planning to raise money for a local hospice, most likely next Easter. We've decided to try cycling from Venice to Brindisi, along 550-600 miles of the eastern Italian coast. Anyway, while we're both in quite good shape, and we have a year and a bit to train, we're both absolute beginners when it comes to cycling, so we thought we'd seek out some advice from some more seasoned bikers.

Our plan so far is to try to do the journey in 1 week or less, and that means we'd have to average 80-90 miles a day over a week. So before we go any further with planning this, my question is: how realistic is this?

Cheers!

 

[willem]

If you are well trained, it is doable. The question is if it would be enjoyable. My guess is not. This is not the most exciting landscape around Italy, and you would be in the saddle for many hours a day, on often busy roads.
Willem

 

[hubbike]

My stock response to people asking things like "is this realistic?"

yes. dream bigger. go do it.

 

[MaxC]

Ok, that was an encouraging first response, thanks.
If that particular route isn't all that great, could you recommend another? How about a similar route down the west coast, Genova to the tip of the toe or something? We'll be asking for sponsorship, so it'll have to be something challenging. And due to time limitations we'll need to be able to do it in a week. We're both students, so we have exams to revise for over Easter too. The limitations are a pain, I know.

 

[psmiffy]

Ok, that's an encouraging first response. If that particular route isn't the best, could you recommend any better ones? How about a similar journey down the west coast?

Ive ridden along quite a lot of the east coast a couple of times and I would suggest for your purposes that it would be the best route if you are going to take a week over it - easily doable even without being trained to a high degree - quite a lot of bits you can get off the very main roads without impeding progress that much - the main road is not that bad - most of the serious traffic is on the parellal autostrada and it is much nicer the futher south you get - the uninteresting part is that a lot of the early bit is along the spiaggia - rows of sun loungers and beach umbrellas with huge concrete hotels - but if you have not been that way - or to Italy much and are not stopping to do much sight seeing then that is no disadvantage

The more interesting routes take in the wicked scenery and the superb towns and cities flanking the central spine of the country - I would suggest that it would be much too distracting for your purposes

 

[andym]

Are you flexible about where you start and finish?

I'd say be more generous with your time - take at least a couple of weeks. If you're revising for serious exams like finals then go after them. You have the rest of your life to be a time-poor wage slave - if you can't take two (or even three or four) weeks to cycle Italy when you're a student then... well it's a poor show /*stops hurrumphing*/.

If you really have only a week then I can't see the point of flogging all the way to Italy just to cycle the duller bits. You might just as well do something closer to home.

The map on the bicitalia.com website, will give you an idea of the possibilities.

My suggestion (based on the assumption you decide to take longer as it would definitely be a hillier route) would be to start somewhere like Firenze, and then head down through Umbria and Le Marche and then head for the coast at the Gargano national park near Foggia then follow the coast, via Bari, Brindia and Lecce, down to Otranto at the heel of Italy.

Alternatively you could consider a coast-to-coast going from (say) Genova to Venice via the lakes (you could head across the central plain along the Po, but the cycling be a bit dull).

EDIT: bear in mind that the weather in northern Italy in early April can be unpredictable (don't come thinking you'll have guaranteed sunshine). April would however be a perfect time to cycle in southern Italy.

 

[xilios]

Go for it, but the scenery isn't that great for most of the ride, with the exception of Parco Nationale del Gargano and a few other small spots.
If you run into any trouble like getting bored or hills (like around Parco delo Gergano) the trains are cheap and easy in Italy.

 

[willem]

Andym,
Could you give us some idea of how much of the cycle route network has actually been completed. My Italian is pretty decent, but I get the distinct impression from what I read on the bicitalia website that much is only plans rather than reality
Willem

 

[andym]

A couple of further thought, if time is limited. i don't know where you are and what flights are available but RyanAir fly to Bari, Brindisi and Pescara. From Brindisi you could go round the heel of Italy via Marina di Leuca (which actually is the southernmost point of the heel) via Gallipoli and then, going north of Taranto, across country via Locorotondo and Alberobello back towards Brindisi. If that's not long enough, you could fly to Pescara and then take the train to a suitable starting point on the Gargano penninsula.

I should decalare that I haven't yet done this route (I'm hoping to do it in April), but much of it is highlighted as scenic routes on my Michelin maps (which have never let me down before) and are also written up in the Lonely Planet Guide to Cycling in Italy.

Andym,
Could you give us some idea of how much of the cycle route network has actually been completed. My Italian is pretty decent, but I get the distinct impression from what I read on the bicitalia website that much is only plans rather than reality
Willem

It's difficult to untangle how much is reality on the ground and how much is still at the planning stage, or 'in the desk drawer' as one page puts it - I did qualify my recommendation with the words an 'idea of the possibilities'.

If you're looking for traffic-free, signed 'piste ciclabile' then these are fairly well established in the north, less so in other parts of the country. My experience in the north east is that there certainly isn't yet an equivalent to the UK's National Cycle Network in the sense of a network with consistent signing - routes can have a confusing variety of names - eg the Via Claudia Augusta is called one thing in Alto-Adge, then in Trento it's called something else then in the Veneto it becomes something else etc etc. which doesn't of course mean that the routes aren't there, but you have to do some improvising - and sometimes key links may still be being planned or under construction.

 

[willem]

Sounds like one should try.
W

 

[hubbike]

If you really have only a week then I can't see the point of flogging all the way to Italy just to cycle the duller bits. You might just as well do something closer to home.

I agree. And psmiffy's disparaging sarcasm hit's the nail on the head. If this is a "challenge and accomplishment" thing you needn't go to Italy. why not cycle 600 miles in UK, Ireland or France. Perhaps you don't even need to travel, just knock up the 90 miles a day on an exercise bike. then donate what you would have spent on your flights to the charity you are raising money for .

But I will try to be more helpful. If you are interested in getting the most of the experience, for me, it would be about getting to know the people, sampling the fantastic Italian food culture, visiting the remnants of the Roman Empire and seeing jaw-dropping scenery (like the Dolomites or the Amalfi Coast).

If you can really only spare a week, and you are set on Italy, a nice challenge could be to tick off half a dozen high passes in the Italian Alps (perhaps get people to pledge a penny for metre of altitude gained (try for 10,000?)). Or perhaps a loop round Corsica or Sardinia or both?

Think it through and do a little research, something might pop out that really grabs you.

 

[MaxC]

Hi all, sorry for the lack of replies.
There have been some great points made and suggestions, and after having had a chat with my cousin we've decided to cycle Italy another time, when we can take the time to properly enjoy it. In the meantime, we're going to do John o' Groats to Land's End next Easter instead. Cheers for all your comments, I'm sure I'll be back over the coming months for a bit more advice.
Take care!