Via Appia May 2024

[Emanresu]

Off tomorrow to start in Rome on the Via Appia, the ancient road that links Rome with the Adriatic ports of Brindisi and Bari. Travelling on the Eurovelo 7 then crossing over to the Eurovelo 5 at Benevento. Hope to have a pizza or two when there, especially at this place. Hope to add a few comments and pics on the way.

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/worlds-best-pizza-caserta-italy

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Please post your route for my perusal when you have a moment: I was brought up in the vicinity of Rome.
I remember the Via Appia well, we used it driving to visit family most weekends.
I remember the speed limit was 100K an hour and I certainly don't remember seeing cyclists or cycling paths.
Mind, that was 40 years ago, things probably have changed.

 

[Emanresu]

Not going into Rome as we hope to hit the coast (Ostia) direct from the airport and take the new cycle route there out into the countryside. Down to Anzio, Gaeta then over to Caserta for pizza.

https://www.sporteimpianti.it/notizie/la-pista-ciclabile-sul-lungomare-di-ostia/

The best bit is 2 weeks without politics and leaving behind the psychodrama of will he / won't he/ will he be still there?

 

[cisamcgu]

Sounds a fun trip.

 

[Emanresu]

This is for @roubaixtuesday . Whatever you do, don’t cycle down the Via Appia out of Rome. The cobbles are a nightmare.

Very sunny. Very busy on a Saturday with families and tourists on e-MTB’s which passed us with ease. We’re on Gravel/Road bikes with no suspension so felt every bump on the road. See pics.

Heading towards Terracina tomorrow on hopefully quite Sunday.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

This is for @roubaixtuesday . Whatever you do, don’t cycle down the Via Appia out of Rome. The cobbles are a nightmare.

Very sunny. Very busy on a Saturday with families and tourists on e-MTB’s which passed us with ease. We’re on Gravel/Road bikes with no suspension so felt every bump on the road. See pics.

Heading towards Terracina tomorrow on hopefully quite Sunday.

Thanks! Enjoy the tour. May the wind be at your backs, and the tarmac always smooth!!

 

[Pat "5mph"]

May the wind be at your backs, and the tarmac always smooth!!

The tarmac on the Via Appia for cars to Terracina from Rome is very smooth.
Alas, the cars are also very fast!
Good luck on the cobbles @Emanresu, at least its probably going to stay dry and sunny for you.

 

[Emanresu]

Back from tour which was a two parter. West coast - Rome to Caserta with its famous palace. Then train to East coast for Foggia to Brindisi. About 300m/500k. The choice of route was also a two parter. Firstly I wanted to complete a cross Italy route to complete Aosta on the Swiss border down to Bari or Brindisi. My son wanted to get 500k under his belt as he is doing a 500k charity ride in Kenya later this year.

We were late in getting out of Rome as I wanted to send the big bag ahead. There is a post office at the main Rome rail station with multi-lingual staff who helped complete the paperwork to send the bag to our final destination in Brindisi. Made the mistake of saving a few euros by opting for standard mail rather than express. Parcel did get to Brindisi but it was a close call. If you use the Fermoposta system, go express.

Getting out of Rome was also an issue as we missed a turn and ended up going into Rome rather than out of it. When we saw the Coliseum and the Circus Maximus, we realised we were going in a circle. So back on route and onto the cobbles of the Via Appia. Any suggestions for a cobble proof saddle greatly welcomed.

Breakfast on the hotel's roof was a pleasant start to the day though. The hotel has a bit of a scandalous history .

 

[Emanresu]

From Rome we headed towards the coast through the suburbs and then into the countryside. This section was a bit grim and partly industrial. There are pockets of abandoned factories and petrol stations. I didn't see it the first time but my son pointed out the scantily clad girls in the abandoned petrol stations offering alternative services. There is a level of openness and 'flexibility' to laws in Italy I hadn't seen before despite the various types and numbers of police around. If it works ...

As we had left late, and got lost we completed this section by jumping onto the train for a couple of stops to Latina. Trains are new, fast and cheap. Information tends to be in Italian and English which helps. Got to Latina rather than the coast as the stations can be quite far from the towns they are named after.

After being in Rome, the stay in a simple town with local families enjoying an evening was a great way to recover from the day's journey. Everyone seems to know everyone else but make you feel at ease.

Just adding a bit about trains. Generally there is no ticket office but there’ll be ticket machines which can be switched to English. There may be a €3.50 charge for the bike on some trains. Carriages where there are bike racks are marked so watch out for them. Doors may be controlled by the train driver so keep an eye out if the door appears locked.

Using the Trenitalia app is best as you get e-tickets and you can search for the trains which accept assembled bikes, usually Regional or Inter-City.

 

[Emanresu]

By now we had abandon any idea of using Eurovelo 7 and used Cycle Travel to plot a route down to Terracina. As I was using RWGPS and my son was on Komoot/Garmin, we found that a CT route could be imported into both apps with ease. At least we'd be on the same route since we going at different speeds. CT seems to have more flexibility/integration though each app has their own route planning peculiarities.

The first part out of Latina goes through agricultural areas before it hits the coast at Terracina. Lots of polytunnels with predominantly foreign seasonal labour picking an abundance of crops on either side of the road. Roads were adequate though there were parts where it was breaking up. The image below shows how patchy some of the roads can be so tyre choice is important. (Didn't seem to stop the club riders though)

From Terracina you follow the EV7 going past Sperlonga. After Sperlonga you get to a series of road tunnels / galleria that cut through the hills there. Despite experiencing riding through the centre of Rome and other Italian cities, these tunnels were the only time we felt anxious on the trip due to the speed and proximity of the traffic on that section.

We ended this section at Caserta with its Royal Palace and formal English Garden about 1 mile long. It was built by the local Duke to eclipse Versailles. It and the world's best pizza was to be the highlight of the trip. Due to late change of plans, the palace was closed the day we were there so missed the opportunity. And the pizza? I'll come back to that later.