Top 7 routes for cycling holidays in Italy

Ahh, Italy… Vineyards buzzing with bees; baroque and renaissance architecture shading al fresco diners on cobbled town squares; rolling hillsides studded with elegant cypress trees; and white-sand beaches that stretch as far as the eye can see. All these Italian dolce vita sights can be best soaked up on two wheels – and whether you choose the mainland or one of the islands, a much-loved region or one you’ve never heard of, you’ll find a cycling holiday in Italy to suit.

There are gentle coastal meanders, trails through UNESCO-listed cities and spectacular mountain switchbacks. Take it slow or ramp up the pace with this pick of the top cycle routes in Basilicata, Puglia, Sardinia, Sicily, Sienna, South Tyrol, Tuscany and Verona.

Lost in time, Sardinia

Venture away from mainland Italy to Sardinia’s south-west corner for slow travel at its finest. Just off the coast are the glistening islands of San Pietro and Sant’Antioco, where jagged pink volcanic rock plunges into an emerald sea laced with inlets and coves.

The area is unknown even to many Italians and is characterised by dialect-speaking locals going about traditional ways of life as they have done for centuries.

There are cobbled villages sprinkled with bakeries and fishmongers selling the local catch, tuna. (There is even an annual tuna festival.) Devour seafood to your heart’s content before pedalling back over the causeway to Sardinia to explore the poetically cultural but lively town of Pula, where archeological parks sit beside Punic temples and spa baths.

Quiet lanes, Puglia

Salento, in the heel of Italy’s boot-shape, is a storybook of bygone civilisations. Settled by the Greeks and Romans, and then the Normans, it still features pockets where the ancient language of Grika is spoken.

The landscape is fascinating too. There are Art Nouveau and Moorish era buildings, wild beaches, wetlands with dunes and riotous Mediterranean foliage, colourful botanical gardens and caves set in spectacular seascapes.

The quiet country lanes alongside ancient olive groves make for lovely exploration on two wheels. And when it’s time for a rest, take a dip in a palm-shaded pool or while away hours over a fresh seafood lunch.

Orchards and vineyards, South Tyrol

The 48 hairpins of the eastern approach of the Stelvio Pass compose one of Europe’s most famous bike routes. See my blog Cycling the epic Selvio mountain pass. But a cycling holiday in South Tyrol isn’t all about challenging ascents.

Along lush river valleys, where apple-orchard-and-vineyard-tapestried plains slumber between almighty shelves of Dolomite rock, there is a network of well-signed cycle tracks with pleasingly leisurely gradients. Just as well, because sampling the wines from the region while afoot is imperative.

Between Bressanone – the oldest town in Tyrol, with a honeycomb of narrow medieval streets – and the historic walled town of Trento, renowned grape varieties include Vernatsch, Lagrein and Gewürztraminer. A must-experience is the annual Törggelen festival, held every autumn, when new wines are dished up in traditional restaurants alongside roast chestnuts and smoked ham.

Etruscan heritage, Tuscany

Tuscany is perhaps best known for its gastronomy, but the charming cypress-jabbed folds of hills topped by neat saffron-hued medieval towns offer an equally lovely cycling scene. Head off the tourist trail to La Maremma in the west of the region, where softly-spoken plains once roamed by cowboys – and now interrupted only by birdsong, rustling leaves and the call of the nearby sea – sweep between architectural jewels.

Don’t miss the Etruscan-built Suvereto, where Mediterranean forests of chestnut, oak and cork trees skirt narrow alleys, and medieval-walled Marittima, a sparkling collection of golden 13^th-century buildings with forest green shutters. Round off your exploration with a glass of the region’s famous red wine as the sun sinks behind the hazy horizon.

Medieval and romantic, Verona

Recite sonnets to your heart’s content as you cycle through the city of love made famous by Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers. The bike paths are easy-going but never boring.

You might find yourself pedalling across iconic Scaligero Bridge right up to the gates of the pink marble Roman amphitheatre in Verona, through UNESCO World Heritage Sites or past medieval houses that jut into the river or open on to bright patchwork gardens. There is a famous Roman arena in Verona.

There are the tranquil shores of Lake Garda too – so romantic as to match even Shakespeare’s greatest works. Frescoed palazzi, vineyards framed by jagged Alpine foothills and historic squares bustling with pavement cafes round off the experience.

Baroque realm, Sicily

Crumbling baroque jewels pitched against craggy limestone faces, sundrenched squares where friendly locals munch Sicilian granita (fruity ice pulp served with sugary brioche) and markets jostling with fishmongers and fruit sellers are some of the idiosyncrasies of southeast Sicily – a region shaped by the patchwork of cultures that has settled here over the centuries.

Cycling from Siracusa, once the largest city in the ancient world, to the baroque towns of Noto, Ragusa, Modica and Scicli, you’ll find layers of honey-hued palazzi piled atop one another between steep ravines, Bronze Age settlements and cave tombs, and glistening UNESCO-listed churches.

Refuel after a day’s pedalling with a trip to a traditional chocolatier in Modica, where cioccolato Modicano is made according to an Aztec-inspired method using only cacao, sugar and natural flavours like lemon rind or toasted almonds.

Sassi and trulli, Basilicata

Cycling destinations don’t get more unique than the little known region of Basilicata in Italy’s heel, which charms with a rural landscape of colourful vineyards, cherry orchards and almond groves. Look closely, and you’ll find some rather unusual architecture: Trulli, or conical stone dwellings, and sassi, which comprise troglodyte cave dwellings, stairs and courtyards.

There are also UNESCO-protected cities, hilltop towns with 11^th century Benedictine abbeys and caves dangling with stalactites and stalagmites. All the while the cycling is leisurely, so what’s not to like?