Cycle routes in Italy: here are the favourite ones for cycle tourists

Over the past year, there have been more than 600,000 views and online searches relating to cycle routes in Italy, as revealed by FIAB and bicitalia.org.

Taken on its own, the figure could be something of a shock, especially if we compare it with the values recorded between 2014 and 2019, in fact the annual average number of clicks has more than doubled.

However, to us at Bike Facilities the figure confirms what we have repeatedly witnessed in previous articles (see for example ‘The numbers of cycle tourism and how it is changing‘).

Cycle tourism – today – has largely emerged from its niche status and is one of the few fast-growing market segments that does not seem to be experiencing any setbacks.

This is why it is necessary to guarantee increasingly homogeneous services throughout the country and, above all, adequate whatever the needs of those who pedal a bike may be.

What are the advantages of cycle paths for an area

Returning to the subject of cycle routes, these represent enormous value for an area in terms of:

• providing cycle tourists and cycling enthusiasts in general with safe, traffic-free and, above all, maintained routes;
• providing infrastructures such as recharging or maintenance points, refreshment areas and even integrating intermodal solutions;
• encourage the tourist development of the destination itself in order to become a popular destination for two-wheel enthusiasts, thanks also to collaboration with tour operators;
• involve and systemise all local operators from tour leaders, to restaurateurs, to accommodation facilities (hotel and non-hotel), as well as bicycle hirers.

With these advantages in mind, let’s see which cycle routes were preferred by cycle tourists and therefore able to capture an important slice of tourists.

Ranking of cycle routes: which are the most sought-after and popular

In their report, FIAB and bicitalia.org divided cycle routes into three macro categories:

• major routes
• quality cycle routes, i.e. routes longer than km that ‘infrastructure, landscape characteristics, safety and services offered can be considered above the national average’ (as defined on bicitali.org).

Regarding the first of these categories, we find:

• Ciclovia del Sole, from the Brenner Pass to Sicily;
• Ciclovia Adriatica, from Trieste to Santa Maria di Leuca;
• Alpe Adria Cycle Route,
• Ciclovia AIDA (Alta Italia Da Attraversare), from Val di Susa to Trieste.

While in the second category, that of quality cycle routes, we find:

• the Spoleto-Assisi (about 16,200 views)
• followed by the Ciclabile del Ticino.

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