Bicycling in Italy

by Maria
(Piovene Italy)

I always feel the best way to discover Italy is by staying in the heart of the countryside and exploring by bicycle.

The Veneto is one of the best places to cycle, the southern part is best for a cyclists of my limited ability because it is flat but in terms of scenery I prefer the northern partof Veneto. It does mean that I am often pushing my old bike along while cyclists on bikes that cost more than my car come whizzing passed looking like they have just made a detour from the Giro D'Italia.

A good route to take is from our home town of (Piovene Rocchette.) Piovene is a little town north of Vicenza and lying right next to the foothills of the Dolomites. From Piovene Rocchette you take the SS350/SS12 all the way to Rovereto and then the SS240 to the northern part and most spectacular part of Lake Garda.

The route has some great scenery and lovely little towns like Valdastico and Arsiero, both of which are well worth a short stop over. The route involves a lot of climbing and nowadays I tend to do it by car although it is nowhere near as enjoyable by car it is a lot easier on the legs.

Cycling is great in Italy in many ways but you do need to be alert on busier roads, Italian driving can be quite scary for the uninitiated and does take some getting used to.