Eurovelo:
42 countries,
70.000 km
of cycle paths.
7.400 km from the North Cape to Malta. And, of course, the Italian section is a tribute to the climate of the Beautiful Country.
Starting from the North Cape, the northernmost point of Europe, the route arrives in the heart of the Mediterranean, in Malta, after crossing Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria and Italy. The route is ideal for a bike tour to start in a heavy jersey and end in a bathing suit in the warm waters of the Mediterranean. The European Eurovelo network project is co-financed by the European Union and developed by the ECF (European Cyclists’ Federation). At present there are 14 cycling routes under construction that will unite all of Europe. When completed, the Eurovelo network will have more than 70,000 km of paths, crossing 42 different countries.
From romantic Verona to the cradle of the Renaissance, passing through Bologna, nicknamed “the fat and the educated” city.
An extraordinary route crossing four Italian regions: Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, Tuscany and Veneto. For sure, these are beautiful lands of remarkable naturalistic, scenic and historical-cultural interest but, as always happens in Italy, the cycling tour will also give visitors the chance to discover the typical food, culture and traditions that are the soul of our community. Today, the Verona-Bologna route is ready to welcome bicycle tourists. The Apennines section, that climbs up from Bologna to the Tuscan-Emilian ridge, will join the route in the near future; at present, this section is suitable only for expert cyclists but it can also be travelled by train, destination Florence.
From Mirandola to Bologna. Emilia-Romagna lowlands, tagliatelle and old stations.
60 km of lowland, 60 km of the pure essence of Emilia. A straightforward, undemanding route that crosses a land of nihilists and empiricists, eccentrics and artists, of cordial and angry characters like the moody, Naïve painters of the lowlands who depict the plain. This region is a sort of Italy in miniature, a “super-Italy”. (Edmondo Berselli, Quel gran pezzo dell’Emilia). A 60 km section of the Sun Route constructed basically on the embankment of the old Bologna-Verona railway, scattered with small old abandoned stations. Crossing the imposing metal bridges of the former railway on your bike is an experience that you will rarely live elsewhere and, whatever your speed, you will always feel like a handsome “Littorina” (legendary steam train) of bygone times.
Davide Cassani
Cycling is a journey inside the landscape. It is discovery and exploration. A cyclist knows that pedalling means travelling and that travelling means learning. The bike unites. It doesn’t fear distances, it builds relations. This bike route crosses Europe from North to South, 7,400 km that will soon connect the North Cape to Malta along a single green thoroughfare through the heart of the continent. Today this route is enriched with a section immersed in the Po Valley. Small abandoned stations, imposing metal bridges, seemingly never-ending countryside, here and there interrupted by urban landscapes, ancient monuments and well-kept secrets. Today, this route connects the Brenner Pass with Bologna and it will soon reach Florence. It’s called the Ciclovia del Sole or “Sun Route”. I wonder why.