Rome-Barcelona ride/route tips sought...

[Theeb]

Hi all.

Planning a Rome-Barcelona ride later in the summer with a few friends, mostly camping, and would love to hear any advice or tips from people who have cycled any/all of that route. We were intending on staying costal, with a possible detour through Sienna/Florence, but not committed to anything at this stage - so keen to hear if anyone thinks that's a particularly good/bad idea.

Look forward to hearing options.
Cheers!
Tim

[iandriver]

I think you're actually on a fairly well trodden route, essentially this is what Hannibal did. There are quite a few commercial tours based on it like https://rideandseek.com/tour/hannibal-b ... highlights

Might be an avenue of exploration, Hannibal Barcelona Rome Cycle, some of them show a rough map of the route, of course, they don't give too much away.

[nirakaro]

Be aware that that's one of the most over-developed, over-exploited, over-priced, over-bourgeoisified, overcrowded stretches of coastline in the world – especially later in the summer. Following a more inland route fore some parts would probably be more arduous physically, but might be a lot more rewarding.
https://italy-cycling-guide.info/cycle- ... tal-rides/
is a good resource for the Italian part of your route.

[b1ke]

I did some of the Italian riviera a few years ago. Some of the campsites were pretty pricey and the coast road was busy.

Went inland and over the alps from Ventimiglia and then via Provence to the canal du midi to cross France. The alps were very good, particularly the Gorge du Verdon.

[whoof]

I've ridden some sections of this.

This is a nice campsite 'in' Florence (Fiesole) on a hill above the city. A great infinity pool looking over the edge. There are regular buses from the village into the city.
https://www.campingpanoramicofiesole.co ... llery.html
Many of the locals have their holidays in July and August to escape the heat of the city and the hoards of tourists, we went in June.


Sienna was my favorite of Sienna/Florence/Pisa. The campsite in the city was shut (this was a few years ago) but went to a tourist information point and got a hotel two streets from the main square for 50 euros. The square is rammed all day but we went before breakfast and there was just us and a man sweeping the streets.

I've ridden Toulouse to Nice and as above stayed inland. Quite roads and good quality/value campsites (again June). We also had a side trip up the Mont Ventoux.
Also ridden down the coast from the border to Barcelona. The roads got busier the closer we got to Barcelona, if it gets too much there's a coastal train that you can take your bike on (except commuting times) right into the centre of the city.
The 'cheapest' campsite we stayed in in Spain cost more than the most expensive in France, and the French ones were better (plots, pitch surface and facilities)

[nirakaro]

+1 for the campsite at Fiesole, with a fabulous view over Florence. Worth knowing though, that it's about a 300m climb to get to it IIRC, which can be a nasty shock at the end of a long day

[Theeb]

Thanks all for the tips so far.
We're intending on setting out from Rome early in September so hopefully hopefully miss the worst of the crowds and extremes of heat.

The inland route through Sienna and Florence is sounding more and more appealing (that campsite sounds a gem, summit finish notwithstanding!) - then back to the coast through Cinque Terre would be the idea I think.

Keen to avoid the overpriced/overdeveloped aspects of that part of the world of course - so detouring inland sounds like a smart move - but also want to see a fair bit of the coast where possible. Any stretches that are 'definite avoids' or 'must sees' would be interesting to hear...