Italian End to End: Sept 2013

[mnichols]

Hi, I'm doing an end to end of Italy in September and have planned my route on MapMyRide

Lot's of people mention bicitalia.org, but I am finding it impenetrable. Can anyone offer any advice?

I would like to be able to export routes and compare them with my own, or view details and notes. It just seems to be a map with a zoom button.

Any advice gratefully received - I'd be happy to share my routes via MapMyRide if someone has local knowledge

Current route is: Innsbruck (Austria), Brenner Pass, Bolzano, Lake Garda, Bardolina, Verona, Modena, Bolonga, Florence, Sienna, Lake Bolsena, Rome, Lago di Vico, Lake Bracciano, Caserta Palace, Salermo, Pompeii, Vesuveius, Amalfi, Midori, Sorrento, Palmi and the Porto Salvo at the bottom of the Italy

[andymiller]

Can you give more detail about what you're having problems with?

Basically you go to this page:

http://www.bicitalia.org/cakebi/networks/rete/2

If you know the name of the route you want (eg Ciclopista del Sole - this is the route you want that takes you all the way from the Brennero to Firenze via Modena) you click on that and then go to the relevant page. Alternatively click on the red lines on the interactive map and thes also take you to the page for that route.

IIRC you click on the 'Detagli' tag and from there you can download the gpx or kml files. I'd suggest doing this region by region or even provincia by provincia.

You may find that the routes in some areas aren't mapped. If there's a purple line on the map the route should be available - if not, email the webmaster, IME he's very helpful.

Bear in mind the site is using a very slow JavaScript - so be patient or try a different browser. I would give you more precise instructions but Safari Mobile on my iPod Touch just can't cope.

Oh and if it helps, on my website: italy-cycling-guide.info you'll fund zoomable maps for the Südtirol-Trentino, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna showing the main cycleways and cycle routes north of the Apennines.

[mnichols]

Great That's very helpful
It does seem to be better in Google Chrome and Firefox than Internet Explorer. Also I may have been a bit inpatient when clicking on the routes
Chrome is also translating the page which is helping and using the 'Detagli' button I can now export the routes

[mnichols]

Interestingly they are avoiding the road down the side of Lake Garda to Bardolino? That was one road I was looking forward to in particular

Anyone know why? Looks fine on google streetview

[honesty]

The east side is not quite as bad as the west side, but its a really busy road because its so pretty and there's a lot of it that is walls right on the edge of the carriageway. Cant remember exactly but i think there's a few tunnels on the east road... There are definitely some on the west!

[Sweep]

Yes, persevere with that site.

It's the slowest web site I've ever found - just be patient and eventually it will offer up the GPX.

A fair few of the long distance Italian cycle routes seemed to have turned up on the cycle version of OSM which you can see on Bikeroutetoaster and other interfaces. I wasn't aware that they were there before.

I've no idea how accurate they are but as I understand that signage on the ground isn't always that good (Andy will know more) this could be very handy.

[Sweep]

PS

Had a very quick look at that site of yours Andy - looks very interesting indeed - I'll have more of a look when I have more time.

A very interesting book list as well - I've read a fair few.

Yes "Italy's Sorrow" is a great book. Some bits so grim though I'd recommend geting out in the sunshine soon afterwards.

Might be worth checking out "Dad's War" as well.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dads-War-Howard ... ad%27s+war

[mnichols]

Thanks Guys, I'm going to compare their routes with mine. It would be a shame to miss the Lake Garda road (West side). In general I have avoided tunnels in the rest of Italy, but I'm not too worried about the odd one or two. I'll take front and back lights. I have been fine in The Alps in the past few years, I am presuming they are similar??

[Sweep]

mnichols: You''' need a high viz vest as wekll I think to comply with Italian regs. You also need it outside built-up areas/towns (not sure how they define this) after round about dusk as well I think.

I've ridden through some longish tunnels in Sardinia (2 to 2.5km) on a new road - it's become more problematic as the road has become busier but still not too bad - there are fairly frequent places to pull over though older tunnels maybe have different specs.

Some of the drivers on that road are pretty mad though - been a few very serious crashes already and it's only been there a couple of years - be careful out there.

[mnichols]

Thanks. Good call about the high vis vest

[honesty]

The road on the west coast of lake garda, round from salo to riva is very beautiful. My family is from Moniga del Garda and when we go over to see the always make a point of driving up and stopping off at the towns along the way as there are all lovely. I personally though would not go along it on a bike. Having said that i think you can still bypass most of thr tunnels on the blocked off old road if you can get your bike onto it. no experience of this though.

There is a ferry service that runs the length of the lake from riva to desenzano and that may well be the better way of viewing it. You can stop off at limone and malcesine (worth a trip up the cable car to the top of Monte baldo if you can, i believe you can take bikes up as there is an amazing road back down!)

[andymiller]

Interestingly they are avoiding the road down the side of Lake Garda to Bardolino? That was one road I was looking forward to in particular

It's difficult to say without knowing what was in the minds of the route planners, but I suspect they have gone for a quieter road. Garda is a big tourist magnet so there's bound to be a fair amount of traffic on the lakeside road in the tourist season (so depending on when the Google car went through, Street View may not give a completely accurate picture of traffic levels).

On the other hand, when I took this route (going to Verona) most people seemed to turn off and take the ciclabile via Torbole to Riva del Garda. From memory and going by the map, while there are tunnels on the west side, there's nothing obviously horrible about the east side route, and it makes a lot of sense if you are going to pick up the river Mincio cycleway to Mantova which starts at Peschiera. Certainly while Verona is beautiful, the route into Verona is pretty dull.

But, on the other other hand, don't assume that the lakeside route is necessarily the most scenic - sometimes they look better from the hills above.

[mnichols]

Thanks guys great advice. Much appreciated

[mnichols]

My route is going to take through some big towns and cities, I will check on the bicitalia website, but can anyone offer advice on a North to South cycle route through any of these cities:

Modena, Bolgna, Verona, Florence, Sorrento, Sienna, Rome, Pompeii (avoid?)

This isn't a complete list but these are the big towns and cities

Thanks in advance

All advice and experience welcome

[ConRAD]

... nice and challenging plan yours!!
It isn't so easy to detail a nice, interesting and safe route at the same time but ... try to have a look HERE, it seems something similar to what you're planning; ... good chance also to learn some German , good luck !!