Bike paths with sea scent

There are many Italian routes that match two wheels and overlooking the sea. Today we give you some ideas for combining beach and bike.

Let’s start with the “Ciclabile Profumo di mare” in San Benedetto del Tronto in the Marche region. Here it means pedaling through a succession of palm trees in the center of the historic seafaring civilization and among the sandy cords of the Sentina nature reserve. 11 kilometers of track between city centre, waterfront and protected area. The route goes to an area of fishermen and maritime tourism, to reconnect with two important cycle routes: the Adriatic Abruzzo route and the one to Ascoli Piceno.

Where there was a railroad in the late 19th century there is now a bicycle path. The old San Lorenzo – Ospedaletti railroad is summed up in 24 kilometers of sport, nature and relaxation called “Ciclabile dei Fiori.” It starts from San Lorenzo passing through eight municipalities in the province of Imperia. Only the villages of Cipressa and Costarainera are about 200 meters above sea level, and they can be reached by bike along Provincial Road 45 from San Lorenzo al Mare following the route made famous in the Milan – Sanremo. 

Dedicated to Fausto Coppi is the totally flat “Ciclovia della Versilia“, which runs through Viareggio, and here there is no shortage of opportunities for discovering the area and pedaling with a view of the sea, from marble carving to Art Nouveau villas, all in all about thirty kilometers. In late August there is the Palio dei Bagni: a skate regatta in which the lifeguards of the Forte dei Marmi lidos compete (not to be missed!).

You can go and start at several points of the “Ciclovia Adriatica”, a bicycle touring route that starts in Trieste and reaches Puglia, crossing seven Italian regions. It is 1,300 km long and follows the coast, never losing sight of the sea. The section from Trieste to the Po Delta is one of the most picturesque, with lagoons separated from the sea by sand islands.