Bicitalia - The Italian National Cycle Network

This is a old version of Bicitalia.
You can see the new on www.bicitalia.org (At the moment only in Italian language)

BICiTALIA
First proposals for an Italian National Cycle Network
an original idea of Federazione Italiana Amici della Bicicletta - FIAB onlus

NB: This network does not exist yet. Now it's only a FIAB proposal. You can read about National Cycling Network in other European Countries in our pages in italian "Vacanze in bicicletta" ). In others italian pages Reti Cicloturistiche many tecnical informations.

The proposed Bicitalia network, comprises some 12,000 km of national cycle routes. This may seem a demanding target, but in the opinion of FIAB this is the minimum framework to cover the whole peninsula. The network consists of a series of north-south routes, crossed by routes running east-west from coast to coast, and these routes are based on existing local and regional routes wherever possible.

Because the national network must fulfil several functions, the routes will be selected to follow the best touring possibilities available in rural or coastal areas, but will pass through historic city centres so as to allow the cyclist to safely reach the Duomo cathedral in Milan, the Colisseum in Rome, or Mergellina in Naples. The routes will avoid where possible difficult terrain, and make maximum use of the available resources (canal towpaths, rivers, abandoned railways, parks,etc.) to minimise cost and environmental impact.

FIAB has taken great care to include the entire national territory, including every regional capital, but the commitment of the local governments, many of which actively share our philosophy and already have important projects under way, will determine the actual development of the entire network.

The development of Bicitalia will require the participation of many people and organisations, both public and private. FIAB invites you now to join us in this challenge.

N°1 Ciclopista del Sole (Cycle Route to the Sun)
This is the main route, running the entire length of Italy, islands included, like a great national greenway. A large part of the Ciclopista del Sole also forms part of EuroVelo Route 7, which enters Italy across the Brenner Pass and ends in Syracuse, the port connecting Italy to Malta by sea.

N° 2 Via del Po e delle Lagune (Route of the River Po and Lagoons)
This too is part of the EuroVelo network and follows the river Po and the Venetian lagoon. The route runs from the Italian border at Ventimiglia, continues along the Po valley and through the Cuneo region, from Turin to Ferrara, then to Venice and Trieste, where the EuroVelo route continues into Slovenia.

N°3 La Via dei Pellegrini (The Pilgrim Route)
This route is along the old Via Francigena as far as Rome (thus forming part of EuroVelo Route 5). It begins on the Swiss border at Chiasso/Como, then heads for Rome passing through Milan, Parma, Lucca, Siena. From Rome we propose to reach Brindisi (using long stretches of the Via Appia), which for centuries was the port of departure for pilgrims, crusaders and knights leaving for Jerusalem.

N° 4 Le Vie del Triveneto (in italian)
This route makes use of a rich system of inter-regional links, some already existing, which lead to Austria and Slovenia.

N° 5 Via Romea.
This runs partly along the Via Annia and Popilia ,which in Roman times linked Aquileia to Rimini, and partly along the multimodal Tiberino-Adriatico corridor, which connects Central Italy to the North East, and thus to the Eastern European countries.

N° 6 Via Adriatica.
Linking Cervia with S. Maria di Leuca in Puglia, this runs south along the Adriatic coast with its beautiful beaches.

N° 7 Romagna-Versilia.
The beach route: the Adriatic Riviera in Romagna is linked to the Tuscan Riviera in Versilia, connecting the valley of the Marecchia to the Arno Valley.

N° 8 Conero Argentario.
This route runs through the heart of Italy from coast to coast, from Mount Conero along the Potenza Valley and then to Assisi. It continues to Perugia through the Valle Umbra as far as Lake Trasimeno and then through the Chiani and Paglia valleys to Orvieto and Acquapendente, then to Pitigliano, Fiume Albegna and Argentario.

N° 9 Via Salaria.
Follows the Roman highway from Rome to San Benedetto del Tronto. Abandoned stretches of the old Via Salaria are suitable for "green" traffic.

N° 10 La via dei Borboni.
"The Way of the Bourbons" The capitals of the south connected by a cycle route. From Bari to Ruvo, Castel del Monte, then Potenza, Avellino, Salerno and finally Naples. Is it a dream?

LINKS AND DETOURS; the map shows some 1,700 km of additional routes. These are mainly links between main routes and links with border countries.

The statutory objective of FIAB, the non-profit national federation of cycle users’ groups, is the promotion of cycling as an element of both urban and rural sustainable mobility. We believe that the development of Bicitalia is one of the strongest tools available to achieve this objective.

This proposal is to be considered in many respects a preliminary one, although it comes after many years of work at both national and European level, on the creation of medium and long-distance cycle routes.

The proposed network should be seen as a national project, taking into consideration only long and medium-distance routes connecting Italian regions one to another or to neighbouring countries. Therefore, routes within regions or provinces, unless they form part of the national routes, are not considered - even though many are extremely interesting projects in their own right, such as the cycle networks around Turin, Trento, Bolzano, Modena, Lodi, Brescia in Franciacorta and Mantova, maybe the first province in Italy to develop local cycle routes.

Bicitalia is at this stage an outline proposal, even though with a strong technical and territorial background. FIAB cannot build the national network by itself and is therefore now seeking to establish national and local partnerships to bring the proposal to reality.

We hope that Ministries, including Environment, Transport, Tourism, Public Works, and economic sectors, such as the bicycle industry, the hotel & restorant trade etc, will recognise the importance of Bicitalia, adopt the project and work with us on its delivery.

FIAB, for our part, can offer the competence and enthusiasm of its members to help create this network and so to encourage environmentally sustainable transport and tourism;

With the widespread acceptance of EuroVelo, the European cycle route network, and the realisation of national cycle routes in several European countries, most recently in Switzerland and England, it has become crucial for Italy, to avoid being left behind, to embark on the development of a nationwide cycle network.

A nationwide network represents the most effective and spectacular way to encourage the use of the bicycle as a clean and sustainable means of transport. The very idea of this series of corridors, free from traffic, constitutes a breath of fresh air in the chaotic situation of traffic in Italy, where until now the tendency has been to reinforce the already existing heavy infrastructures of road, railway and sea transport. A network devoted to "green" mobility must take its rightful place in the planning of new infrastructure, to guarantee a human approach to traffic problems.

Bicitalia is also important for tourism. It would create a new sustainable sector aimed at avoiding the tourism paradox, that visitors themselves destroy the very beauty they came to experience. Moreover, Bicitalia routes would lead right into city centres, conveying a message of environmental quality while at the same time offering a concrete realisation of sustainable mobility. Italy, the biggest bicycle manufacturer in Europe and one of the countries for which tourism represents an important national resource, should no longer delay in establishing a specific policy for the development of cycle tourism. Many tourists, with an increasing presence of North Americans in particular, use the bicycle as a means of transport when visiting Italy.

Conservation of landscape and heritage is another important factor. The development of a cycle (and pedestrian) network relies mainly on the exploitation of existing or out-of-use communication routes. River and canal embankments, disused roads and railways can easily be transformed into cycle paths; while local tracks and farm roads can be improved for cyclist and walkers, with the agreement of the private owners. The work should include the recovery of man-made structures, railway stations and other buildings, and other forms of rural diversification to provide accommodation and other services. It can also preserve elements of the more recent social and industrial heritage, such as railway and canal structures, industrial equipment etc.

The creation of a national cycle network would encourage the development of small-scale businesses in the areas along the routes. Hospitality, catering, technical assistance, guided tours, specialised literature (maps and guides) can all profit from the development of a network such as Bicitalia. In fact "the small scale" could eventually become something bigger, as the Austrian experience shows, where 20% of all foreign visitors are reported to travel by bike. More generally cycle tourism is a significant source of income, as reported by the many European countries which have developed national cycle networks.

The Federazione Italiana Amici della Bicicletta represents the cycling/environmental associations present in every Italian region. Our main objective is the promotion of the bicycle as a sustainable means of transport to reduce traffic congestion and pollution, and improve the urban environment. We promote cycling tourism as an enviromentally friendly way of experiencing the world and its cultures.

FIAB organises national and local events, liaises with public administrations on technical and strategic issues, runs cycle excursions, cultural and editorial activities, and works on the promotion of bike/rail intermodality.

For further information about BICITALIA, contact: Claudio Pedroni: reg103k1@re.nettuno.it or Riccardo Gallimbeni: rigallimbeni@inwind.it

BICiTALIA First proposals for an Italian National Cycle Network an original idea of Federazione Italiana Amici della Bicicletta - FIAB onlus

BICiTALIA
First proposals for an Italian National Cycle Network
an original idea of Federazione Italiana Amici della Bicicletta - FIAB onlus