Trans Italia 2025 – day 20: Along the Ticino & San Gottardo
I start out early from Lugano and after one short hill, I ride down into valley just before Bellinzona and start following the Ticino river. I follow the river upstream into the Valle Leventina, which I already know from hiking and bouldering, but I'm pleasantly...
Trans Italia 2025 – day 19: along the Adda and into Switzerland
I ride along the Adda river today, basically from where I start just after Cremona to Merate, at the edge of the northern Italian lakes. This is a real river, with blue, clean water, and enough of it to swim. The roads and paths are very mixed again today. A very few...
Trans Italia 2025 – day 18: over the Po plains
The morning kind of drags on. Even though the flat plains make rising relatively easy, the cycle paths I follow are a broad mix of gravel, trails, grass and small roads that make riding tedious. Combined with the overall stink of the canals, overfertilised fields and...
Trans Italia 2025 – day 17: out of the Appenines and into the Po plains
The night was windy and so is the morning. As I wake up, the clear sky slowly gets covered by clouds and rain can be seen on the horizon in the direction that I'm going in. I set off to see how far I can come before the rain front hits me and indeed, the first two...
Trans Italia 2025 – day 16: Along the Arno & Sieve rivers
I ride down to Subbiano and start following the Arno rover upstream. The road is partially normal busy roads, but mostly quiet gravel paths. In Stia, just before the main climb of the day, I take an ice cream break. I then ride up a beautiful even road and down...
Trans Italia 2025 – day 15: Umbria
I wake up to find that my t-shirt hanging on my bike has been destroyed over night by something that apparently like to eat sweaty wool. Today I skip any further big cities and ride through the mountains north of Perguia. The sky is hazy this morning but that clears...
Trans Italia 2025 – day 14: Umbria & Assisi
I start following the Velino river to Marmore, where my navigation wants to lead me down the local 150 m waterfall. I take a picture instead and ride around into the Nera rover valley. Here I follow the gravel bike path that in parts is more like a mountainbike trail...
Trans Italia 2025 – day 13: L’Aquila
The first part towards today's intermediate goal, L'Aquila goes downhill, on a mix of tarmac and gravel and rolls by quite quickly. After 55 km, I take my lunch break near an old water driven mill. The day is already getting hot and when I vet going again, it is in...
Trans Italia 2025 – day 12: Abruzzi
After a pleasant rise into the next valley, I follow the Volturno river upstream. It's one of the few rivers I've seen so far that actually has enough water to be called a river at this time of year. I have lunch near the source of the river and enjoy the icy water...
Trans Italia 2025 – day 11: Molise
I start the day on roads that are so badly maintained that they are more gravel than tarmac. It's fine for me and so I enjoy a few nice downhill sections until I reach Castelpagano, a small village that has beautifully clean and renewed facades everywhere. I take my...