Riding the White Roads
Our selection of the best gravel bike routes in Italy
by Robert Thorpe & images by Evgeniya Dogan
Coming from a mother who took to the trails on a drop handlebar bike in the 1950s, I should have known that one day, the world would catch up! Italy is also a place close to my heart; after all, my wife believes that she’s Italian, from a century’s old triste that took place with a Roman soldier and her Yorkshire ancestors! Yes, I know. We might all be just a little Italian – how cool is that. Anyway, to important things, and gravel biking.
Strade Bianche, whilst not the oldest bike race in the world, is already a classic. It’s already one of the most exciting bike races in the world, and has been instrumental in leading drop handlebar riders onto the white roads and gravel trails all over the world. And yet, Italy is and will remain the heartland of gravel cycling; this sport , still in its infancy, and which everyone seems to be excited about.
Over the next few months, we’ll be bringing you a selection of the very best gravel bike routes in Italy. Rides across the rolling Tuscan hills, passing vineyards; gravel bike routes that take in Umbria and the historical places such as Assisi, Arezzo and Siena. Gravel bike adventures to take on the Lakes and Mountains, the Dolomites and to sweep you though the majestic Italian meadows and mountains. Yes, we want to bring you the very best gravel bike routes in Italy – with adventure built into every pedal turn!
DS Pro Ambassador: Evgeniya Dogan
History, culture & adventure
As we develop our selection of Italy’s best gravel rides, we’ll be focusing in specific areas of this amazing country. In the north of Italy for example, there’s the historic ‘Via degli Dei’ road, that connects Bologna and Florence through the Apennines, and which has been used since Etruscan times. This epic adventure is mostly unpaved – gravel – and starts in the heart of Bologna, climbing steeply to the sanctuary of San Luca, before heading out into the Italian hills. It’s a multi-day gravel biking adventure in Italy, of some 130 km that needs to be taken at a sedate pace; allowing you to take in breath taking Italy.
L’Eroica
All passionate cyclists, on road or gravel bike, know about the l’Eroica. The route of l’Eroica is some 209 km, between the Terre di Siena, through the Chianti, the Crete Senesi and the Val d’Orcia. The Tuscan landscapes are a fabled land for the white roads, with the perfect tracks for touring – and we’ll be bringing them to you. It’s a route of some 3/4/5 days, depending on your pace, and how you want to explore. Thankfully, with fixed and permanent signage will keep you on track, as you ride the white roads of Tuscany that are renowned across the cycling and gravel biking world.
A continuing work of excellence
We’re super pleased to be able to bring you the very best gravel biking routes in Italy; helping you to plan your own 2-wheeled gravel bike adventure under the Italian sun. Wherever you’re heading in Italy with your gravel bike, as we develop this new section, we’ll be sure to have a great selection of gravel routes for you to ride, along with maps and GPX files to keep you on track.
