Tirrenica Cycle Path

Tirrenica Cycle Path is a path of about 750 km connecting Verona to Rome, exploiting in part the existing UNESCO Bike Path from Mantova to Sabbioneta and Via Francigena.

This is a very ambitious project that has not yet been completed but is already practicable although in some areas it has been forced to ride on busy roads. The FIAB national association and the various local administrations crossed by the route cooperate in its realization. The idea is to include Tirrenica Cycle Path in an “all Italian” cycle network that is slowly coming to life: “BI – Bicitalia”.

Path

Starting from Verona, first of all, you cross the vast plain southwest to Mantua and then continue for about 30 km along the beautiful UNESCO cycle path that crosses the wetlands of the Oglio Sud Park on low traffic routes.

From Sabbioneta, the cycle path continues to Casalmaggiore, a historic hamlet of the Cremonese overlooking the right bank of the Po. From here you cross the river pass through Colorno and reaching the Parma area where you pedal among gentle hills and historic villas of great artistic value. Leave the city, the climb of the Apennine begins and with it one of the toughest tracts of the Tirrenica Cycle Path. Luckily after about 60 km, in the village of Berceto you will find the Via Francigena that will guide us beyond the mountains.

You cross the Apennines to the Passo della Cisa and then go down to Pontremoli and the Val di Magra in Lunigiana. We are now in the extremer north of Tuscany not far from the Ligurian border. Continuing south you will reach Versilia and then the Tyrrhenian Sea that will accompany you for the rest of the way to Rome.

The route is now traced: Always run along the sea, from Versilia’s cycle path, you continue in the Migliarino Natural Park, San Rossore and Massaciuccoli until you reach Pisa. Still a few miles away you will reach the fabulous Etruscan Coast on the Livorno coast. Care must be taken to the section of Via Aurelia to Quercianella, it is very busy in the summer months. Once this obstacle is passed, you can walk more quiet on secondary roads passing through Rosignano, Vada, San Vincenzo, Follonica.

Once in Maremma, some coastal bike paths allow you to easily reach Grosseto. Keeping on the coast, you can then enter to the Maremma Regional Park: you can cross it (better by mountain bike) or go along the most internal provincial road.

Leave the park on a secondary road, touching the towns of Montiano, Magliano and Capalbio, then cross the border with Lazio and cross the municipalities of Montalto di Castro, Tarquinia, Civitavecchia and then Rome.