Italy’s Belluna Valley Ring — a peaceful corner of the world

Belluno is perhaps the least known and least famous town in Italy’s Veneto province. When you think of Veneto, your imagination might immediately go to the canals of Venice, the Arena of Verona, and the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. Belluno is up there, so far north of the rest of Veneto that it almost seems not to belong to it.

According to various rankings, in recent years Belluno has been listed among the best provinces in Italy to live. As far as cycling is concerned, the same can be said: the many miles of cycle paths and the beauty of the Belluno mountains make this area a perfect playground for cyclists.

The Dolomites, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009, are the perfect backdrop for a Tour that’s neither too long nor too tiring: the Anello della Val Belluna is little more than 80 kilometres (50 mi) long in all (including a few slight detours, which will be explained on a case-by-case basis) and connects the towns of Belluno and Feltre, where I recommend staying overnight to break the Tour exactly in half.

With no technical challenges or great altitude gain and almost entirely on secondary roads or cycle paths, the route is great for families and novice cyclists. The road surface is mostly asphalt, with only a handful of gravel stretches: you can do it on narrow tyres, but wider tyres will be just as good.

A railway line touches many towns along the route (Sedico, Santa Giustina, Busche, in addition to those already mentioned) and is perfect for those who, tired of pedalling, would like to end the Tour in another way. I advise a counter-clockwise route starting from Belluno, the provincial capital and a city suited to every need, easily reached by train, for example, or from the A27 motorway.