Here you are at the first stage of this journey along the mountainous ridge of Italy. Prepare your legs because a series of climbs await you, all pedalable and with breathtaking views. Many small villages scattered along the route allow you to take refreshing breaks.



Start from Altare, in the province

This is the Piedmont stage: you pedal for a good part of the route in the southern area of the province of Alessandria, skirting the Capanne di Marcarolo Natural Park and crossing the Alto Monferrato area.



Start from Rossiglione uphill, three kilometers with steep gradients take you to the border crossing

The stage of the four regions: it starts from Liguria, crosses Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna and ends in Lombardy! This is the extraordinary nature of the Apennine Cycle Route. The kilometers of the stage are limited and the accumulated difference in altitude is demanding, but concentrated in a single

This is among the most challenging stages of this segment of the Apennine Cycle Route. The distance you cover is modest but the accumulated difference in altitude is high: for the most part it is concentrated in the long climb that takes you to the Sella dei Generali, almost at the end of the stage

The segment in which you cross Emilia Romagna begins with this stage. Commonly associated with cycling on the plains, this region actually includes in its territory a large portion of the Apennines that you get to know in this and the following six stages.



The itinerary begins in the best way, downhill

The protagonist of the day is the climb to the Silara pass (1,210 m above sea level) which begins from the banks of the Taro river but which becomes more intense after Berceto, about 30 kilometers from the start of the stage. So start at a good pace and establish stages that can save you energy.



Leave

This pre-Apennine area is full of streams and rivers that bring water to the Po, so you move from one valley to another pedaling continuously up and down. There are only a few kilometers to cover so you can take all the breaks you need to recover your energy.



Start from Corniglio and cycle in the wooded

In this eighth stage you pass the central part of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines National Park, from the slopes of Mount Cusna to the upper Val Dolo, and enter the wooded area of the royal fir tree. You also pedal through dozens of small mountain villages where you can refresh yourself and recharge your

You have passed the halfway mark of this first part of the Apennine Cycle Route. The difference in altitude accumulated over the planned 72 kilometers is high but well distributed: the climbs are long but never too steep, you pass through many small towns in the Modena area where you can take pleasant

You pedal again in the province of Modena and from the Panaro valley you move to the Reno valley. The kilometers are few and the difference in altitude is intermediate, distributed over a series of ups and downs. Leaving early in the morning you can reach Porretta Terme in the middle of the day and thus

In this stage you say goodbye to Emilia Romagna to enter Tuscany. It is the last intense stage in terms of altitude difference and length, but the beauty of the landscape, characterized by three large lakes (Suviana, Brasimone and Bilancino) allows you to measure your energy and pedal with serenity.



The

Leaving Emilia Romagna and its many valleys, the differences in height of the Apennine Cycle Route become gentler. This stage is divided into two parts: the first completely flat and the second uphill to conquer the 955 meters of the Croce dei Mori pass.



From Borgo San Lorenzo follow the Sieve river pedaling

In this stage the difference in altitude is gentler than the previous ones as you pedal following the course of the Arno river. Halfway through the route you face the only climb that allows you to move from the Arno valley to the Tiber valley.



From Ponte a Poppi, after having had a nice breakfast, start

In this stage you cross the upper Tiber valley, in Umbria. It is a moderately demanding stage, where you can pace yourself and rest in all the small medieval villages you pass through.



In the first 30 kilometers you cycle on the plain, along the Tiber river, alternating stretches of cycle path with secondary

Last stage of this incredible route along the Apennine Cycle Route, from Liguria to Umbria. Leave Gubbio with a mix of emotions and cycle through the rolling Umbrian hills, along secondary roads through woods and fields. The landscape of the hills that slope towards the Chiasco stream is breathtaking