Using the bicycle for everyday travel is ecological, economical, environmentally friendly and keeps you fit: so why not use the bike for longer journeys? Around the world there are positive examples of bike lanes and bike-friendly routes designed specifically for travel by bicycle. Italy is also finally evolving into that.
This is the case of The Adriatic Bike lane, a route of about 1,300 km from Trieste to Santa Maria di Leuca. From Friuli to Apulia through other five Italian regions scattered along the Adriatic Sea coastline. The cycling route uses largely unpopulated secondary roads and is connected by short deviations, a long stretch of the route runs parallel to the Adriatic State Road and in Abruzzo it is turned into a real cycling track. The Adriatic Bike lane never moves away of many kilometers from the coast, keeping mostly flat.
Starting from Trieste you cross the hills of Monfalcone and then enter the Po valley and pedal alongside the lagoon. Once in Emilia Romagna you stay on the coast and you touch various seaside resorts along all the path also in Marche, Abruzzo and Molise. The Puglia section of the Bike lane is perhaps the most beautiful from the panoramic point of view, you pedaling on gentle hills overlooking the sea between cultivated fields and small villages.
The Adriatic Bike lane route has not yet been completed, but is enriched each year with new traits. Much attention has been paid by local administrations who intend to attract more and more cyclotourists along the wonderful coast of the Adriatic and to promote this beautiful territory.