Italian Bikepacking Tour - Autumn 2023

This route leads from the area of Lake d Garda to Pescara on the Adriatic coast and passes very diverse landscapes along the way. I rode in total 13 days. 🚴🏻‍♀️Gear choice
Beforehand, I just share my set-up, and my experience - everyone does it differently 😊
My bike of choice for this trip was my fully Rose Thrill Hill - since I wanted to have the chance to enjoy also some off-road sections as much as possible, and the MTB is just very comfy.🚏Route information
It is a good mix of quiet back roads, cycling paths, and off-road sections. But there are some highlights on the route:
⭐ Lake Garda, Ponale (Belvedere) - very scenic old road along the Lake Garda, for this route it is unfortunately a one way and you have to go back. I would only go here in the off-season
⭐ Lake Garda, Ciclopedonale del Garda - a cycling path that is kinda hanging over the Lake Garda
⭐ Valli di Commachio - a stunning nature reserve with flamingos
⭐ Monaco old town
⭐ Castello di Modanello - great backroad gravel roads with a castle to pass
⭐ Rapolano Terme - to relax the exhausted body
⭐ Abbazia San Galgano - roofless Gothic church from the 13th century
⭐ Waterfalls around Farnese
⭐⭐⭐ Abruzzo - everything in this area especially Campo Felico⛰️ Route difficulty
The route is approximately 50% asphalt and 50% gravel. The asphalt sections are often on small roads with little traffic. The gravel sections are mainly easy to ride. There was a short very difficult trail section right after leaving San Marino where I had to carry or push my bike for a few minutes. A few of the gravel descends can be a bit more difficult on a Gravel bike, while I could enjoy them on an MTB. But I think you do not need a MTB for the route if you are ok with going slow sometimes.
I rode the route in 11 days, but I also took it easy on some days, had a few flats, and took at least 2-3 half days off. I think this is an amazing route, the train shortcut Lake di Bolsano to the Abruzzo region can be avoided if you have a bit more time.💤 Sleep
I stayed indoors all nights, mostly in small hotels or B&B. I did the tour end of September till mid-October. From the 1st of October, if got harder and harder to find affordable places to stay, since a lot of hotels closed already due to the off-season. But I can imagine in the peak season it can get quite expensive.🍌🥐🍕Food
There are enough supermarkets, restaurants, bakeries, and fountains with drinkable water along the way. It was not a big problem to find food and drink along the way. Italian supermarkets are the friendliest and I could always take my bike with me inside or leave it with the cashiers. 🚎 Transportation
I traveled from and to Munich both by train. Both tickets were booked just a couple of days in advance, you need to bring a bit a flexibility due to the lack of bike spots on the trains. In general, taking local trains in Italy was very convenient and even possible in a tiny train to the Abruzzo area without a dedicated cycling spot on the train. 👍🏼 Just ask if you have any questions.