Welcome to Hooked on Cycling Holidays and our cycling holidays in Italy. We are very proud of the varied nature of the biking vacations in Italy. These range from Cycle Resorts, fixed location hotels which specialise in supporting our cycling holidays, to full moving on tours in some of the most beautiful and historic regions. Our cycle tours cover many regions from Sicily in the south to Sardinia in the west, the famous regions such as Tuscany, Venice, Lombardy, Piemonte, Lake Garda, Lake Como, Chianti, Umbria, Apulia, Romanga, Bascilicata and Marche. Indeed, we think we have the most varied range of cycling holidays available by any tour operator in Italy. Italy is also our number one destination for cycling holidays.

In Italy, cycling is a near national sport where many people cycle for leisure as well as for sport. The local people idolize the sporting greats of cycling but this also means that locals appreciate cyclists and would often give you verbal encouragement while cycling as well as drivers being courteous. The regions we have chosen for our cycling holidays are all superb for cycling, lush green Hinterlands a few miles inland from the breathtaking coastlines. History is visible with ancient villages and castles to admire as you cycle. Most of our tours are self guided but we do have guided and group tours in West Sicily, Sardinia, Venice and the Italian Cycle Resort.

PIEMONTE - Piemonte pleasures
Level 2 cycling holiday in Piemonte: an 8 night self guided cycle tour.
Piemonte the region to the north west of Italy and bordering France is a fabulous region for cycling. Actually, July and August is off-season and the region is superbly quiet, as the region gets busy in the autumn due to the truffle fares. The region is famous for its truffles, chocolate and other gastronomic delights. Our circular easy tour follows the foothills of the high mountains meaning although the terrain is generally flat, you are always in view of wonderful mountain scenery. You will cycle through lovely historic villages and towns.

TASTY PIEMONTE – Barolo Wine and Truffles
Level 2 cycling holiday in Italy: a 7 night self guided cycle tour.
Piemonte is a real paradise for gourmets. Prestigious white wines, delicious chocolate and a sweet landscape of hills covered by regular rows of vineyards; in the distance the majestic circle of the Alps. Piemonte is elegance and style. The best example is the chef town, Turin, first capital of Italy 150 years ago, where the influence of the French style is very evident, that’s why Turin is called “little Paris”. The same surprise will happen coming to small towns like Pinerolo and Saluzzo with their medieval charme, don’t miss the pleasure of a delicious dinner and an unforgettable table, sampling of noble wines like Barolo or Barbaresco. In short, discovering Piedmont by bike : a special experience.

MARCHE - Cycling in Magnificent Marche
Level 2-3 cycling holiday in Marche: a 7 night self guided cycle tour.
Marche is a wonderful little explored region of Italy on the Adriatic coast. Our 7 night self guided (extra and fewer nights is possible) biking vacation allows you to explore this quiet region. You will be based on the coast in the lovely town of Gabicce Mare in a wonderful 4 star hotel. The hotel has its own swimming pool, small gym and sauna and spa pool. Each day you will head out on your self-guided tour following our pre-planned routes. The daily cycle tours will take you to historic hilltop villages, through beautiful scenic roads, exploring castles and stopping to sample wine and local produce. Being centre based allows you to choice your schedule, biking all the days or maybe only a few. The beach is only 50 metres away with nice golden sand.

PISA TO FLORENCE
Level 2 cycling holiday in Tuscany: a 6 night independent tour.
This very flexible and varied trip touches the highlights of Northern Tuscany. Every day except 1 there are 2 cycling possibilities, a short and easier route and a longer or more demanding route for the keener cyclists. The trip starts in Pisa, whose origins are lost in myth and legend. It was an extremely important maritime republic and it holds some of the world’s most famous monuments. The next overnight stop after a short climb takes us to Lucca, a small intimate town full of beautiful churches and surrounded by an impressive city wall that is still intact. On the way to Vinci, home of the famous Leonardo we pass though the Fucecchio wetlands, one of Europe’s most important inland wetlands, here many different bird species come to nest or rest during the migratory period. The last ride takes us to Florence; cradle of the Renaissance.

SOUTH TUSCANY - The Most Photographed Region
Level 2-3 cycling holiday in Tuscany: a 4 or 7 night self guided cycle tour.
This region south of Siena knows also as the Val d'Orcia. The Tuscan landscape of the Val d’Orcia will warm your heart like a classic photograph as you penetrate its natural beauty. You are in for a thrilling ride along steep valleys, dense forests, rivers and the legendary “badlands” eroded clay slopes. You will cycle on your hybrid bike by picturesque farmhouses nestled amidst olive groves, vineyards and fig trees on your way to the hot spring hamlet of Bagno Vignoni and the heavenly Rennaissance city of Pienza.

FAMILY IN TUSCANY
Level 1-2 family cycling holiday in Italy: a 7 night cycle tour ideal for the family.
Experience Tuscany as a family on this wonderful 2 centre cycling vacation. Visit the beach, Pisa, Florence and Lucca while staying in two fabulous family accommodations with swimming pools (subject to availability). This is cycling, culture and fun for the whole family.

TUSCANY CHIANTI - Cycling holiday in Tuscany Chianti
Level 2 cycling holiday in Italy: a 7 night independent cycle tour.
You are sitting in a cozy tavern, letting the bicycle day ease to a close. You truly deserve the spaghetti al pesto, and with it, you are enjoying the Chianti-wine. You are then without any doubt on the way through Tuscany, the Italian landscape and the cultural jewel. Often by surprise, a wonderful castle or a stylish villa emerges from behind the woods. Surrounded by silvery green olive groves and the violet of the lilies, Tuscany has always been a magic place for people all around the world. To experience this landscape with its immense cultural heritage by cycle is an unforgettable experience. To discover Tuscany by cycle is to cycle through regions that lie way off the tourists’ paths. Tuscany has a dream like but also hilly landscape. During all tours, our accompanying mini bus is always within your reach. We cycle on lovely side paths and country lanes from one famous city to another.

TUSCANY SPORT TOUR - Sport Cycle tour in Tuscany
Level 3-4 cycling holiday in Tuscany: a 7 night self guided bike tour.
This bike tour is for experienced cyclists only. On this bike tour, you will experience all sides of Tuscany’s wonderful landscape, cycling in the hilly Volterra area and onto the Mediterranean Sea, through the Chianti region, where the “Chianti Classico” wines come from, and to the wonderful Crete, in the south of Siena. The Tuscany’s hilly landscape is the perfect place to begin or end a cycling season. The temperatures are perfect to cycle all the year round, so that many professional teams (i.e. T-Mobile Team) are already here in February to prepare them for the cycling season. Enjoy overnights in culture and art cities like Volterra, San Gimignano and Siena. Enjoying the wines and the tasty Tuscan cooking that will make your Tuscany bike tour just unforgettable!

TUSCANY AND UMBRIA
Level 3 cycling holiday in Tuscany and Umbria: a 9 night self guided cycle tour.
Tuscany known for its hamlets and hill towns, terracotta rooftops, swaying cypress and golden valleys, as well as being the birthplace of the Italian Language, the Renaissance, and the cradle of Italian art. It was a land of wars between hundreds of its towns and villages.
The holy Umbria was a land of peace historically bound to the Church State. It is the land of St. Francis and it is the “Green Heart” of Italy, with its green fields, plains, forests and meadows of the Apennine Mountains. It is known not only for its precious liquid, olive oil, but also for its white and pink Umbrian limestone that was used to build many of its medieval villages.

SAN GIMIGNANO
Level 2-3 cycling holiday in Tuscany: a 4 and 7 night self guided cycle tour.
San Gimignano is a treasure on the hill and jewel of Tuscany, wonderful for cycling and exploring. With its thirteen outstanding medieval towers, it is clear why the town is on the UNESCO world heritage list. You will ride over clouds of sunflower fields under the Tuscan sun and along cypress lined country roads through olive groves and vineyards, which produce some of the world’s finest olive oil and wine. You shall savour the flavour of these ingredients in the outstanding local cuisine. Travel to Etruscan and Roman times, from one picturesque hilltop to the next, each with its own history and charisma. Get pinched, this is the real thing.
 
SARDINIA - Cycling the South West Coast of Sardinia
Level 2 cycling holiday in Sardinia: a 7 night independent and guided cycle tour.
A wonderful climate makes this an ideal cycling location virtually all year round. Your tour starts in the Sinis peninsula, wet areas whose lagoons have attracted some of Sardinia’s most abundant bird life and the place to see the flat-bottomed fassonis, boats still used by the lagoon’s anglers and hunters, or just for local races. The peninsula’s western coast provides same of the most alluring beaches, Mari Ermi and Is Arutas. You will the head south along this ragged coastline with nice little villages and beautiful scenic coves.

NORTH SARDINIA - North Sardinia Cycle Tour
Level 2 cycling holiday in Sardinia: a 7 night self guided tour.
The northwest of Sardinia known as the Costa Smeralda is one of the most beautiful in Sardinia if not Europe. An abundance of small little Islands scattered off the coast. You then cycle west inland also touching the coastline to Alghero one of the nicest towns on Sardinia. Staying in lovely 3 star family run hotels you shall for certain experience the true Sardinia way of life.

VENICE - Cycling the Jewels of Venice
Level 1-2 cycling holiday in Venice: a 7 night independent and guided cycle tour.
A circular tour taking in the great historic cities of Venice, Vicenza, Bassano and Treviso with a choice of smaller family run hotels and farm tourism to larger city centre hotels. The landscape is generally flat making this a tour suitable for beginners and experienced cyclists alike. Follow the circular route we call the Jewel of Venice enjoying the lovely flat landscape but also enjoying he historical cities during the late afternoon or evening.

VENICE TO POREC (Croatia)
Level 1-2 cycling holiday in Italy: a 7 night self guided cycle tour.
The starting point of this cycle tour begins with “la Serenissima”, Venice the lagoon city on the shores of the Adriatic Sea. Cycling past the beaches of the classical holiday resorts of Jesolo and Caorle on the Italian Adriatic, an opportunity always presents itself to take a refreshing swim in the sea. Due to this fact, you should never forget to pack your swim gear.
Besides these beaches, the inland regions of the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia offers countless sites with very special charm waiting to be discovered; Mediaeval fortress towns; Roman archaeological excavations; typical Italian Piazzas and buildings embossed with Venetian influences causing the visitor to forget time and space. While on the one side, the Adriatic stretches calmly and silently, the Julian Alps rise majestically to the north. The tour terminates on the Croatia peninsular.

BOLZANO TO VENICE CYCLING HOLIDAY - Bolzano to Venice cycling holiday
Level 2 cycling holiday in Italy: a 7 night self guided cycle tour.
This cycle tour is a level 2 self guided cycling holiday. On this tour you will have the chance to visit the mountains around Bolzano, the beauty of lake Garda glistening like a gem surrounded by green clad mountains, cities full of culture and history like Verona, Vicenza and Padova and, last but not least, fascinating Venice, the city in the sea.

ITALIAN CYCLE RESORT
Level 2-4 cycling holiday in Romagna: a 7 night guided suitable for tourist, club and cycling enthusiasts.
The cycle resort of Riccione on the Adriatic coast offers everything a cyclist could ever wish. A wonderful 4 star hotel with outdoor swimming pool and wellness centre. Each day the guides will provide guided rides from 30 miles (50 km) to 75 miles (120 km) or even longer on request. These will visit the many historic inland towns often positioned on hilltops like San Marino. Return from yourride to a lovely pasta snack, relax by the pool or beach before your evening dinner. Often in spring and autumn, the hotel will be full with cyclists.

APULIA
Level 2 cycling holiday in Apulia: a 5 or 7 night independent cycling tour.
Puglia, or Apulia as it called in English, is the most southeastern region of Italy and this part of the country is the least densely populated as well as the flattest, after the Po delta flatland. People live mainly in towns, owning the lands around them. Tourism is becoming more and more important but it has not ruined the landscape as in other areas of Italy. Here you will also find the best beaches of Italy.
Its strategic position, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, lying between two completely different Europe’s, linking the eastern and western Mediterranean resulted in it being attacked by foreign powers, mainly Turks. One of the most famous and helpful conquerors was Frederick II (1194-1250), the last Emperor of the Hohenstaufen line. An enlightened man, he built many castles which still grace the region, along with acres and acres of vineyards and olive groves. The overlapping of cultures and languages (there are influences of Greek, Albanian, Latin and Spanish in the many different dialects spoken in the region) seen not only in the towns and cities, but also in the countryside. Apulia produces one-tenth of the wine drunk in Europe. Olive oil, fruit (citrus trees, grapes) productions and fishery are its main activities.

ANCIENT CULTURES OF WESTERN SICILY - Cycling Holiday in Sicily
Level 2-3 cycling holiday on Sicily: a 7 night self guided and guided tour.
Sicily is the Island at the bottom of Italy, commonly known as the football whereas Italy is the boot. Sicily's strategic position, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, lying between Europe and Africa, linking the eastern and western Mediterranean and the Latin World with the Greek resulted in it being not only the prized possession of foreign powers in its tumultuous history, but also a battleground between warring nations. Sicily’s long history of foreign domination has produced an incredible mix of traditions and cultures, leaving behind some of the most remarkable works or art and architecture found in the Mediterranean world. As you travel through the least densely populated part of the island, be amazed by the many architectonic styles, predominantly Greek Medieval and Baroque.

EAST SICILY – Baroque Sicily
Level 2 cycling holiday on Sicily:  a 7 night independent cycle tour.
Eastern Sicily offers a variety of fine and astonishing scenery. Through time, nature has modeled this area. The fast flowing streams descending from the extinct cone of the Monte Lauro have excavated many deep canyons, locally called cave or “quarries” on the flat plateau that gently degrades towards the sea. A very important factor that modified the architectonic aspect of the area was the devastating 1693 earthquake. Most of the towns and villages of the area were so severely damaged they had to be rebuilt as new. They called upon great architects and crafts men to design and build the new cities, using the “new” style of the times, thus the baroque style was applied in the building of an amazing sequence of monumental cities, still intact today. Intricately carved portals, windows and railings, richly decorated churches and palaces will astonish all travelers.

A ROMAN JOURNEY - Etruscan Heartland Orvieto and Rome
Level 2 cycling holiday in Lazio: a 6 night independent cycle tour. 
As you cycle through this gently undulating, sparsely populated and not touristy area you will be overcome by the beauty of the landscape, the authenticity of the old small villages and its people and the amazing archaeological sights scattered around the countryside.
Ancient historians believed the Etruscans came from Lidia, now part of Turkey, but it is far more probable they originated from a local population living in central Italy around the year 1000 BC. The Etruscans dominated a vast territory that went from Rome to Florence, in the triangle lying between the Arno and the Tiber rivers, towards the sea. Thanks to their great sailing skills, they came into close contact with the ancient Greeks and the Phoenicians from whom they learned much. Not only did they trade foodstuff but also art, philosophy and religious believes.

LAKE GARDA TO MILAN – Cycling from Lake Garda to Milan
Level 2 cycling holiday in Lombardy: a 7 night independent cycling holiday.
The Lombardy region is the richest, most modern of Italy’s regions. Anybody not familiar with the history of Lombardy, the culture, the monuments, art treasures and nature, the tour holds big surprises. The tour overall is very easy. Usually slightly hilly paths mostly asphalted. You cycle on bicycle paths, side roads and country roads.

ITALY COAST TO COAST - Cycling across Italy Coast to Coast
Level 3-4 cycling holiday across Italy: an 8 or 10 night self guided cycle tour.
This tour takes you cycling across Italy from Marche in the east on the Adriatic coast, through Umbria and Tuscany to the west coast. This truly is a wonderful excursion where you will see the changing cultures and scenery from coast to coast. It is not an easy tour as you need to climb over the central mountains but our longer 10-night tour has two optional rest / loop days.

UMBRIA - Unknown Umbria
Level 3 cycling holiday in Umbria: a 7 night self guided tour.
With beautiful rolling scenery, historic quaint villages and superb cycling terrain this tour is available as a level 3 tour due to its hilly terrain but often a long climb is rewarded by a fantastic long descent with breathtaking views.

ITALY BIKE AND BARGE - Bike and Boat cycling holiday in Italy
Level 1 cycling holiday in Italy: a 7 night self guided cycle tour.
The itinerary winds its way along the Mincio and the Po, penetrating into rural areas of the Italian countryside that are still untouched, and ends in the warm embrace of the Venetian Lagoon. This territory haven been reclaimed from the marshes for many centuries now and is framed by green pinewoods, which offer protection for numerous species of animals. The work of man overlaps nature in a constant game of roles, reclaimed land alternates with natural canals, anglers’ huts camouflaged in the reeds, and bridges formed of boats reduce the distances between strips of sand. We run the trip in both directions Mantova to Venice and the following week Venice to Mantova.

BASILICATA - Cycling holiday in Bascilicata
Level 1-2 cycling holiday in Italy: a 7 night self guided bike tour.
This particular biking vacation in Italy situated in the Bascilicata, a region little explored at the “bottom” of Italy between the “heal and toe!” On this cycling holiday, you will explore around Matera and the Magna Grecia. This is a tour through the hills of Matera with round trips starting from the Sassi of Matera (the amazing historical part of the town) up to Montescaglioso, with its Benedictine Abbey dating back to the 12th century, San Giuliano Lake, a peaceful nature reserve and the destination of migratory species from Africa, and the Park of Rupestrian Churches.

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