L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2022 L'Italo-Americano " Sweetie, where are you going on that b i k e ? " I f y o u l i k e o l d i e s m a d e i n Italy, you are prob- ably familiar with the refrain from the 1951's eponymous song, Bellezza in Bicicletta – incidentally, an interesting story, that of this song, but w e ' l l l e a v e i t f o r a n o t h e r time! Cycling is more than a healthy way to move around, it's the perfect way to dis- cover new places at a nice pace, more in tune with nat- ural and personal rhythms. W h i l e w e a r e u s e d t o t h e idea of biking around the countryside to discover the b e a u t i e s o f o u r e n v i r o n - ment, we tend to forget that g o o d o l d b i c i c l e t t e a r e a great way to explore towns and cities, too. Recently, I've come across an interesting article on our n a t i o n a l a g e n c y f o r tourism's website (ENIT), w h e r e t h e y p u t t o g e t h e r some of the best places to discover riding a bike. Here, I propose my favorites, leav- ing to you the pleasure to discover the rest of the sug- gested destinations directly at www.italia.it/it/otto- citta-darte-italiane-da- scoprire-in-bicicletta. Let's begin! Ferrara No article about biking in the city would be complete without Ferrara, a place known lovingly as "the city of bicycles." Ferrara is also historically defined as the first modern European city, with reference to its eco- nomic, artistic and cultural growth under the Este fami- ly dominance. Its city centre i s p a r t o f t h e U N E S C O World Heritage, including famous landmarks such as t h e E s t e n s e C a s t l e , t h e P a l a z z o M u n i c i p a l e , t h e Palazzo dei Diamanti – the "diamonds' palace," called so because of the particular texture of its outer walls – and the beautiful San Gior- gio Cathedral. The relation- ship between Ferrara and b i k e s g o e s b a c k t o 1 9 0 8 , when the first bicycle lane was created. Today, a third of Ferraresi moves around town on a bike, so there is plenty of places where you can rent them and plenty of itineraries through the cen- ter you can follow, without any fear of being the only one pedaling away! But Ferrara is also a great starting point for out-of- t o w n b i k e e x c u r s i o n s , b e c a u s e o f t h e n e a r b y Parco del Delta del Po, where there are plenty of walking and cycling itiner- aries to follow. You can find out more about the park at www.ferraraterraeacqua.it. Lucca I a m q u i t e s u r e I m a y have already disclosed to y o u m y u n d y i n g l o v e f o r Lucca before. It was one of the first art cities I visited as a child, and it hands down remains one of my favorite destinations. It is understat- ed, elegant and neither too small nor too big: just per- fect. I also like the fact it is the birthplace of two of my favorite Italians: Giacomo Puccini and… Damiano Car- rara, the pastry chef popular also in LA! Lucca's entire historical center is closed to traffic, therefore absolutely perfect to be explored by bike – and on foot, of course, if that's w h a t y o u f a n c y . Y o u c a n cycle between Piazza del- l'Anfiteatro, the Torre del- l ' O r o l o g i o a n d P a l a z z o Ducale, then reach Piazza San Michele with its Duomo. But the most bike-friend- ly and unique experience to enjoy in Lucca is the bike tour of its historical walls: perfectly preserved since 1 6 t h / 1 7 t h c e n t u r y . T h e y stretch around the city cen- ter for 4.5 km (around 2 m i l e s ) , w h i c h a r e f u l l y cyclable; and if you fancy s t o p p i n g f o r a c o f f e e i n town, you can, because there are several "discese" to con- nect the walls' top to the center. Just like Ferrara, Lucca can also be a great place to d i s c o v e r t h e s u r r o u n d i n g countryside, especially tradi- tional country churches and ancient villas, like Villa Oliva and Villa Gabrau. Pesaro Pesaro has been recently selected as the Italian Capi- tal of Culture for 2024, so we had to include it in the list! The Marche town counts just under 100,000 residents is known, beside its artistic beauty, Gioacchino Rossini and its beaches, also for hav- i n g d e v e l o p e d a c y c l i s t - f r i e n d l y i n i t i a t i v e c a l l e d Bicipolitana, a system of cycling lanes structured in a variety of lines, just like the metro. For instance, the blue line joins the port to Fosso Sejore, while the green will b r i n g y o u f r o m B a i a F l a m i n i a t o B o r g o S a n t a M a r i a , a l o n g t h e F o g l i a River. If it's the city center p r o p e r y o u w a n t t o l e a r n about, then follow line 1, that r u n s t h r o u g h P i a z z a d e l Popolo and leads to Parco M i r a l f i o r e , p a s s i n g b y Gioacchino Rossini's birth place. A t t h e m o m e n t , t h e Bicipolitana has 12 lines, but there are more under devel- opment. Ciclovia Spoleto-Norcia- Assisi You can bring together love of arts, spirituality and nature with the Spoleto-Nor- cia-Assisi cycling trail – or ciclovia, to say it in Italian. The ciclovia is formed by t w o s e c t i o n s , o n e j o i n i n g S p o l e t o t o A s s i s i a n d t h e other – which follows the itinerary of the old homony- mous rail line – joining Spo- leto to Norcia. Each section covers about 50 km, with the first being a tad easier to c y c l e s , a s i t r u n s m o s t l y through flat lands. If you like the idea of a more adventurous itinerary, go for the Spoleto-Norcia section, where you'll find dirt roads and hills to keep you entertained. Needless to s a y , t h e l a n d s c a p e i s a b s o l u t e l y b r e a t h t a k i n g whichever way you decided to go. CHIARA D'ALESSIO Pedaling away to discover our beautiful cities (Photo: Luigi Bertello/Dreamstime) Dove vai bellezza in bicicletta? Four Italian cities to discover by bike ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES

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