Let's talk numbers: 20 mapped and traced cycling regions, 57 downloadable tracks with photos and videos (3 cycle routes per region); approximately 9,180 km pedaled; approximately 57,000 mt elevation gain; approximately 21,000 km van transfers; 1 photographer videographer; 1 secretary assistant; 1 graphic designer; 1 Cyclist; 7 months of work; 52 hotels and farmhouses, 82 trattorias and taverns, 10 punctures, 2 tires changed, 3 mineral salt jars, 250 water bottles.

Result: an exceptional research and analysis work emerged, thanks to direct field exploration by a team of professionals, under the guidance of Mauro Fumagalli, cycling destinations designer for Miconi Srl, a leading company in creating innovative tourism solutions. Tasked with implementing the "Le Vie del BIKE" project, they identified and mapped three cycling routes for each Italian region, allowing traversal of the entire peninsula from north to south.

The Ministry of Tourism launched a truly extraordinary initiative called "Italian Journey - Discover the Italy You Didn't Know", with the fascinating goal of creating synergy between regions to develop thematic tourist routes and paths that ideally allow crossing the entire peninsula in a single journey.

Thus was born: "the bike routes", a project curated by the Marche Region as the lead region for promoting "Active Tourism", through mapping and enhancing cycle tourism routes across the Beautiful Country, with the aim of promoting outdoor sports activities even during vacations, showcasing the most beautiful and sometimes lesser-known cycle paths of each Region, and thus valorizing the immense landscape, cultural, historical, and gastronomic heritage of the Peninsula.

The intent is to offer the opportunity to do sports, traveling along paths and discovering places difficult to reach in any other way, keeping in mind the reasons that increasingly lead people to choose cycle tourism for their vacations or weekend trips. Pedal after pedal, one immerses themselves in unique contexts. Not simple bicycle rides, but routes that cross the most evocative territories proposed by each region: from coastal paths - with spectacular sea views - to countryside roads dotted with vineyards and olive groves, up to mountain trails that can offer breathtaking panoramas: each route is a unique and fascinating journey of discovery of an authentic and exciting Italy.

It should be emphasized that "the bike routes" is a project that fully belongs to a high-quality tourist offering linked to the world of two wheels, allowing unique emotions while discovering routes from sea to mountain, without forgetting the beautiful hills, from north to south and vice versa, connecting landscapes, cultural offerings, villages and castles, mountain huts and farms, maritime landscapes and trabocchi, beaches and coves, architectural and archaeological beauties, history, local specialties, hidden yet enchanting paths, colors and scents and gastronomy. All on one's bicycle, pedaling according to one's abilities, perhaps with an electric bike, for a slow tourism that allows rediscovering oneself and the atmospheres of the "attentive travelers" of the Grand Tour, discovering a unique Italy rich in incomparable ecosystems, infinite emotions and with a sense of hospitality from another era. A dynamic way of doing tourism that is passionate and allows immersion in nature while doing sports, building one's adventure tailored, to deeply experience the territories crossed, for experiences rich in charm. All that remains is to meet for "Italian Journey - Discover the Italy You Didn't Know" and pedal through "the bike routes".

The "Italian Journey - Discover the Italy You Didn't Know" project is a common promotion strategy of the Italian Regions, the result of a program agreement between the Ministry of Tourism and the Tourism Policies Commission - coordinated by the Abruzzo Region - of the Conference of Regions and Autonomous Provinces, in collaboration with ENIT. A project that sees the involvement as lead regions of Emilia-Romagna, Umbria, Marche, and Abruzzo, each for the enhancement of a specific theme (villages, slow tourism, active tourism, nature and parks) with the latter also responsible for aspects related to interoperability with the Tourism Digital Hub. To these were added partner Regions to which some vertical themes were assigned. Tuscany, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Campania regions are thus respectively dealing with food and wine, golf, and underwater archaeological tourism routes, all to further emphasize the project and thus also the Italy product.

All the work done has been enclosed in an editorial product consisting of a map and a cycle tourism guide. The new cycle tourism guide "the bike routes" offers a selection of cycle tourism routes carefully curated, the result of the meticulous work of Mauro Fumagalli, an expert guide who has pedaled and verified every route. This ensures reliable indications and a unique experience for cycle tourists.
The guide includes:
57 cycle routes with QR Code to download GPX tracks of the routes
57 descriptive sheets of unique itineraries with detailed info
140 points of interest to discover along the cycle tourism routes.

An extraordinary photographic repertoire enriches the guide, capturing the beauty of landscapes and places traversed. The images, curated with great professionalism, convey the magic and charm of each route, inspiring readers to discover these wonders on their bike.

With "the bike routes", cycle tourism becomes a complete and accessible experience, capable of combining sports, culture, and sustainability. It is an invitation to experience authentic Italy, crossing less-known territories rich in history, nature, and traditions.

The guide is available in print format and integrates modern digital tools thanks to QR Codes, which allow downloading GPX tracks of all routes.

More information and GPX tracks, to be downloaded for free, will be available in the coming months on the official website www.italia.it