Awarded at both European and national level, the Alpe Adria is a great classic suitable for everyone. In Italy it crosses Friuli, for a journey from the mountains to the sea.
In Europe, the Alpe Adria cycling route is considered a great classic, loved and recommended by experienced travellers and newcomers alike. Like a novel by Kafka or Dostoevsky, everyone agrees on its beauty, and it always has something new to offer, so you can ride it once and then again with ever deeper pleasure. In 2015, at the active cycling fair in Amsterdam, it received the award for Best Cycle Route in Europe, while in 2016 it received the Oscar of Italian cycle tourism.
There are two distinctive features: first of all, the Ciclovia Alpe Adria Radweg CAAR project is a virtuous example of cross-border cooperation for the development of sustainable mobility. It was born from the shared ambition of the three participating regions (Friuli Venezia Giulia, Land Salzburg and Land Carinthia) to identify a route from Salzburg to Grado, crossing the physical barrier of the Alps and creating a connection between the central European cycle network and the Adriatic. Secondly, the route is extraordinarily varied, offering new natural and cultural landscapes with every turn of the pedals. A prime example is the magnificent Italian stretch, known as FVG 1, which we explore by cycling 174 kilometres from Tarvisio to Grado. The writer Ippolito Nievo described these lands as "a small compendium of the universe." Mountains, hills and sea are the three chapters of a journey through north-east Italy.
Three stages with manageable elevation changes and – if you travel from north to south – largely downhill for long stretches. The Alpe Adria cycling route is bustling with activity and the atmosphere is pleasantly Mitteleuropean. You encounter families from Germany and Austria, solo travellers, couples on e-bikes who have been on the road for weeks, and tourists out for a short trip. You certainly never feel alone, which is encouraging for anyone making their debut on two wheels. Services, accommodation and above all transport are well organised. Along the route, the Mi.Co.Tra is always running — a train equipped for bicycles (transport of which is free) — while in summer the bicibus is also available, carrying as many as 50 bikes, the dream of anyone who seeks intermodality.
The cycling route runs for long stretches along protected cycle paths and partly on minor or unpaved roads, while some sections require care as they pass along busy roads.
Tarvisio is "the city without borders", an ancient crossroads of cultures that have met and blended here over time. We are in one of the easternmost points of Italy, close to Austria and Slovenia, immersed in the greenery of ancient forests and surrounded by enchanting lakes such as those of Fusine. In Tarvisio, you join the cycle path laid out along the old railway line. You ride on a protected surface through imposing iron bridges and tunnels, surrounded by the Carnic and Julian Alps. A natural spectacle that unfolds almost entirely downhill for around 60 kilometres.
Along the Valcanale valley, you pass the sanctuary of Monti Lussari and then a succession of villages where the balconies seem to compete with one another in flowers and colours. We allow ourselves a few short detours from the cycling route to seek out the little church of Santa Dorotea at Camporosso or to admire the "winged altarpiece" preserved in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Pontebba. The area is dotted with artworks and with fortifications and traces left by the First World War. In Pontebba, among the streets of the town centre, the large hay sculptures created during the Fenart international festival are impossible to miss.
As you ride, you encounter the old stations, which today house cafés or restaurants for cyclists. A must-stop is Chiusaforte, where mementos of the past are gathered in a small museum alongside a bike workshop and a little restaurant where you can savour frico, the local traditional dish.
Venzone is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, declared a national monument in 1965. It presents itself as a walled medieval citadel, with ancient archaeological finds within its walls. Its history was profoundly marked by the 1976 earthquake and the subsequent reconstruction, which has been virtually completed. As you arrive in the village, you encounter houses destroyed by the quake, preserved today as scars and a warning to visitors. Not to be missed is the moving permanent exhibition housed in the Palazzo Orgnani-Martita, entitled "Tiere Motus – Storia di un territorio e della sua gente" which, through photographs, videos and documents, tells the story of the earthquake and pays tribute to the spirit of the Friulian people.
In the centre we find the Palazzo comunale, a jewel of Venetian Gothic-floral architecture, the magnificent Duomo (reassembled stone by stone after the earthquake, a symbol of reconstruction) and the cemetery chapel famous for its mysterious mummies. The village is small and the atmosphere lively and rustic. The ideal is to treat yourself to dinner at an inn beside the "fogolar", savouring a dish from the Venzone tradition such as pumpkin gnocchi.
From Venzone you continue to Udine, pedalling for 55 kilometres. You ride alongside the Tagliamento, Friuli's largest river, which we leave to visit Gemona, another town struck by the earthquake. A climb leads to the historic centre, where the effort is repaid by the beauty of the panorama and a visit to the Duomo.
On low roads, passing through villages and fields, we then watch the landscape gradually transform, becoming increasingly agricultural and flat.
Udine is a cheerful and elegant town, rich in history and known as the city of Tiepolo, of whom it preserves many masterpieces. The centre is a drawing room where tourists mingle with residents, among café tables or in the rooms of the osterias. Following the Alpe Adria cycling route track, you arrive at the Loggia del Lionello, from which you can admire the picturesque clock tower and, higher still, the castle that dominates the city.
Just 20 kilometres from here lies Palmanova, the fortress city enclosed within a nine-pointed star, a masterpiece of Venetian medieval architecture. Palmanova is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy and a Unesco World Heritage Site. We pass through the imposing walls to reach Piazza Grande and set off again towards Strassoldo, a small village a handful of kilometres away that offers a completely different atmosphere. Among the lanes of the castle, time seems suspended: a millrace, the mill and cascades of flowers make Strassoldo an enchanted place.
Along the way another wonder awaits us: Aquileia, an ancient metropolis of the Roman Empire and a Unesco World Heritage Site. The cycle path runs alongside the Roman forum, the magnificent Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta (whose oldest remains date back to the 4th century and whose mosaics are known throughout the world) and the imposing bell tower.
From here onwards you begin to breathe the salty air of the lagoon, which soon opens up before your eyes with a spectacular view of Grado. It is a pleasure to cycle across the bridge for 5 kilometres to the "Island of the Sun", namely Grado. The town is colourful and lively with tourism. We are surrounded not only by boats but also by a great many bicycles. Indeed, here flies the yellow cycling flag, awarded with five smileys — the high