Cycling holiday Italy: Four road bike tours in Emilia Romagna - In Pantani's footsteps in the Adriatic hinterland
Emilia-Romagna is located in northern Italy and is one of 20 regions in the country. The region between the Apennines
and the Po Valley borders Lombardy, Veneto and Piedmont to the north, Liguria to the west, the dwarf state of San Marino, Marche and Tuscany to the south - and the Adriatic Sea to the east. The south-eastern province of Rimini is surprisingly diverse: the densely populated and flat coastal strip quickly gives way to the hilly, lonely foothills of the Apennines. The countryside bears witness to the labour of the people who have inhabited it for centuries, cultivating wine, olives, cereals, fruit and vegetables, but also has large areas of forest.
The wooded mountains and hills of the Apennines are ideal for road cycling. Our touring area, the hilly to mountainous hinterland of Cesenatico, Rimini and Cattolica, is criss-crossed by a dense network of roads. The mountain stages, especially in Valmarecchia and Montefeltro, are tough, particularly the climb up the 1,415 metre-high Monte Carpegna, which lies on the border between Emilia-Romagna and the Marche region. The roads are mostly in good condition and the region is currently investing heavily in infrastructure. Nevertheless, you should be prepared for the odd pothole and drive with foresight, especially on the descents. For the most part, you pedal far away from car traffic, and on some of the somewhat busier, unavoidable connecting roads, car drivers are usually considerate. However, you have to work hard on the side roads with little traffic: They mostly lead over the mountain ranges and ridges from valley to valley. Those who prefer a less mountainous route can also do their laps in the valleys, but will have to put up with a little more traffic there.
