Abruzzo
Slow Cycling in Abruzzo
"This east-coast region is home to some of Italy’s wildest landscapes"
Kiki Deere, The Telegraph
A peaceful wilderness, far away from Italy's tourist trail, Abruzzo is a cyclist's dream. We journey through two dramatic and contrasting national parks: Maiella and Grand Sasso, discovering high mountains and medieval villages.
Gran Sasso is often described as a mini Tibet with layered foothills and forested valleys. Cycling and hiking through Maiella offers a contrasting landscape: a massif with deep cut gorges and enormous valleys with only bears and birds of prey for company. Far away from Italy's crowds and cities, this is a place to soak in the silence.
Journey Highlights
- Discover Italy's extraordinary mountain region with our expert and passionate guides
- Admire the ancient architecture of Abruzzo's medieval villages, a labyrinth of cobbled alleyways, churches and towers
- Glimpse Apennine brown bears, wolves and mountainous birds of prey
- Enjoy Italy's finest mountain food and regional wines, sampled in local homes, straight from farm to table
- Meet local artisans living off the land, cheesemakers, beekeepers, and farmers
- Cycle and walk through some of Italy's most dramatic yet peaceful landscapes
Itinerary
Your driver will meet you at the airport and take you to the delightful village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio where you will stay two nights at the stylish and sympathetically restored Sextantio Albergo Diffuso. You will meet your guiding team and embark on a lovely afternoon walk to a village with sweeping views followed by a local dinner.
The day starts with a hearty breakfast followed by a magnificent cycle loop up to the high Campo Imperatore plateau. We will stop for a picnic lunch along the way in a village that was once one of the capitals of transhumance in Abruzzo. Descending along tracks, we arrive back in the beautiful village of Santo Stefano for our second night with a wine tasting and dinner at sunset.
Today we enjoy a wonderfully varied cycle down from the Gran Sasso mountains, partly following ancient transhumance trails, through villages and into a valley with Roman ruins, farmland, meadows, lakes and ancient forests, ending with a medieval frescoed chapel. We take a one hour transfer at the end of the day to the Maiella National Park where we settle into our base for the next three nights, the beautifully converted Case Catalano, in a gloriously remote spot under starry night skies.
We start the day by jumping on our bikes for a cycle through undulating countryside and up to the spectacular Santo Spirito hermitage, a church cut into the rocks, which we will visit with the warden. After lunch in a local restaurant with sweeping views we leave our bikes to walk back to Case Catalano. Dinner is in a nearby osteria.
We have a magnificent day’s cycling in the wide and spectacular Orta Valley, heading out on the western Massif slopes, pausing to meet local cheese and honey makers, stopping for a picnic lunch near the beautiful hamlet of Roccacaramanico and then cycling back on a wooded track below the eastern Morrone mountain and passing across the Orta gorge at Salle. The day is perfect for enjoying the flora and fauna of these protected mountains.
After breakfast it’s a 2.5 hour transfer back to Rome. If you wish to extend your trip to the Abruzzo coast we can help with arrangements.
Dates & Availability
What's Included?
It’s rare in small group travel, but at The Slow Cyclist we include everything from the moment you land in Abruzzo. We are often told by our guests how great it is to forget about their wallet and focus on the experience.
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Electric Bikes
A premium electric mountain bike, best suited to the terrain.
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Guides & Hosts
A dedicated Slow Cyclist host to look after you along the way and two local guides with passions and interests that bring Abruzzo to life.
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Transfers
Airport transfers on arrival and departure, and you never need to carry any bags as your luggage is transported ahead each day.
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Accommodation, Food & Drinks
Intimate Italian guest houses, delicious locally sourced and home-cooked food and all drinks and snacks.
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Activities
All cultural visits and activities, from meeting cheese and honey makers to a wine tasting. And as ever with The Slow Cyclist, plenty of surprises too.
How to book
