Rome

You will be staying in a 4 star central Rome hotel for dinner bed and breakfast. From this base you can spend a day overcoming any jet lag or simply go out sightseeing. There is plenty to see and do in Rome including the Museums and ancient sites, the Vatican the Sistine Chapel, the Trevi fountain (as pictured) or the Colosseum. Rome also has some wonderful parks and as you stroll around there are many sites of archaeological interest. Naturally being a centre of fashion Rome has an abundance of shops with many top brands close to the Spanish steps. So, whether your interests (other than biking) lie in architecture, religion, archaeology, culture, cuisine, or even shopping, Rome has something to suit all tastes.

Rome, Cisterna di Latina, Gaeta, Castel Volturno, Naples (155 miles)

We begin the road trip head south east from Rome passing Lake Albano and Lake Nemi and onwards to Cisterna di Latina where we stop for morning coffee. The next leg sees us riding along one of those famous straight as a die roads that the Romans are famed for to Terracina and then we hug the coast to Gaeta where we break for lunch. Continuing to take the coastal route we next stop at Castel Volturno for a short break before stopping at a 4 star hotel overlooking the bay of Naples where we stay for dinner bed and breakfast.

Naples, Sorrento, Amalfi, Pompeii, Vesuvius (115 miles)

We depart Naples to take a trip around the coast to Sorrento where we take our morning break. Travelling out to the westerly end of the peninsula we look out to the island of Capri and then turn east to follow the coast to Amalfi where we break for lunch. We cross the Lattari Mountains (Dorsale dei Monti Lattari) to Pompeii where we take our afternoon break and explore the excavations before taking a trip through the Vesuvius National park to return to our hotel in Naples. At 115 miles this is one of our shortest day trips but the roads are challenging and could easily take 6 hours to ride. Added to this you cannot rush a visit to Pompeii or underestimate the number of stops you might want to make to take photographs of this beautiful area. We return to our 4 star Naples hotel for dinner bed and breakfast.

Amalfi Coastal Circuit 190km 6 hours riding

No trip to this region is really complete unless you ride the Amalfi Coast. So, we head off on an a leisurely anti-clockwise ride around the coast so that your views out to sea are less interrupted by other traffic.

We shall make our first stop at Sorrento which is not high up in the cliffs as some other towns along the Amalfi Coast. Riding can be difficult through the city centre especially along the narrow roads so we shall park up and take a stroll after which we get back on the bikes and take the rugged coastal path to Positano, often hailed as the Jewel on the Amalfi Coast, then a little further along we reach Praiano, a quiet and picturesque fishing village then onwards to Furore, but before we climb the hill to the town you should note that at the bottom of Furore’s cliffs we pass the Fiordo Di Furore, a secluded beach, where we could stop and take a dip in the sea, then up the hill a bit to Furore town which is less visited by tourists but affords great views. After some picture taking we head back downhill and progress onwards to Amalfi where we break for lunch.

On the return journey to Naples we rise up the hill to Ravello another superb vie point and from here we make our way back to the hotel.

For those who want to an added experience we can visit Herculaneum which is a smaller and better preserved archaeological site and can be viewed in far less time than its better known neighbour, Pompeii, yet still allows you to embrace how Roman life was prior to the eruption in 79AD. After which we can ride up Mount Vesuvius to the crater before we make our way back to the hotel.

Naples to Bari 310 km 6 hours riding

Traffic will be slow as we begin our journey exiting Naples, though a short section of highway will help accustom riders to Italian traffic as it passes through residential and commercial areas before joining an Autostrada then making our way onto country roads. Therefore within the first 60-90 minutes riding you will have experienced most types of Italian traffic.

We shall take a short stop in Sala before we pass a popular picnic area at Cerrus Il Parco della Quercia then onwards to Ribotolli and past Lago do Conza before breaking for lunch at Il Borgo Castello Di Calitri parts of which are a cluster of caves and huts and structurally damaged houses that were abandoned after an earthquake in 1980 together with the 13th century castle pictured right and there are great views from this elevated position making this an interesting spot to stop for lunch.

We make our way to another brief stop at a popular picnic location, Laghi di Monticchio, where you might want to take some pictures before we continue eastwards to Spinazzola where the local castle was the birthplace of a Pope and where we take a short stop. Our route then leads through the Alto Murgia National Park and onwards to the ferry at Bari where we shall dine before boarding the overnight ferry to Duress in Albania.

Brindisi to Potenza 300km 6 hours riding

We land in Brindisi and head inland to Alberobello where you will find a USESCO World Heritage Site of Trulli, the small round whitewashed houses with conical roofs. The design meant the houses could quickly be turned to a pile of rubble and fairly quickly reinstated. After a stroll along the streets to view the houses we set off again heading west.

Our route skirts to edge of a few national parks as we make our way to Matera, an interesting old town, that nestles in a small canyon. People have lived here for millennia originally in cave dwellings and continued there until the 1950's when the inhabitants were forcibly removed by the State to more modern buildings. The town has since expanded gradually upwards along the slope and the old town is largely abandoned.

We next pass Lago di San Giuliano as we make our way to the mountain town of Grottole. In medieval times this was home to about 13,000 people but there days there closer to 2,000. Thereafter, the route through Parco Regionale Gallipoli Cognato will afford some great roads, and wonderful views especially around Castelmezzano, a pretty mountain village with cobbled streets where we take another break.

On the final stretch we traverse the north shores of Lago Camastra then we pass through Anzi as we make our way to our hotel at Potenza, a town steeped in history, that makes an interesting place to stop for the night. Our hotel is 4 star rated and in the centre of town.

Potenza to Pompeii 200km 4.5 hours riding

We leave Potenza continuing across twisty mountain roads as we head towards Atena Lucana, one of the most ancient settlements in the Vallo di Diano where we shall take a short refreshment break.

Our next leg of the journey crosses the Parco Nationale del Cilento Vallo di Diano where the twisty mountain roads afford great views and a fantastic rider experience all the way until we stop for lunch at Roccadaspide.

We reach the Mediterranean Coast close to the ancient Greek city of Paestum (600-450BC) another UNESCO World Heritage Site and a little further north along the coast we reach Castelo di Arechi where you will have glorious views across Salerno. We then cross the hill to return to Pompeii

Naples, Teano, Isola dei Liri, Villa Dei Quintili, Rome (170 miles)

We begin our journey back to Rome making our first stop at Teano and we continue using minor roads to Isola del Liri where we break for lunch at a café overlooking Castello Boncompagni-Viscogliosi. On the outskirts of Rome we stop at the ancient site of Villa Dei Quintili built by the wealthy Sextus Quintilius brothers in the 2nd century. After the visit we complete our tour returning to Rome. About 6 hours riding.

Those with hired bikes will return the bikes early evening and we all stay overnight in a central Rome 4 star hotel for dinner bed and breakfast.