Umbria by gravel bike

What are the best gravel bike routes in Umbria?

Exploring Umbria in gravel is easier than you usually think. This region, in fact, despite not being among the most famous for cycle tourism in Italy, has a dense network of secondary, dirt and white roads that lend themselves perfectly to adventure cycle tourism. The cycling itineraries not to be missed, therefore, are the bike paths, the cycle paths, the bike trails and some cycle paths.

To select the best gravel itineraries in Umbria, we have taken into consideration some parameters such as compatibility with a 2 to 14 day holiday, the accessibility of the itinerary by means of transport and the presence of cycle tourism services in the surrounding area.

The best gravel bike routes in Umbria are:

Trasimeno Lake cycle way
Trail degli Etruschi cycle way
Grand Cycling Tour of Umbria
The Via di Francesco by bike

1. Trail degli Etruschi on gravel

The Trail degli Etruschi crosses Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio. It is a cycling itinerary that retraces the traces of the mysterious people who preceded the Romans in central Italy. From Arezzo to the Vatican city in Rome, it is a succession of beautiful white roads as old as the Roman Empire, secondary roads without traffic and cycle paths.

2. Trasimeno Lake Cycleway

The Trasimeno cycle path is a cycling itinerary for gravel bicycles that goes around Lake Trasimeno on dirt roads, cycle paths and dirt roads without vehicular traffic. The Trasimeno cycle path is perfect for a day’s adventure or a weekend of fun and relaxation.

Characteristics and information on Umbria by gravel bike.

At this point, all that remains is to take courage and give the first pedal stroke out of the door to begin an extraordinary adventure that will take you out of your comfort zone and discover that the limits are often only in the head and not in the legs.

The unpaved roads in Umbria are usually well cared for with a surface of beaten earth or gravel. The beauty of this type of road is that it drains rainwater very well, therefore, even in the event of inclement weather, it is still passable with gravel, mountain or trekking bikes. In most cases, these roads are panoramic and allow you to reach the borders of villages and cities. The dirt roads, mixed earth and stones, on the other hand, can present some problems of practicability in case of rain.

When is the best time to go gravel in Umbria?

The climate of the Umbria region is extremely varied due to the differences in altitude and the distance from the sea. In the plains and hills there is a periodic summer drought with very high temperatures, temperatures are cooler with often considerable rainfall especially in spring and autumn. While in autumn and winter, pedaling in the mountains can be difficult due to the abundant rainfall, both rain and snow. The best time to travel Umbria by gravel is, therefore, spring and summer, especially in the months of June and late August, early September.

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