Can you ride a coast to coast in the Land of Venice? Yes. Here is our itinerary from the Adriatic Sea to the Lake Garda, to discover an incredible Veneto Region off-road, between nature, history and countless treasures of art.
370 km from Caorle to Peschiera del Garda following the Terre Nobili route, a new gravel event that is truly a bomb. The itinerary is beautiful and varied, with little ascent, for most of the time immersed in nature and away from traffic. With lots and lots of gravel.
Do not plan long stages, because it’s absolutely necessary to have some time to visit the beautiful cities of art that you meet along the way: Treviso, Padua, Vicenza and Verona. Veneto is the region with the highest number of UNESCO sites in Italy: the route crosses 7 of the 9 sites in the region. In Addition in Veneto food and wines are amazing, and you are welcomed with great kindness. Have a nice ride!
GETTING THERE – SAN STINO DI LIVENZA/CAORLE: 27km/60m D+
The closest railway station is in San Stino di Livenza. From there it is a pleasant and already panoramic ride to Caorle, the starting point of the Terre Nobili Gravel route.
DAY 1 CAORLE/TREVISO: 116km/220m D+
As soon as you are outside Caorle it’s immediately gravel: you ride in the protected naturalistic area of the Caorle Lagoon (so loved by Hemingway that it even has a dedicated path) where you can admire famous Casoni (traditional wooden and reed marsh houses). Then you keep riding along the banks of Piave and Sile rivers, which take us right up to Treviso, where a spritz is a must.
DAY 2 TREVISO/PADOVA: 90km/160m D+
The first twenty kilometers you ride along the beautiful Treviso-Ostiglia cycle path, obtained from a former military railway. Then the surprise is the Rotonda di Badoere, which deserves a stop. From there the road is still long, mainly along the banks of some canals and the Brenta River.
Padua is the city of 3 without: the lawn without grass (Prato della Valle), the saint without a name (Sant’Antonio da Padova) and the café without doors (Caffè Pedrocchi). A visit to the Scrovegni Chapel with Giotto’s frescoes is a must! For dinner I tried the very good Osteria l’Anfora, which offers typical Venetian cuisine.
DAY 3 PADOVA/SAN MARTINO B.A.: 113km/790m D+
We start again riding along rivers: first along the Padua river ring road and then along the Bacchiglione river. Vicenza is quite close, you have to stop in Piazza dei Signori to admire the Basilica Palladiana.
From here on the landscape changes totally: you start climbing some hills and the road becomes slightly more bumpy. You ride in the woods and on very enjoyable single-treks, all of which care suitable for gravel bikes.
Are worth a stop the Castles of Romeo and Juliet and the beautiful city of Soave, surrounded by vineyards. If you don’t have another 40 km in your legs, I recommend stopping for the night in Soave or its surroundings. I made the mistake of keeking riding to try to get to Verona, and then stopping very tired at San Martino Buon Albergo, which is a place with no particular attractions.
DAY 4 SAN MARTINO B.A./ PESCHIERA DEL GARDA: 57km/470m D+
A few steep but short climbs and you arrive quickly to beautiful Verona for breakfast
Then the Bussolengo cycle path, still an enjoyable single trek, some nice gravel roads among the vineyards and it’s time to dive into Lake Garda in Lazise. Peschiera is now very close and welcomes me with its beautiful hexagonal Fortress, one of the Venetian defence works, a UNESCO heritage site.
