Ciclovia Alpe Adria

It is one of the most spectacular European cycling routes, a route that offers continuous surprises. The Alpe Adria Cycle Route was proclaimed "the cycle path of the year 2015" during the active tourism fair in Amsterdam. A unique itinerary that passes from the mountains to the sea through nature reserves, castles, museums, Romanesque churches and archaeological areas. The Alpe Adria cycle route connects Salzburg, on the northern side of the Alps, to the seaside town of Grado in Friuli Venezia Giulia. This guide is dedicated to describing the route in Italian territory from the Italian-Austrian crossing of Coccau/Tarvisio to Grado: just over 180 km, ideally divided into three sections, each representative of a landscape and an anthropic environment: large basins alternate with wilder ravines or valleys, then the moraine hills, the fertile plain, the lagoon and, finally, the beach on the Adriatic Sea. Both in the initial and final parts, the cycle path runs on the site of an old railway. You pass through nature reserves, medieval villages, archaeological areas, production areas of top quality wines and cheeses, museums, Romanesque churches, castles, until you reach the lagoon. The cycle path connects tourist cities such as Tarvisio, Gemona, Udine, Aquileia and Grado and for those who want to, eventually reach Trieste.