Ciclovia Adriatica: the great journey from Trieste to Santa Maria di Leuca
7 regions, 1700 km by bicycle, 1 sea always by your side
The great journey
The Ciclovia Adriatica is not just a cycling itinerary: it is a slow journey along more than 1700 km of Italian coastline, a thread connecting seven regions and telling stories of sea, villages, scents and stillness. Conceived by Bicitalia (route BI6), this long adventure follows cycle paths and secondary roads, favouring authentic landscapes and trajectories that invite you to slow down. On this website we share itineraries and updates, proposing safer or more scenic detours from the official route.
Via del Carso: Trieste and the eastern border
Everything begins in Trieste (CA 10 – Via del Carso), a city of wind, historic cafés and frontiers. Getting there is easy; leaving, a little less so. Once in the saddle, you cross the port city on cycle paths and join the Giordano Cottur greenway, a green ribbon that climbs gently to the border with Slovenia. Following the FVG2 you reach Trebiciano, but here we suggest a small act of adventure: diverting into Slovenian territory. The roads become quiet, the forests denser, and when you re-enter Italy towards Monfalcone you do so with the feeling of having already made a first precious leap off the beaten track. From here the FVG2 accompanies the cyclist to Lignano Sabbiadoro, through peaceful farmland and embankments sliding alongside rivers.
Via della Laguna e delle Isole: seaside villages and the great river
Past the Tagliamento, the Adriatic changes face: we are in Veneto. Flat roads lead towards Caorle, between canals, fishing valleys and bell towers reflected in the water. Alternatively you can pass through Bibione, hop on a ferry and cross the lagoon like a small explorer, among the fishermen's huts of the Laguna di Caorle. From Caorle you reach Jesolo, almost entirely on protected cycle lanes, and here the journey forks: on one side the islands of Lido and Pellestrina (CA 21 – Via delle Isole), reachable by three ferries and full of the charm of water blending with history; on the other the mainland, quieter, leading towards Mestre and then to Chioggia following canals, embankments and the slow pulse of the lagoon (CA 20 – Via della Laguna). Entering the Po Delta, the landscape opens up: great silences, expanses of water, flocks of flamingos among the Venetian valleys.
Via della Riviera: between valleys, pine forests and seaside towns
The final stretch of the Po Delta meets Bosco Mesola: you enter Emilia-Romagna (CA 30 – Via della Riviera) and the journey takes on a gentle rhythm of pine forests, resin scent and watery landscapes. The Valli di Comacchio always surprise: cycling along the Argine degli Angeli, surrounded by water, gives the impression of floating. Ravenna welcomes you with its thousand-year-old history, reachable overland or by ferry from Porto Corsini. Then you set off south again along a coastline perfect for cycling: Cervia, Cesenatico, Rimini and Riccione flow by like one long promenade, lively in summer, peaceful off-season.
Via del Conero: high panoramas and Marche villages
At Cattolica you cross the threshold of Le Marche (CA 40 – Via del Conero). The road climbs towards the Parco Naturale del Monte San Bartolo, where the Adriatic appears from above, blue and deep, and the wind carries the scent of broom. Pesaro, the city of the bicycle, opens the doors to a gentle stretch of coast rich in precious views: Fano, Senigallia, Ancona. Further south, the Conero shelters Sirolo and Numana, white pearls facing an intense sea. We recommend heading inland to reach Ancona on quieter roads, then the journey runs back along the coast to Grottammare and San Benedetto del Tronto, where the bridge over the Tronto, due in summer 2026, will link Le Marche and Abruzzo in one unbroken line of wheels and wind.
Via dei Trabocchi: the poetry of the Via Verde
In Abruzzo (CA 50 – Via dei Trabocchi) the cycle route becomes a gentle embrace between sea and pine forests. Alba Adriatica, Giulianova, Roseto degli Abruzzi are traversed like one long stroll. Then it arrives: the Via Verde della Costa dei Trabocchi, forty kilometres suspended between the blue sea and the ancient fishermen's stilted huts. One of Italy's most beloved stretches. Entering Molise, the road moves slightly away from the coast to avoid the main road, but soon returns: Termoli, with its fortified village on the sea, is a surprising jewel suspended between history and sea salt.
Via del Tavoliere e del Gargano: the fork at Lesina and the gems of the Gargano
We enter Puglia from Chieuti; the route heads towards Lesina, where the journey divides into two possible destinations: the Gargano, with its climbs and wild beauty (CA 61 – Via del Gargano), or the official route that descends directly towards Margherita di Savoia (CA 60 – Via del Tavoliere). The Gargano variant offers some of the most intense stretches of the entire route: Lake Lesina and Lake Varano, Rodi Garganico, Peschici, Vieste. The scent of Mediterranean scrub and roads that wind between blue and white.
Via delle Saline: cathedrals by the sea and pale stone villages
The second part of Puglia (CA 70 – Via delle Saline) is a journey through white stone cities and crystal-clear waters. Barletta, Trani, Bisceglie, Molfetta, Giovinazzo: each has a harbour, a historic centre, a story to tell. Arriving in Bari means entering a maze of alleys, aromas and laughter. Then you set off again towards two absolute icons: Polignano a Mare, with its sheer cliffs, and Monopoli, made of small harbours and sea walls.
Via del Salento: where the Adriatic meets the Ionian
The final stretch (CA 80 – Via del Salento) is a crescendo of beauty. The service roads alongside the SS16 allow quiet cycling as the landscape becomes ever more Mediterranean: olive trees, dry-stone walls, white houses. A detour to Ostuni, the "white city", is almost obligatory. Then you descend towards Brindisi, enter the Salento and detour again to reach Lecce, the baroque capital. When you finally arrive at Santa Maria di Leuca, where the Adriatic meets the Ionian, you feel as if you have reached the end of a long novel: one of those you never forget.