We’re all having to spend much more time outside in this weird new world, and Italy gets it. Back in June, the country announced a new hiking trail called the Sentiero dei Parchi that would connect all 25 of its national parks – including those on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia.
Now, an epic 140km-long cycling trail looping all the way around Lake Garda, in the north of the country, is also set to open as early as next year. The ‘Garda by Bike’ trail has been in the works for two years, and will comprise both existing cycling tracks and newly built paths running through the regions of Lombardy, Trentino and Veneto.
The route will link up with larger, continent-wide cycles Eurovelo routes seven (from northern Norway all the way down to Malta) and eight (running west from south-eastern Greece via Italy to southern Spain). The bike paths are wide and don’t include any steep climbs – so, family/novice-friendly – and you won’t need to have a mountain bike, as they are made from wood planks.
One particularly scenic section of the bike route, clinging to a rugged stretch of cliff overlooking the water at Corno di Reamol to the north-west of the lake, has already opened. No doubt, when the whole thing opens next year, we’ll be vaunting the beauty of every single chunk of it.
More brilliant plans:
You’ll soon be able to cycle from Paris to the seaside, thanks to a new bike path
A giant puppet refugee girl will walk from Syria to Manchester next year
Norway is building an epic whale-watching museum in the Arctic Circle