This ride has been cancelled for this year due to earthquake damage in the region

With limited traffic and spectacular scenery, cycling the hillside ridges and river valleys of Abruzzo is some of the best cycling in Italy. Add to this, the Montepulciano wine country, the award winning Adriatic beaches and Abruzzese hospitality, you are in for a great vacation!

Your home base for this trip is Valle San Giovanni (Valle), a village with a population of about 400, located in Italy’s central province of Abruzzo. Valle is in the foothills of the Apennine Mountains, 2 hours east of Rome and 35 minutes by car from the Adriatic Sea.

Olive groves, vineyards, sunflowers and picturesque hills of patchwork crops surround the village, typical of old Italy. Bread arrives daily and fish is delivered on Thursday. Amenities in the Village include a small grocery store, and a fruit and vegetable store, post office, hardware store, hairdresser and Italian style bar with wifi. Beautiful countryside and friendly locals await you. This is a genuine Italian experience. Valle Tour have led many successful tours of the Abruzzo region of Italy, including a CCCTS tour in 2016. See the CCCTS website for the 2016 tour report.

The home base consists of three houses located in close proximity, and owned by the tour contractor. We will have full kitchens in each lodging, and we’ll be preparing our own meals when not on the road. Each house will organize its own shopping and cooking duties and will ensure that the workload is distributed equitably. A rental car will be provided by CCCTS and shared to facilitate shopping for groceries.  The bedrooms are shared, by couples or singles of same gender.

All roads will be paved. Typically there are few wind issues and although there are some longer hills, the grades are mostly easy to moderate. Where it is steep it is very short. Where we have the longest climbs, we will have a support vehicle, and there’s no need to carry panniers. The highest elevation on a ride is 900m above the home base.

There will be two rest days. The tour will be a Hub and Spoke format except for Days 8 & 9 and Days 11&12, which will be two overnights away from home base. The first overnight is at one of the best organic wineries in Italy, and the second is at a beautiful Agriturismo overlooking the Adriatic Riviera. The two planned rest days will include opportunities for additional cycling, hiking, shopping, beach attendance, and/or sightseeing. We are planning a cooking lesson with Vincenza for the tour, and also a catered dinner.

• Lodging (12 nights), no additional charge for singles;
• Meals included are two dinners (welcome and farewell) and two breakfasts;
• Tour, tasting and appetisers at one of Italy’s finest organic wineries, for most everyone this is also a dinner;
• Visit to Steva Cycling Apparel Factory;
• Guide book of 35 routes and 24 hour access to a bike shop;
• A cooking lesson with meal;
• Karelo processing fees;
• Guiding and support vehicle for every riding day;
• Help in planning your trip and with details.

1. Meals, except as noted above. Meals can be prepared in the apartments or obtained at local restaurants.

2. Transportation costs to Italy, bus from Rome airport (gasparionline.it) or from the centre of Rome to Teramo (arpaonline.it and gasparionline.it). The costs are 17 to 19 Euros respectively. Please contact the Tour Coordinator with any Tour queries you may have or Valle Tours at 250-655-4030 or gordonlitster@shaw.ca

3. Rental bikes are available for those not wanting to bring their own. The rental costs are: Hybrid – $195.00 (CAD); steel or aluminum road bike – $295.00; or a carbon road bike -$395.00. A deposit of $25 will secure your choice of rental bike in your size.

Day 1: Thursday, August 31. Arrive in Teramo, pickup and transfer to Valle San Giovanni. After familiarizing everyone with the houses, and unpacking, we will fit and test bikes, purchase groceries and acquaint you with the village amenities. Tonight your hosts provide a welcome dinner at one of their favourite local restaurant.

Day 2: Friday, September 1. Civitella del Tronto is an interesting fortress and village. Listed as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, we will spend several hours here. Perched strategically on top of a hill, it offers a grand panorama of the surrounding area and an interesting museum within the fortress itself. 65 km.

 Day 3: Saturday, September 2. The picturesque village of Castelli is at the foot of Mt. Camicia, and has been considered one of the most famous Italian centres for the art of ceramics. Various shops in the historic centre and spectacular views offer an enjoyable time for all. 75km.

Day 4: Sunday, September 3. Today you are off to the Adriatic resort town of Guilianova. Leave early and you are usually assisted by a gentle tailwind. Return in the early afternoon and the breeze shifts to bring you home. Sandy beaches, palm trees and the Adriatic bike path await you. 80km.

Day 5: Monday, September 4. The ride to Cortino offers a number of visually stunning viewpoints. From Valle we climb (9 km) to the entrance of the largest national park in Italy, Monti della Laga. This is the only place in Europe that still has native bears and wolves. After the climb, the ride is relatively flat until we near Cortino, and then it is a further two km climb to the summit of Piano Roseto. From Cortino to Piano Roseto we will see a number of shepherds with their flocks. At the summit we enjoy spectacular mountain scenery and then turn around for a very pleasant descent back to Valle. This is the most challenging ride of the tour, but the favourite of many. 50km.

Day 6: Tuesday, September 5. A rest day which will include opportunities for cycling, hiking, shopping, sightseeing or we may schedule a cooking lesson for the group.

Day 7: Wednesday, September 6. To Capanelle Pass – an interesting canyon ride. This route has been a stage of the Giro d’Italia a number of times and was the original road to Rome. With few cars and a good surface, this is a cyclists dream. 50 to 91 km depending on the tour leader.

Day 8: Thursday, September 7. Torano Nuovo; a move day to Torano Nuovo and one of the best organic wineries in Italy, “Emidio Pepe”. After a tour of the winery, you will be welcomed with wine tasting and a tour. Then, a pleasant stroll through the vineyard to the village for dinner. After dinner we will be escorted by fireflies on the way home (magical). 58 km.

Day 9: Friday, September 8. Move day back to Valle via a different route. We will go through the charming town of Campli, visit the museum and other interesting sights. 55km.

Day 10: Saturday, September 9. This planned rest day will include opportunities for cycling, hiking, shopping, or sightseeing. Also, many of you may take in the large street market in Teramo.

Day 11: Sunday, September 10. To Silvi; an easy, lazy ride to the Adriatic as we weave our way south along the Adriatic bike path and SS16. After taking in several of the resort towns, we will stop and enjoy a few hours on the beach before continuing on to the beautiful town of Silvi. We will be staying overnight at a beautiful Agriturismo overlooking the Adriatic. Dinner is provided by your hosts. 60km.

Day 12: Monday, September 11. Today we take in the beautiful and historic town of Atri, where Roman Emperor Hadrian was born. Atri is the cultural and artistic hub of this region. We will definitely spend several hours here taking in this scenic town. 60km.

Day 13: Tuesday, September 12. Arrivederci. Memories and friendships have been made. Take your last stroll around the village, making your way down to the bar for Francesca’s cappuccino. Rides to Teramo will be provided. Thanks for having shared our “dear Valle”!

If you have questions about the tour, please contact either tour coordinator or Valle Tours. For photos of the area go to www.valletours.com/photos .

A $2.00 non-refundable registration fee is required at tour signup, which must be done online on January 16, 2017 at 5:00 Pm Pacific Standard Time.  Participants will be selected first, on the basis of registration time; secondly, on fitness and cycling experience.  

There may be some adjustments needed based on the number of couples and singles signing up to accommodate our lodging facilities.

Successful registrants will be contacted by the Tour Coordinator within 72 hours of the registration, and the first payment of $800 must be made online within 3 days of acceptance.  The second payment of $1,000 will be due on May 1, 2017