From Valle d'Aosta to Sicily. From asphalt to gravel. From protected routes to free paths. There are fifty-seven "Bike Ways". Common denominator: beauty.

The most northern route (and beauty) is the Brenner Cycle Path, going (or coming) to Austria, 103 km from Bolzano, now a very popular bike path. The most southern is the Baroque Tour, a 240 km loop itinerary, from Syracuse to Ragusa passing through Noto, Scicli, Modica... The longest is the Calabria Parks Cycle Route, 549 km, from Laino Borgo to Reggio Calabria, crossing the areas of Pollino, Sila, Aspromonte and Serre. The shortest is the Alta Via dei Monti Liguri, by bike it goes from Giogo di Giustenice to Colle del Melongo, 9.4 km (better on an assisted mountain bike, and anyway for experts), on foot it goes from France to Tuscany.

Mauro Fumagalli has traced these roads of nature, history, silence, peace, in short, of beauty: 208 color pages, with photos and recommendations, QR codes to download GPX tracks of the routes (elaborated between March and September 2024). The project is called Italian Journey, supported by Enit, Italia.it, Ministry of Tourism and Conference of Regions and Autonomous Provinces, published by Miconi (for more info: www.marchebikelife.com and info@marchebikelife.com).

Beauties, therefore. Beauties by the sea, like the Francigena Route in the South, 157 km from Bari to Santa Maria di Leuca, along the coastal road. Beauties among castles, like those along the Baltea Cycle Route, 31.5 km in Valle d'Aosta. Beauties from mountains to sea, like in the Alpe Adria FVG1 Cycle Route, 181 km from Tarvisio to Grado. Well-known beauties, like in the Food Valley Bike, from Busseto to Parma, 77.8 km of food and wine. Less known beauties, like those of the Lucanian Dolomites, 56.4 km from Castelmezzano to Aliano, among rocks and badlands. Railway beauties, like in the former Monti-Calangianus-Tempio Pausania railway, 34.3 km taken from two tracks and proposed to two wheels.