We decided to try the routes offered by Adventure Country Tracks and we went for the one that was described as easy, was relatively close to reach and good to visit in late summer. ACT Italy was a perfect choice, so we kicked off for what was described an epic 5-day journey through the heart of Italy, from the sun-kissed Romagnole hills to the rugged Abruzzo coast. An adventure promising breathtaking scenery, thrilling off-road challenges, and unforgettable experiences.
ACT Italy – Prologue
We decided to split the trip to the starting point over two days, with a night in Hungary. We booked a lovely place through booking.com and enjoyed the ride. As we reached our destination the place was dark and seemed closed. After an hour of sending emails, phone calls and a thousand mosquito bites we learned that the owner is in Australia and no longer running the place but for some reason it was still listed as available. We were promised a refund but still got no place to stay overnight. Tired, sweaty and a bit angry as everything we found was closed or ruined, we finally found a motel with a room, secure place for the bikes and cold beer that we were desperate for. No dinner though, but a big breakfast the next day compensated it.
Through small roads of Hungary, Slovenia and Italy, we reached our B&B close to Bertinoro (Ca’ Bevilacqua B&B). A lovely place, one of a kind, with fantastic design and a mini zoo! We stayed there for two nights resting after the ride from Poland and before the next five days of adventure.
The first evening, after arriving we went to “the city” for dinner, wanting to try one of the places recommended by our host. Both of them were closed (or not yet open), but on the street where we parked our bikes we noticed some tables and chairs and more and more people, definitely locals, arriving there and queuing for something at a small food stall (Boutique Della Piadina). Not thinking twice, we took one of the few last spots and stayed for a great dinner: Piadina with cheese with wonderful Celli white wine.
Next day we enjoyed a stay in our B&B, combined with some work (for Joris) and photographic fever (for Agata).
In the afternoon we again went to Bertinoro, to do some sightseeing and have a dinner. This time one of the recommended places was open (Osteria Della Serafina). And it was again a great experience – cozy, Italian restaurant that was empty when we came in, but more then full when we exited. The waitress working there was super cool and we got the biggest limoncello portion ever!
Day 1: Clay challenge
First day riding along ACT Italy we could call refreshing in terms of weather. Which was actually great – no burning sun, fresh gusts of wind, dark clouds adding some dramatic look to the landscape. Of course we had some technical issues with navigation – OsmAnd app on Joris’s phone kept shutting down, so we stopped frequently for some troubleshooting. At some point we clicked some options that caused the app to work perfectly, so we could ride on and make up for the lost time.
The track took us through a lot of small roads, some of them unfortunately with brand new signs not allowing bikers to pass (well, we were in Italy, so we took this as a suggestion, not a law… luckily we got away with it). Few roads were closed due to landslides so we need to look for detours. At some point, way into the hills and forests we got to another landslide. But after consideration, we decided to take our bikes through the heap of mud and around a fallen tree. We estimated the job for about one hour. Of course then it started to rain, turning the dirt into sticky and slippery clay, making the task even more challenging. But after one hour we were through, only to find ourselves on a steeper winding road. Joris managed to slide off the road into a ditch and as Agata was riding second, this surprised her right after the turn so she dropped the bike not being able to catch the grip on the muddy track. Getting the bike out of the ditch was a challenge, but we made it. Covering next 300 metres took us one hour more. Clay sticking to our tyres turned them into slicks. Mud got under the front fenders, and even blocked the front wheel of Joris’s bike – we used our Eastbound tyre spoons to scoop out the clay and make the wheel turning again. The ACT Italy track description saying “Don’t worry about the terrain – even after rain, the roads offer excellent grip” was not quite true 😉
We knew we would not finish the track this day. We just decided to cut it short and find a hotel somewhere close. We soaking wet and dirty, so the prospect of shower was tempting.
We found a hotel (Albergo Bellavista – Monte Fumaiolo) that had the last free room, but entering it with our dirty clothes was a bit embarrassing, so we cleaned up a bit using the tap in the parking. The looks the other guests, mostly pensioners, gave us were priceless – they really felt sorry for us. Our room was small so we had some struggle with hanging our clothes to dry. And we put our boots out of the room 😉
Day 2: Easy escape
We need to be honest. We had it the previous day, so on day two we cheated a bit and followed only the on-road sections of the track. It was strill scenic and beautiful and we could enjoy the ride and early arrival at Passignano sul Trasimeno. We headed to Hotel La Vela – the only hotel in town with a garage where the bikes are out of sight and safe (and you can clean them with a garden hose, too!). The hotel manager was great, gave us a room with a huge terrace and cold prosecco to enjoy. We took a stroll in the town, bough postcards and had a great dinner at the hotel restaurant. A perfect end to an easy day.
Day 3: Tuscan Temptations
On day three we traded the mountains for the magic of Tuscany. We found ourselves in the landscapes straight from postcards from this region. Vast, open, yellow-coloured spaces, gentle rolling hills, smooth gravel roads and cute towns like Pienza in Val d’Orcia. We headed towards Orvieto, another charming town where we stayed in a comfy B&B Orvieto in Terrazza (with a nice terrace on the roof and a bathroom behind the wardrobe doors in our room ;)) located in one of the narrow, labyrinth streets. Our bikes were parked chained to the “no parking” sign… only in Italy. We ate dinner at a small restaurant (Trattoria dell’ Orso) where the chef was a… Polish woman.
Day 4: Mountain Majesty
We left gentle hills of Tuscany to enjoy the raw beauty of central Italy. This stage was a mountain lover’s paradise, with challenging climbs and exciting descents. We went through dense forests following offroad tracks and open plateaus with smooth tarmac. At the end of the day, we found ourselves in Leonessa – a deserted town at the foot of Monte Terminillo. The place did not offer any accommodation, so we pushed on for 30 km more, down to Pian de Valli. This part was not planned at all, but was one of the best highlights of the day. Following SP10 through Sella di Lenonessa climbing up to 1980 m was a cherry on the top. And we knew the next day we would pass it again. In Pian de Vallin we found a place to stay overnight – a ski-resort hotel taken straight out from the ’70s (Albergo Piccola Baita). It had its charm. And good food and wine.
Day 5: Abruzzo Adventure
Staying for breakfast was a wrong decision. Not only it was served one hour later than agreed, but also consisted of packed biscuits and chemical marmalade. Bot once we were back on track it did not matter anymore. Our final ACT Italy day took us to the wild and wonderful region of Abruzzo. This stage was a blend of off-road excitement, stunning landscapes and countless turns. We thought it was even excessive, like someone wanted to add as many curves into the track as possible.
The end point of the track turned out to be place behind the pedestrian area, with no possibility to enter with motorbikes, and the only place to park them was a parking of a beach bar. After taking some photos, we treated ourselves with a beer. And then we saw another guy on a motorbike. On a Norden – the first and only person we met on this track. We talked for a while and then continued in different directions.
We stayed for two nights at Camping Onda Azzurra to relax after the ride and charge our batteries before moving on. We also found a great sea-food restaurant (Ristorantino Lido Riccio), where we were treated like special guests (again, there were no other foreigners) and even the language barrier was not an issue (yep, speaking Italian is easy, you just need to use your hands a lot ;))The following evening we wanted to return to the place, but it was closed – it was not a problem though – same guys had a pizzeria that was open and right across the street (Lido Riccio Street Gourmet). And pizza is always a good choice 🙂
ACT Italy – Epilogue
Riding along ACT Italy was not the only point in our agenda for this Italian trip. We also managed to:
- get disappointed with Pompei (an generally being south of Naples – garbage was disgusting!!!),
- confirm that all roads lead to Rome (where we stayed at a HU Roma camping – a good solution if you want to visit the city, which we did not do; but a terrible experience to check in – there were “no places” when we asked directly at the reception, but 5 minutes later when we returned with a confirmation from on-line booking all was fine and they had a place for us),
- visit Joris’s family in Grosseto, eat fantastic ice-cream and almost get a ticket for incorrect parking.
Overall, ACT Italy is a great track, but it is not for “beginners with some off-road experience” – some sections are really technical and challenging. And after the rain it gets really heavy! Great route though, that we managed to ride with fully loaded bikes. We definitely earned some points to our riding experience.
Route
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