Cycling Through Trentino’s Vineyards

Trentino, the northern Italian region, is a cycling paradise with numerous routes that challenge even the most hardcore of cyclists. Luckily, though, Trentino is also home to countless routes that are not quite as intesne. This media alert is for cyclists who want to trade the isotonic gels for a glass of red wine, and the steep inclines for leisurely rides through vineyards.

Taste&Bike in Valle dei Laghi

In Valle dei Laghi, all year round from Tuesday to Saturday, you can take part in a tasteful experience on your bike, among the cultivated fields of Nosiola and the beauty of an area dotted with numerous small lakes, ancient rural villages, proposed by the Trentino Wine and Flavors Route. You cycle along an easy circular route on the cycle path surrounded by rows of vines and, stage after stage, you meet the local producers associated with the Wine and Flavor Route. There are two guided visits to the cellars to delve into the stories and traditions of as many farms in the area, and then savor the locally produced wines during tastings. The experience ends with a tasty lunch at a typical Trentino tavern in the area.

Giro del Vino 50 in Piana Rotaliana

The Giro del Vino 50 is 50km long and embraces all six villages of the Piana Rotaliana. The route consists of two rings: the one to the north, completely flat, and the one to the south, with climbs and stunning panoramic views. This tour leads through vineyard landscapes of great beauty and takes cyclists by the numerous wineries and architectural gems waiting to be discovered alongside the peaceful flow of the Adige River. Here you can stop and also book a guided tour and a tasting. In the cellars, there are many very different experiences: trekking, walks, workshops and even treasure hunts for families. The Trento train station is a few kilometres away and regional trains stop in both Mezzocorona and Lavis. Other villages are connected by the local Trento-Malè railway which transports bikes upon reservation.

Valle dell’Adige Nord Cycling Path

A bike ride that runs through the heart of Trentino, connecting the province of Bolzano with the province of Verona. 98 kilometres along the Valle dell’Adige, alongside the river and crossing the entire province of Trento from north to south.

This is the longest cycling route in the Trentino cycling network, and it is packed with landscapes with the ancient history of a borderland. Pages of a history that playsout among the precious land cultivated with vineyards and fruit orchards, with hard-working villages where time seems to have stood still. The cycling path is protected from traffic for almost the entire length of the route, and uses old river bank roads, crossing fruit orchards and vineyards. The road is flat, the cumulative elevation gain hardly reaches a hundred metres. For this reason, it is even suitable for children.

 Extra information on the vineyards of Piana Rotaliana

We are north of Trento, where the alluvial soils, fed by the Adige and its tributaries, have created the ideal conditions for growing an indigenous vine that produces a red wine with a strong personality, a distinctive and unmistakable character, the Teroldego Rotaliano D.O.C. Full-bodied, generous and elegant, deeply territorial (it is the first D.O.C. recognized in Trentino) and therefore unique. On the dinner tables of the Viennese Habsburg nobility was the “Tiroler Gold”, the Gold of Tyrol, but the origins of the name are lost over the centuries and re-emerge in the pages of the “Histories” of the Council of Trent which mention “the Teroldeghi wines…” Also, the strong ruby red colour is linked to a legend: it tells of a dragon that terrorized the population and when he was killed with a ruse by the noble Count Firmian, Teroldego vines sprouted from the drops of his blood that fell on the ground.

Many of the region’s folk tales can be discovered through a new cycling route that touches the most evocative places of the Piana Rotaliana – Königsberg and crosses vineyards, rivers, climbs panoramic hills, reaching villages, cellars, historic farms and farmhouses.

(Images credit: MathäusGartner)

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