From the Reggio Emilia Apennines to the plains along the River Po: 27 cycling routes

There is a side to Emilia that doesn’t rush, but savours the slow rhythm of a bicycle ride. It is the land of the ‘slow mix’, that geographical and cultural mosaic that brings together the provinces of Parma, Piacenza and Reggio Emilia. Here, the bicycle is the perfect way to navigate the complexity of a landscape that changes its character at every bend. From the peaks of the Reggio Apennines to the plains furrowed by the River Po, a network of cycle routes reveals the soul of a region where cycling is not just a sport, but a privileged gateway to landscapes, culinary treasures and villages frozen in time. The journey takes you from the hushed silence of the lowland cellars, where cured meats mature, sheltered from the mist, to the ridges of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, where the air turns crisp and the view stretches out towards the sea. Today, this region presents itself to cycle tourists in a new light thanks to Emilia Bike Experience, the Visit Emilia project that brings together an extensive network of routes. For digital travellers, the latest development is the launch on Komoot: 27 mapped and ready-to-use itineraries, available to download and categorised by difficulty, to turn any smartphone into a compass guiding you through villages and castles.