Your holiday begins in or near the alpine town of Bolzano. It’s the capital of the South Tyrol region and sits at the southern end of the Brenner Pass in the Italian Alps. There’s plenty to see and do here from taking a cable car up one of surrounding mountains for an alpine walk to visiting Bolzano’s most famous resident, ‘Ötzi’, a 5,000 year old neolithic iceman who’s well-preserved remains were discovered in a nearby glacier in 1991. The town consistently ranks highly in the most-popular-town-to live-in stakes thanks to its culture, restaurants, pleasant climate and alpine air. A wander through the bustling historic old town with its narrow cobbled streets is a must. Here you’ll find an excellent choice of restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets. Get a good night’s sleep to prepare yourself for your cycling adventure that starts in the morning.

An early start today, as you are picked up and transferred by van with your bikes to the top of the Resia Pass at the end of the Venosta Valley. The scenic journey takes about 1 hour 45 minutes and you disembark in the village of Resia (1500m) which enjoys a stunning location at the northern end of Resia Lake, surrounded by picturesque alpine meadows and granite peaks. The lake is actually artificial and was created just after World War II immersing some local villages. Today’s ride really is special as you’ll be pedalling along a peaceful cycle path beside the babbling Adige River, enjoying jaw-dropping alpine vistas all the way. Because you’ve started at the top of the pass, the cycling is predominantly downhill and in our opinion leisure cycling really doesn’t get much better than this. The gorgeous natural scenery is interrupted only by charming alpine villages such as Burgusio, Malles and Glorenza. All too soon, you arrive at your overnight stop in the pretty little town of Silandro.

After breakfast you rejoin the idyllic cycle path and continue on down the Venosta Valley beside the Adige River letting the impressive alpine scenery roll past. As well as being scenic, the Venosta Valley is also fertile and on today’s ride you’ll pass many fruit orchards - apricots, apples, strawberries and pears all thrive here. In the village of Laces you could lock the bikes up and take the cable car up to 1740m to the tiny village of San Martino Al Monte. Here you can enjoy fabulous views along the valley and admire one of the most beautiful pilgrimage churches of the South Tyrol. More easy riding beside the Adige River brings you to the town of Merano your home for the evening. Merano is a spa town and a visit to its centrally located thermal pool complex is highly recommended, particularly after a long day in the saddle.

By now you’ll be getting into a pleasant rhythm and your legs will know what’s expected of them. More leisurely cycling along the Adige cycle path today as you descend the Upper Adige Valley to Bolzano (where your holiday began three days ago). The valley is wide and fertile and we recommend detouring from the cycle path to small alpine villages such as Nals and Andriano for an ice-cream or coffee break. Your trusty guide, The Adige river, finally delivers you to Bolzano where you’ll stop for the night. Take a stroll through the atmospheric old town along the narrow arcade-lined lanes or visit the Reinhold Messner Climbing Museum. If it’s hot, you might opt for an afternoon at the open-air swimming pool.

Today there are two route options to choose from. The easiest and most direct route leads you south along the lower Adige valley beside the river which is bigger now, swollen by its confluence with the Eisack River at Bolzano. The second, slightly longer option includes a couple of short climbs but the payoff is a ride through the stunning Caladaro Valley to Lake Caldaro. The lake is one of the warmest in the alps and just perfect for a swim if the weather is hot. The two routes converge further down the Adige Valley, near the town of Ora from where you continue your journey south. For centuries this wide fertile valley has been one of the primary north-south trading routes through the alps and the scenery is spectacular. Tiny, white alpine villages, perched on the green mountainsides on either side of the valley, are overlooked by towering granite peaks. The easy, level cycle path sticks resolutely to the valley floor leading you through the small pleasant villages of Ora, Egna and Salorno before arriving at Trento, today’s destination. Trento has a long and colourful history, thanks to its strategic position on one of the Alps’ main passes. Head for the picturesque medieval city centre to absorb the atmosphere and learn more.

Leaving Trento, you continue down the valley, beside the river, to the village of Mori where you leave the Adige and cycle up and over a small ridge. This short climb is rewarded with a truly stunning panoramic view of the northern end of Lake Garda. After an exhilarating freewheel down to the picturesque lakeside village of Torbole, you follow the shoreline the short distance to Riva, a beautiful old town at the northwestern tip of th lake . Here you embark on a wonderful ferry ride (4-5 hours) down the entire length of the Lake to Peschiera on the southern shore. The scenery from the boat is spectacular with sheer limestone cliffs and tree-lined hillsides plunging down into the deep blue lake. Pretty villages line the shore and brightly coloured windsurfing sails flit to and fro across the lake’s surface. At the southern end of the lake you disembark in Peschiera and make your way to your nearby hotel which will be in Peschiera or nearby Desenzano.

Leave Desenzano/Peschiera behind and cycle eastwards through open countryside to the Roman city of Verona. Shakespeare chose the beautiful city as the setting for Romeo and Juliet and you can visit Casa di Giulietta, purported to be the location of the famous balcony scene. The wonderful Arena, a crumbling Roman amphitheatre still hosts lavish productions today and you may wish to time your arrival to coincide with a particular performance – use this link to research further but be sure to book in advance as most performances are sold out months in advance. Ascend the Lamberti tower for a great view over the city, enjoy an ice cream in the buzzing Piazza Bra and stroll through the atmospheric old town exploring the maze-like streets.

After breakfast it’s time to head for home or your next adventure.