lone female travel to Italy

coastal

I am planning to travel to Italy in April/May 2006 and would like to cycle in the areas of Trieste/Venice/Florence/Riccione/Cinque Terre/Tuscany. Not sure whether to fly to London first then a flight to Trieste and make my way to Rome for return journey, or fly into Rome and journey up though stated areas and depart from London.

I live inAustralia and would be interested in feedback on whether to take my own bike(a Bianchi, Dama Bianca) or hire/buy one on arrival to Italy.

Also, how difficult is it to transport a bicycle on trains/buses in Italy. I would probably prefer to stay in a venue for a period and cycle around and then move on to another area via public transport with my bike, to then expore that region on bike.

Any suggestions of routes, accomodation, etc would be appreciated. At this stage I am planning to be travelling alone, is this a safe option for a female? I have been waiting to travel to Italy for so long that I now just have to go when it suits me.

Thanks for any comments
Toni

SHREK

No probs for travelling alone. The only risk is that there is always an heavy traffic on the roads (specially trucks). U can also fly directly from London to Milan, Verona or Venice. In Italy there are very good connections by trains (from Milan to Rome it takes about 5 hours). I dunno how much would cost to take your bike here by plane, but i am sure that is less expensive than to buy or hire a bike here. With many trains u can carry your bike, i am not sure if u can do the same with busses. Another very nice area is the Dolomiti mountains or the Garda Lake region (near Verona). It is really difficult to give u an adv about where to cycle..... everywhere is really nice. Also the period that u have choosen is OK. April and May are warm months but they are also rainy. I dunno how long your gonna stay in Italy but if you want to ride in all the places that u have mentioned above it will take more than one month. Good luck

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DOVE NON GIRANO LE RUOTE PESTANO LE SCARPE

mareblu

beh si, Io non andrei mica da sola?????

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robertlees

Hi Toni

I will be doing similary to you. I am in Sydney, and have booked flights with Qantas earlybird to and from Rome in May 2006. I think if my (your) bike is boxed at the bike shop, and is under 20ks, you don't pay any more for a bike. I think the trains over there are bike-friendly. I think many trains have a carrige front or rear just for bikes. I think you can get a pass that you can pre-pay up to 5 or so days of travel in a month. I've had a brief look - I think you need to google for EuroPass.

The places you mentioned are pretty much the iconic places I intend to visit. I've booked my accomodation in Rome the day I arrive, and the day I leave. In the middle, it just depends on what I find interesting, and how far my legs will take me each day. Have you been able to get route details ? I've done a bit of research on the net, but haven't been able to get enough detail yet. Can one just play it by ear, day to day ?

Any thoughts Toni ?

Robert

tish4398

Taking your bike on a train is easy. You need to go to the train station and study schedule. Only certain trains have cars that allow bikes. Just find the train car with a bicycle logo and load up your bike. My wife and I started in Rome and rode to Florence where we got married. There are alot of nice towns between Rome and Florence. After we got married, we went to Pisa and up to Cinque Terra. I would take a train to Venice and then explore the Alps and the Lake District. Have fun!!!

coastal

Hi Robert,
Thanks for your reply to my question re: travelling in Italy.
You sound a bit more organised than me at the moment. I haven't yet booked flights, still deciding which way to enter Italy, as I intend to commece my Italian journey in Trieste.
Since posting my initial thread, my boyfriend is going to join me on this wonderful adventure.
We plan to leave late May and spend about 6 weeks travelling through the north and central areas, then see how we go with time.
I have heard that although bikes can be taken on trains, sometimes they end up on a different train to you.
Like you I am trying to gather information from as many sources as possible. I have 2 books from lonely planet, "cycling Italy"(which is a very worthwhile book filled with info especially for people like us) and "Italy". I also purchased a book from Amazon.com, put out by the Touring club if Italy, "Italy by bike". This is a really good little book which details mainly rides all over Italy, with a few over a few days. It includes route directions and elevation profiles of each ride, plus maps and points of interest. A very worthwhile book. There are numerous books on Amazon about cycling in Italy, and it is sometimes hard to make a choice.
We are planning to stay in areas for a few days at a time and do day trips , and also have days out of the saddle!! to walk and explore the villages, museums, cathedarals etc.
I would be interested to see how your travels are progressing and maybe we will meet up in Italy.

Cheers and happy planning
Toni Mostyn
Tuross Head NSW