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The Grand Tour of the Savio Valley wins Emilia Romagna the 2022 Italian Green Award!
Now in its seventh edition, the Italian cycle tourism Oscar has set itself a double objective: on the one hand to stimulate administrations to enhance their excellent routes, on the other to promote investments in cycle tourism as a driving force for a restart in line with the Directives of European Green Deal.
The data speak clearly: 8 million Italians are interested in cycle tourism, approximately 16% of the adult population, in an Italy which is the leading bicycle producer in Europe with over 3 million pieces (+7% vs 2020), the 11% of which are e-bikes (+25%).
The great diffusion of the e-bike, present in the 46% of tourist packages, has encouraged many more users to enter the world of cycle tourism: there are more than 4,550 hotels that offer dedicated services and 4,900 tour operators and agencies that have at least one offer dedicated to cycle tourism.
Cycle tourism is the sector that has best managed to survive the years of the pandemic and services, such as e-bike rental, certified guides or accommodation, are fundamental to the development of this sector.
Furthermore, ebike holidays bring enormous benefits to the area thanks to the minimal impact on the environment and thanks, above all, to the collaborations with local companies and the construction of new routes suitable for cycling tourism.
Those who do cycle tourism embrace concepts such as health, sustainability, inclusion and valorisation of the territories, also activating a great economic process for our country.
The Proclamation of the Italian Cycle Tourism Oscar was held in Matera in Basilicata, the region that won last year's special mention from Legambiente, with a real celebration in the Capital of Cycle Tourism.
The jury – composed of prominent personalities in the field of journalism, opinion leaders, sponsors, experts and personalities from the bike, environment and tourism sectors – had to choose between the proposals presented by regions, territories and autonomous provinces, including Calabria, Campania, Emilia Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardy, Marche, Puglia, Sicily, Tuscany, autonomous province of Trento, Veneto and, for the first time, the Molise Region.
Emilia Romagna won first place with Grand Tour Valle del Savio, a suggestive 172 km circular itinerary that runs through the six municipalities of the Savio Valley along the territories crossed by the river of the same name and through the imposing Casentinesi Forest Park , UNESCO heritage.
Second place, however, went to the Marche Region with the Strade di Marche, a 113 km route involving 26 municipalities and 5 valleys: Val di Chienti, Val Potenza, Val del Fiastra, Vallesina and Val Tenna .
Third place, finally, was won by the Lombardy Region with the Valchiavenna Cycle Path, a 42 km route mainly on asphalt that connects Lake Como to Val Bregaglia, on the Swiss border: it starts from Colico (LC) and runs along the Lake Mezzola and the Mera river, until crossing the city of Chiavenna, TCI Orange Flag and Cittaslow.
Furthermore, with the Green Road of the Dolomites, the Autonomous City of Trento was awarded a special mention by the Jury: this 58 km cycle/pedestrian route is partly traced on the route of the old Ora-Predazzo railway, with connection to the cableway systems. The cycle route unites, in a single itinerary, the Val di Fiemme and the Val di Fassa, in the setting of the majestic Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The route begins on the border with the province of Bolzano, in the locality of S. Lugano and ends in the locality of Penìa, in the municipality of Canazei.
Finally, Legambiente has decided to give a special mention to Puglia with its Ofanto Cycle Route, which develops within the Regional Nature Park of the Ofanto River, between the provinces of Foggia and Barletta, Foggia and Trani.