We start from the sea (Maratea), returning to the sea after 15 stages of a route that crosses the fairytale scenarios of 200 thousand hectares of protected areas in Basilicata. What we propose is the discovery ofRing of the Lucanian Parks: a perfect scenario for a cycling holiday in our Italy away from the most usual destinations, usable all year round, perfect for spring and autumn. Freshly inaugurated, it offers the experience of a bicycle journey through the Pollino, the Calanchi, the Matera Murgia, the Lucanian Dolomites, the Vulture, the Val d’Agri and the Lucanian Apennines. It develops on 718 kilometers, in an ups and downs that leads to overcoming over 13 thousand meters of altitude difference. Within everyone’s reach today, thanks to assisted pedaling. And capable of giving those with trained legs an unforgettable experience.
The approach to Pollino National Park runs on the now cycle path of theformer Calabrian-Lucan railway. But in all the stages ofRing of the Lucanian Parks you pedal, with the same tranquility, always on secondary roads with low or non-existent traffic. We entrust the images of this article with a first spoiler on some exceptional panoramas. Like the ones offered below Calanques Regional Reserve, where it feels like you’ve landed on the moon. Or the profile of the sharp cliffs of the Lucanian Dolomites, at the base of which are the villages of Pietrapertosa and Castelmezzano. And if the Sassi of Matera, where the sixth stage ends, are a World Heritage Site, known to all, equally fascinating will be the discovery of Old Craco (a brief detour in the fifth stage), a ghost town with Norman houses and remains clinging to the rock that you see at the end of the article.
It is a young path, theRing of the Lucanian Parks. But it is already well equipped with infrastructures and services for travel and stops (in Muro Lucano and Campomaggiore, for example, they include public columns for charging e-bikes). It is worth preparing for the experience through the pages of the travel guide The Ring of Lucanian Parks by bicycle written by Palmarosa Fuccella For Building: highlights, images, and precious GPS tracks of the route. Added to this is an already well-articulated cycle tourism offering in the region: 21 itineraries, for a total of 1729 kilometres, all to be cycled. L’APT Basilicata enhances them, at the service of cycle tourists, in the app Basilicata Free to Move: developed for Apple and Android, provides GPS tracks, bike hotel map and other services such as rentals, workshops (also locates drinking water fountains), informs about points of interest along the routes. In short, everything is ready for you.
