There Tuscany of two-wheeled pedals, with its suggestive hills and cities of art, with its legends and the many champions capable of writing real pages of history of this sport, is the protagonist of Becycle, the event organized by Pitti Immagine which from today until June 28th celebrates the bicycle at its best. Leopolda station in Florence. For the occasion, the scientific committee for the cycle tourism and destinations part was entrusted to Toscana Promozione Turistica.
The event is organized to coincide with the Grand Départ of the Tour de France scheduled for Florence on 29 June and also sees the participation of the Regions involved in the Italian stages of the Tour and the bodies dedicated to cycle tourism, sustainable and active tourism, all sectors in which the Tuscany is the leader.
Tuscany leader in cycle tourism: 15 thousand km of routes
Today, on the occasion of the opening, an event was held panel entitled “Destination: Tuscany”, which was attended by the councilor for economy and tourism Leonardo Marras and the councilor for mobility and transport Stefano Baccelli. Together with them the director of Toscana Promozione Turistica Francesco Tapinassi and the tourism promotion communication manager of Fondazione Sistema Toscana Costanza Giovannini.
“We are preparing to experience a unique moment with the start of the Tour de France – commented the president of Tuscany Eugenio Giani – for the bicycle, and for everything that revolves around it, we have invested and will continue to invest significant resources and energy. With an offer that focuses on sustainability, slow tourism and an almost unique cultural richness”.
“The bike – has explained Leonardo Marras – is one of the main attractors of the tourist offer of the region which, in fact, was the first to equip itself with a Atlas of cycling itineraries: a continuously updated digital tool that facilitates travel organization. With beyond 15,000 km of routes, the guide also offers information on structures and themed holiday proposals, an essential resource for planning a cycling tour through the dedicated web portal, which includes detailed descriptions, interactive maps, altitude profiles and useful information. A large cycle map of Tuscany that is constantly being enriched, with the addition of new itineraries by the Areas. Together with the atlas of the paths, it was created to strengthen the Tuscan proposal for sustainable tourism, which we have been working on with particular attention for some time”.
The Tuscany of cycling mobility
“It is a government priority of the Region to encourage cycling mobility – he said Stefano Baccelli – investing in cycle/pedestrian itineraries which have European value, both for the incredible beauty and variety of the territories and cities of art crossed, and for their extension. On the one hand there is the Tyrrhenian cycle route, which follows the entire Tuscan coast from the border with Liguria to that with Lazio, touching five provinces and three natural parks. On the other there is the Arno cycle path, which from the province of Arezzo arrives in Florence and then continues towards Pisa”.
And, as evidence of the value and quality of cycle tourism in Tuscany, the councilor recalled that “in 2023 the Tuscany Region, with the Puccini Cycle Walk between Lucca and Versilia, won the eighth edition of the Italian Cycle Tourism Oscar. Which proves – he concluded – the Region’s commitment to enhancing soft mobility”.
Becycle’s in-depth panel proposal is very rich and divided into two talk areas. The first is dedicated to cycle tourism and destinations with highly topical topics. Among these, the European Cycling Declaration, Cycling wine tourism, Smart bike destinations, Sustainable mobility as a tourist attractor, Cycle tourism and women’s cycling, all proposed by the regions and other institutional subjects present at Becycle including Toscana Promozione Tourism, Tuscany Region, Gran Canaria, Basilicata Region, Emilia-Romagna Region, Piedmont – Langhe Monferrato Roero Region, Veneto Region, Valtellina, Varese. The second talk area will be dedicated to Made in Italy brands and the champions of today and yesterday: from Vincenzo Nibali to Paolo Bettini and Maurizio Fondriest.
