Appennino Bike Tour in Abruzzo: the 4 stages of the cycle route, from Lake Campotosto to the high plateaus, with map and data

Cycle route

Abruzzo by bike along the Apennines

The cycle route that crosses Italy along the Apennine ridge enters Abruzzo at Lake Campotosto, runs at the foot of the Gran Sasso, crosses the Aterno valley and the Navelli plateau, drops into the Tirino valley, climbs onto the Majella up to the high plateaus and leaves the region after Castel di Sangro. Four stages on minor roads, with official data and the map.

Cycle routeMinor roadsNational parksVillagesE-bike

Official VIVI Appennino data and GPX tracks

RegionAbruzzo

Stages4, from 17 to 20

Ideal forBike touring and e-bikes

Best seasonMay–October

The cycle route

Cycling along Lake Campotosto, on stage 17. Photo: Lucio De Marcellis, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

The Appennino Bike Tour is a cycle route promoted by Legambiente and VIVI Appennino that runs from Altare, in Liguria, to Alia, in Sicily, following the Apennine ridge through 14 regions. It is not a dedicated cycle path: it uses minor paved roads with little traffic, linking villages, parks and plateaus.

In Abruzzo the route follows four stages, numbered from north to south: from Lake Campotosto to the L’Aquila area, from the Navelli plateau to the Majella, up to the high plateaus and the Sangro valley. Many sections are high up: even in summer mornings can be cool, and in spring and autumn there may be snow on the passes.

In 2021 service and charging points for e-bikes were opened in San Demetrio ne’ Vestini, Caramanico Terme and Rivisondoli, three of the stage towns.

Stages in Abruzzo	4 (from 17 to 20), also ridden in the opposite direction
Entering Abruzzo	from Lazio, just after Amatrice, towards Lake Campotosto
Leaving Abruzzo	towards Molise, about twenty kilometres after Rivisondoli, beyond Castel di Sangro
Highest point	1,479 m, on stage 17
Lowest point	212 m, in the Pescara valley below Tocco da Casauria, on stage 18
Surface	minor paved roads

Official website: stages and GPX tracks

The cycle route in Abruzzo on the map — The route is drawn from the official GPX files. Hover over a point or a name to highlight it; click to open the page.

17Amatrice – San Demetrio ne’ Vestini

Length	103,0 km
Highest and lowest point	1.479 m – 561 m
Total ascent	1.747 m
Total descent	2.097 m

The longest and most varied stage in Abruzzo. From Amatrice you enter the region and ride along Lake Campotosto, at about 1,300 m, through Poggio Cancelli and Mascioni, then descend to Capitignano in the upper Aterno valley.

Then comes the hardest climb: the Vasto provincial road, in the municipality of Pizzoli, leads to the stage’s highest point, 1,479 m, and descends towards Assergi at the foot of the Gran Sasso; the Fonte Cerreto cable car is a couple of kilometres away. After Assergi the road climbs again above 1,400 m, then descends through Filetto, Pescomaggiore and Bazzano, crosses Onna and continues through the middle Aterno valley, past Fossa, Sant’Eusanio Forconese and Villa Sant’Angelo, to San Demetrio ne’ Vestini.

Along the road

Lago di Campotosto · 1.313 mAbruzzo’s largest artificial lake, in the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga park
Campotosto mortadella, the lake’s cured meat
Capitignano · 916 min the upper Aterno valley
Pizzoli · 740 mthe Vasto road, the stage’s highest point, is in its municipality
Fonte Cerreto · 1.125 ma couple of kilometres from Assergi: the Gran Sasso cable car to Campo Imperatore
Pescomaggiorea village at the foot of the Gran Sasso, above Paganica
San Gregorio · 584 mabout 1.5 km from Onna, across the Aterno: trails and webcams over the L’Aquila basin
L’Aquila: the city is a few kilometres from the route
Lago Sinizzo · 719 mSan Demetrio’s little lake, at the stage finish
Grotte di Stiffe · 696 mabout 2 km from the route, with an underground river

18San Demetrio ne’ Vestini – Caramanico Terme

Length	71,1 km
Highest and lowest point	847 m – 212 m
Total ascent	1.062 m
Total descent	1.087 m

From San Demetrio the road climbs onto the Navelli plateau, saffron country: San Nicandro, Prata d’Ansidonia, San Pio delle Camere, Caporciano, Civitaretenga and Navelli, among open fields and fortified villages.

Then it descends to Capestrano, in the Tirino valley, and continues past Bussi sul Tirino into the Pescara valley, where below Tocco da Casauria it reaches its lowest point, 212 m. The last part climbs back towards the Majella through Tocco da Casauria, Musellaro, Salle and San Tommaso to Caramanico Terme.

Along the road

Navelli · 760 mL’Aquila saffron PDO, on the plateau
Lago di CapodacquaCapestrano’s lake with its submerged village, a short way off
Bussi sul Tirino · 344 mthe Tirino valley, a river with crystal-clear water
Tirino trout
Valle dell’Orfentothe reserve’s trails, at the finish in Caramanico

19Caramanico Terme – Rivisondoli

Length	55,5 km
Highest and lowest point	1.355 m – 603 m
Total ascent	1.391 m
Total descent	680 m

A short stage, but almost all uphill, inside the Majella National Park. From Caramanico you climb to Sant’Eufemia a Maiella and cross the pass between the Majella and the Morrone, at about 1,250 m, to descend to Campo di Giove.

From Campo di Giove you drop to Cansano and climb back up to the high plateaus: Pescocostanzo, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, and Rivisondoli, the stage finish at 1,320 m.

Along the road

Sant’Eufemia a Maiella · 878 min the heart of the Majella park
Campo di Giove · 1.064 mat the foot of the Majella, with a station on the Transiberiana d’Italia
Pescocostanzo · 1.395 mthe village of bobbin lace and the Sant’Antonio wood
Rivisondoli scamorza

20Rivisondoli – Guardiaregia

Length	126,0 km
Highest and lowest point	1.314 m – 205 m
Total ascent	2.241 m
Total descent	2.846 m

The last Abruzzo stage starts from the high plateaus, passes through Roccaraso and descends into the Sangro valley at Castel di Sangro, about 12 km from the start.

From Castel di Sangro the road climbs south, through the municipality of Scontrone, and enters Molise towards Montenero Val Cocchiara after about twenty kilometres, continuing to Guardiaregia at the foot of the Matese: in Abruzzo you ride only the first section of this long, demanding stage.

Along the road

Roccaraso · 1.236 me-bike hire and trails on the plateaus
Castel di Sangro · 805 mthe basilica, the Aufidena museum, restaurants and hotels

In the opposite direction

The route can also be ridden from south to north: the same Abruzzo stages are numbered 24 to 27 (Guardiaregia–Rivisondoli, Rivisondoli–Caramanico Terme, Caramanico Terme–San Demetrio ne’ Vestini, San Demetrio ne’ Vestini–Amatrice). In this direction the climbs are reversed: Guardiaregia–Rivisondoli, for example, has 2,846 m of ascent.

The GPX tracks for both directions are on the official website.

Before you set off

Check the weather on the passes, bring a rain jacket even in summer and enough water: between villages, especially on the Majella and above Campotosto, there are few fountains. For places to sleep and eat, see the lists on the stage-town pages.

Stage data: VIVI Appennino, viviappennino.com/abt. The route may have variants: download the latest track from the official website before you set off.

Appennino Bike Tour in Abruzzo