The 2026 calendar is stingy. All Saints’ Day falls on a Sunday, the long weekend Italians usually count on at the start of November simply does not exist, and the next useful gap only comes in December. Anyone who was saving those three days for an autumn getaway is left with an ordinary weekend and the feeling that the season is slipping away.
Autumn is in fact the best time of year to ride in Italy. Temperatures are right for moving without suffering, seaside and lakeside towns empty out, vineyards change colour, hotels cost less and the roads go quiet again. The only thing missing is time, and this is where the short cycle route comes in.
A route under 100 km is an underrated size. It fits comfortably into a single day for anyone who rides steadily, it splits into two half stages for those who prefer a long lunch and a night away, and above all it can be reached by train on a Saturday morning with no planning at all. With daylight shrinking (clocks go back on 25 October and it is dark by 5pm), a contained distance becomes a practical advantage rather than a compromise.
We picked ten routes between 40 and 100 km, spread across the whole country, all doable in a day and all better now than in August.
1. Euganean Hills Loop (Veneto)
Sixty-three kilometres with barely thirty metres of total elevation gain, circling the volcanic cones of the Euganean Hills from Abano Terme. The route, waymarked E2, runs almost entirely on paved cycle paths with a few short gravel sections, and works with any bike.
Distance: 63 km
Start/Finish: Abano Terme
More information: at this link
October is the right month: spa tourism slows down, the vineyards on the hillsides turn red and yellow, and stops in the villages (Arquà Petrarca above all) can be enjoyed without queues. This is probably the most accessible loop on the list, suitable even for riders coming back after months off the bike.
2. Alpe Adria Cycle Route, from Tarvisio to Venzone (Friuli Venezia Giulia)
The most spectacular stretch of the Alpe Adria runs along the trackbed of the old Pontebbana railway, through lit tunnels, across viaducts suspended over the Fella and among woods that are in full foliage by late October. The elevation is almost all downhill, which makes these 65 km far easier than the starting altitude would suggest.
Distance: 65 km
Start/Finish: Tarvisio Boscoverde – Venzone
More information: at this link
Front and rear lights are needed for the tunnels. The return is by train, with bikes on board, and Venzone in autumn deserves a long stop. If there is time to spare, the following 54 km to Udine can be added the next day.
3. Lake Bolsena Loop (Lazio)
Fifty-three and a half kilometres around the largest volcanic lake in Europe, with 484 metres of elevation gain spread out gently. The route starts in Montefiascone and passes through Marta, Capodimonte and Bolsena, following the waymarks of the Via dei Briganti and the Via Francigena.
Distance: 53.6 km
Start/Finish: Montefiascone
More information: at this link
The surface along the shore is mostly gravel, so a gravel bike or mountain bike is the better choice. Out of season the islands of Bisentina and Martana stand out against a lake empty of boats, and the villages go back to being what they are the rest of the year.
4. Around the Venice Lagoon (Veneto)
Ninety kilometres starting from Mestre and tracing a loop around the northern lagoon: Parco San Giuliano, Bosco di Mestre, the Taglio del Sile, Jesolo, Cavallino-Treporti, Lio Piccolo, then the cantilevered cycleway along via Pordelio as far as the Punta Sabbioni lighthouse. From there the ferry carries you to Venice and you ride back across the Ponte della Libertà.
Distance: 90 km
Start/Finish: Mestre
More information: at this link
Lio Piccolo in autumn, with the salt marshes and the low light, is one of the most unusual landscapes in Italy. A gravel bike is recommended. The final ferry crossing turns a ride into a journey.
5. The Cammino Divino (Marche)
Ninety-three kilometres climbing from the Adriatic to the pre-Apennine hills, from Senigallia to Apiro. The route runs on quiet secondary roads, sections of cycle path and rideable gravel, with gradual and never extreme elevation, touching Morro d’Alba, San Marcello, Jesi, Monte Roberto, San Paolo di Jesi, Staffolo and Cingoli.
Distance: 93 km
Start/Finish: Senigallia – Apiro
More information: at this link
This is an itinerary designed to be ridden slowly, with the wineries and farm stays along the way forming part of the project. October and November are the right moment: the harvest has just finished, the vineyards turn yellow and the cellars are open for tastings. It can be ridden in either direction and splits easily into two days, with a train back along the Adriatic line.
6. Around Lake Trasimeno (Umbria)
Ninety-three kilometres around Trasimeno starting from Chiugiana, proposed as a two-day e-bike ride but compressible into a single day by anyone with the legs. Two climbs to keep in mind: three kilometres at 7% towards Magione and three kilometres with pitches of 16% at San Savino.
Distance: 92.8 km
Start/Finish: Chiugiana (Corciano)
More information: at this link
Splitting it into two stages with a night in Castiglione del Lago or Passignano is the best formula for an autumn weekend. The morning mist over the lake and the colours of the Umbrian hills in November are worth the trip on their own.
7. Montemale Loop, lower Maira Valley (Piedmont)
Sixty-four kilometres on quiet paved secondary roads, between 494 and 1,146 metres of altitude. The ride starts in Villar San Costanzo, passes Dronero with its Devil’s Bridge, climbs to Montemale and descends to Valgrana and Bernezzo, finishing in piazza Galimberti in Cuneo.
Distance: 64 km
Elevation gain: 850 m
Start/Finish: Villar San Costanzo – Cuneo
More information: at this link
Long, steady climbs, never brutal, ideal for a road bike. In autumn the chestnut woods of the lower valley are in full colour and the hamlets fall silent again. Anyone after something easier has the lower Maira Valley cycle route, 28.8 km suitable for families too.
8. Amalfi Coast and Sorrento Loop (Campania)
One hundred and six kilometres and almost 3,000 metres of elevation gain in a loop that starts on the Amalfi Coast and takes in Amalfi, Atrani, the Furore Fjord, Positano, Sorrento and Massa Lubrense, with Capri in the background. This is the only route on the list that goes over 100 km and the only one reserved for riders with a solid base of training.
Distance: 106 km
Elevation gain: around 3,000 m
Start/Finish: loop from the Amalfi Coast
More information: at this link
It is worth including precisely now: in autumn the summer traffic disappears, the low light does the rest and stopping in the towns becomes possible again. Split into two days with a night in Sorrento or Positano it fits fully into the weekend formula, with two stages of around 50 km each.
9. Montalbano Loop (Tuscany)
Roughly a hundred kilometres from Florence on paved secondary roads, with continuous ups and downs through olive groves and villages. The hardest climb measures 4.5 km at 3.3%, so nothing prohibitive, but the sum of the ramps makes this the most demanding route in the selection.
Distance: around 100 km
Start/Finish: Florence
More information: at this link
Best tackled on a road bike with some training behind you. In exchange you start and finish in the city, which means zero logistics and a Florentine dinner as a reward. October and November are olive harvest season, and the mills along the way open their doors to visitors.
10. Bonus: riding around Favignana (Sicily)
For anyone willing to stretch to three days and look ahead to next summer rather than chase the one just gone. The circuit of the island takes an easy day, on almost flat coastal roads, with any bike and no particular preparation.
Distance: island circuit in a day
Start/Finish: Favignana harbour
More information: at this link
Check the ferry timetable from Trapani in advance, as sailings thin out in low season, along with the availability of accommodation. In return you ride between tuff quarries and coves without meeting almost anyone.
Train plus bike, the real luxury of the short season
Almost every itinerary on this list starts or finishes a few metres from a station. That is the difference that makes the autumn weekend possible: you leave home on Saturday morning, load the bike onto a regional train, ride all day and come back in the evening, or sleep out for a single night and return on Sunday feeling you have been away far longer.
Daylight is short and that is the only real constraint. Setting off early, packing lights and a light waterproof jacket, and allowing an hour’s margin on the way back solves 90% of the problems.
There is no long weekend this year, but there is still Saturday. And under 100 km is more than enough.
All the routes described here and many more are part of the programme of the Cycle Tourism Show, at Padova Fiere from 19 to 21 March 2027.
