Published on: 13 May 2014  | Last updated: 29 December 2019

The eurovelo 8 in Italy has three main sections:

• the first crosses the border from Slovenia and then follows the Adriatic coast from Trieste to Venezia and from Venezia to the Po estuary - approx­im­ately 322 kms
• the second follows the Po from the Adriatic coast to Torino (Turin) and then on towards Saluzzo in Piemonte - approx­im­ately 617kms
• the third part runs south from Torino to the cities of Saluzzo and Cuneo, and then on to the border with France at the Passo di Tenda (Col de Tende) - approx­im­ately 193kms.

The route is predom­in­antly flat - with the exception of the sections at either end. A large proportion is also on either traffic-free cycleway or on quiet roads (in many cases roads that are open only to residents).

Surfaces are variable: the western stretch along the Po, in the Ferrara area follows the Fe20 Destra Po which is one of Italy’s best-quality traffic-free cycleways. As far as Piacenza the route is pretty much all on surfaced cycleways or very quiet roads. After Piacenza the proportion on unsur­faced road/track increases. The final section from Saluzzo south to Cuneo is on surfaced cycleway or quiet road.

Signposting varies: in some sections it’s as good as the best you’ll find anywhere and in others it’s non-existent. I would defin­itely recommend using a gps with the detailed OSM mapping.

Overview map

  Map:  FT-maps-ev8-overview show map in overlay    |    FT-maps-ev8-overview show map in new window 

Making the most of the eurovelo 8

A major proportion of the eurovelo 8 is through open countryside - with a surpris­ingly high proportion passing through protected areas. There are really very few towns and villages along the river itself. The peace, quiet and solitude is defin­itely good for the soul, but after a while it gets a bit much, and my advice would be to plan to make detours to visit places like Mantova and Ferrara that are near to, but not actually on, the route.

Bear in mind also that, partic­u­larly on the sections along the Po that there may be almost no services along the way: if you want to stop for a coffee or a drink you may well need to go a kilometre or two off the route.

Planning your route

Unfortunately the map on the European Cyclists Federation website (eurovelo.com), while it gives a good overview, isn’t useful for detailed route planning. The Federazione Italiana Amici della Bicicletta (FIAB) are organ­isation who have respons­ib­ility for the eurovelo routes in Italy. They are in the process of revamping their website and at the moment the page with inform­ation about the eurovelo 8 is missing. This is the best source of inform­ation on the official route so hopefully it will be published soon.

The eurovelo 8 connects with a number of inter­na­tional and inter­na­tional routes along the way (many cycle routes follow rivers that are tribu­taries of the Po). Major inter­con­nec­tions include:

• the Ciclovia Alpe-Adria Radweg (at Aquileia)
• the Via Claudia Augusta (connec­tions near Venezia and at Ostiglia)
• the Ciclopista del Sole (near Mantova)
• the Ciclovia Tirrenca (near Parma)
• the Ticino cycleway which connects Pavia with the Lago Maggiore
• the Ciclovia Svizzera-Mare
• the Via Pedemontana Alpina

The connection with France via the Col de Tende is a little problematic: you may want to consider the altern­ative routes into France:

• the Bicitalia Ciclovia Tirrenica - this heads south from Casale Monferrato to Asti and Bra before reaching the coast at Imperia;
• or from Cuneo you could take the Via Pedemontana to Savona on the Liguria coast.

When to go

I’ve done this route in May-June and September. July and August will be very hot.

What to see along the way

The route passes through, or close to, five of Italy’s World Heritage sites:

• Aquileia
• Venezia
• Ferrara and the Po delta
• Torino’s Corona di Delizia (royal palaces of the Savoia)

and with a bit more of a detour you can take in Mantova and Sabbioneta, and Ravenna.

There’s a lot more to see along the way: see the individual articles for more

Articles in this series

This article is part of a series about the eurovelo 8 in Italy:

• eurovelo 8 in Italy: Overview
• eurovelo 8 in Italy: Part 1: Trieste to Venezia and the Po delta
• eurovelo 8 in Italy: Part 2: Along the Po
• eurovelo 8 in Italy: Part 3: Torino to Cuneo and the Col de Tende
• eurovelo 8 in Italy: detour to Mantova and Sabbioneta
• eurovelo 8 in Italy: Planning your route: books, maps and GPS tracks