Joe Bues

On Monday October 20th @i.m.kcb and I completed a route we had been cycling for the previous 2 weeks. The Cyclovia dei Parchi della Calabria is a 350 mile (560km) route through the mountains of Calabria, Italy. The route passes through 3 national parks and 1 regional park. Our cycling continued a bit further into Basilicata and Campania totaling 397 miles (639km) and 39,232’ (11,958m) climbed. We rejoined a new friend @albin_stalberg who travelled with us for most of this journey and was a great companion for the trip! This route was as beautiful as it was challenging. These parts of Italy are like nothing I have seen on a travel show. Lush forests with chestnuts and funghi waiting to be foraged. Views of the Ionian and Mediterranean seas often at the same time. Lovely hospitable people and excellent food. The roads we cycled were very low traffic the majority of the time. We were feeling “burnt out” as tourists in our last days on Sicily. We were in the big cities of Siracusa and Catania with loads of people just trying not to fall into tourist traps. Deciding to leave the island to reach this route was an excellent decision. Photos can only do so much to translate the beauty of southern Italy. If you have an inkling to try this out I highly recommend this route.