05Jun 24
Friuli, the Cycle Tourism Oscar goes to the Pedemontana Ciclovia
The Friuli Venezia Giulia Region with the “Ciclovia Pedemontana” won the ninth edition of the Green Road Award, L'Italian Cycle Tourism Oscar, the prize that is awarded every year to the green cycle routes of the Regions that promote holidays on two wheels with services aimed at slow tourism. The second prize goes to the Calabria Region for Val di Neto cycle/pedestrian path, while in third place is the Autonomous Province of Trento with the Green Road of Flowers. Special mention from the Jury of Apennines Bike Tour presented by the Liguria Region while the Legambiente Mention rewards the Sardinia Region, with its first victory, for The Santa Barbara Mining Route. Finally, the Special Press Mention goes to Campania for The Silent Way. The bike “goes” even if it would be more accurate to say “it travels”. It's the new fashion, the new trend, a new (slower) style of traveling and enjoying landscapes and silence. And the growth of cycle tourism is constant, with 56 million visitors recorded in our country last year, 6.7% of the total presences in Italy, with a direct economic impact estimated at over 5.5 billion euros, in growth of 35% on 2022 and 19% on 2019. These are the data from the Report “Travelling by bike 2024”realized by Isnart And Legambiente. The bike grows and cycle paths and routes to travel on which every year also grow Green Road Award gives the space and honors they deserve. The Pedemontana Cycle Route goes from Sacile to Gorizia for approximately 180 km between the Friulian Dolomites, the Cornino nature reserve, medieval cities such as Gemona and Pinzano al Tagliamento, the Lombard art of Cividale del Friuli, the wine-growing areas of the DOC Grave, Colli Orientali of Friuli, Isonzo and Collio and seven of the thirteen Slow Food presidia in the Region. A suitable route suitable for everyone due to the extremely comfortable surface, the average gradients of less than 2%, the services and assistance. In particular, the first half of the route runs parallel to the Sacile-Gemona tourist railway, allowing cycle tourists to use trains with historical material. It was founded in the early 2000s with the aim of building an itinerary to promote products and today it is one of the nine itineraries of the cycle route network of regional interest. “The recognition of the Oscar of Italian cycle tourism to the Pedemontana Ciclovia demonstrates the quality of the offer that Friuli Venezia Giulia is able to implement both from the point of view of welcoming and services to tourists and from the point of view of signs and roads – comments the governor Massimiliano Fedriga– It is thanks to this combination and the far-sighted work of constant promotion and strengthening of the structures carried out in recent years that the region can today boast one of the most beautiful cycle routes in Italy”. The Italian Oscar for cycle tourism is a recognition which is also an excellent business card for Friuli Venezia Giulia in view of Gorizia being the European Capital of Culture 2025.