Best mountain biking trails in Liguria, Italy

From Lake Giacopiane (authorization required to access and stop by car, which can be collected in Borzonasca), crossing the dam or making the perimeter of the lake, take the flat path on the right, go up towards the road above that comes from the Malga di Perlezzi. Crossed a ford you take a lot of altitude until you intersect the forest that with excellent bottom and slightly uphill crosses to q. 1350 the forest that comes from Passo delle Lame. Now continue on this track which slightly loses altitude and intersects the forest road that climbs sa Prato Sopra la Croce (clearly visible looking at the valley floor). At the crossroads you now climb more decisively towards the Prato Mollo Refuge, passing in front of the Pietra Borghese and at the next crossroads for the Spingarda Pass (water), still uphill you reach the Pass. Here you go up in the grove the numerous hairpin bends that allow you to gain altitude and reach the summit of Mount Aiona without any orientation difficulties in case of poor visibility (follow the signposts or the AV tracks on the rocks) and with some sections where it is necessary to push the bike causes the stony and uneven ground. Reached the summit (very panoramic) you descend following the AV to the grassy area below adjacent to the forest, soon you find yourself pedaling in a magical environment with a regular bottom alternating short descents and short raises until you deviate decidedly to the right and leave the AV. The spectacular descent is very soft with a compact bottom and ends on the Agoraie forest road at the height of Lake Lagastro and then heads towards the Passo delle Lame and then climbs slightly up to turn onto a forest track that descends to the right up to a clearing from where continues as a path. Reached a path that comes from the left, you now follow it to the right passing through some clearings where it is necessary to identify the track that is not always evident up to a suggestive formation like clayey gullies after which the path is more evident and still downhill reaches the underlying Lake by Giacopiane.Show more

The Alta Via delle Cinque Terre is a popular hiking and mountain biking path in Liguria, connecting Portovenere to Levanto. It has many names: Alta Via, The High Path, Path Number 1 (Path #1), AV5T, etc. This path provides sweeping views of the Cinque Terre region, with a perspective much higher than the Sentiero Azzurro (The Blue Trail). You will need a Cinque Terre Card to hike this trail. https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-card During winter months, some parts of this trail are closed due to maintenance work. Especially the Monterosso - Vernazza - Corniglia sections are often closed due to landslides. However you can always find alternative trails open, usually higher up and away from the coast. Please visit this website for updated current conditions: https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-current-situationShow more

Wonderful excursion in an area of the Parma Apennines, considered "minor". The path runs almost completely inside a splendid beech forest. Quiet excursion, on almost regular terrain (except for part of the descent from the summit of the Gottero to the mouth of the three borders). Also suitable for MTBShow more

This difficult mountain bike route on the Capazoppa single trek trails starts from the church of San Martino. The ring connection for bikes and possibly on foot seems to be interrupted by the new quarry, but if you want you can pass. Obviously, there are signs and signs of prohibition but it is better to pass upstream of the quarry not during the week, but on Saturday and Sunday when the quarry is not in operation. From the ancient gate of Finalborgo, cross the Pora stream, turn left onto the provincial road and after a hundred meters you will meet on the right the beginning of the Napoleonic road, built towards the end of the 18th century to allow the transit of the artillery of the Grande Armee. In reality, the route is much older following an old medieval route set on the ancient Roman road Julia Augusta. The route takes place on dirt roads and paths, gradually climbing through the vegetation that is well suited to the arid and calcareous soil, to reach the Regina Pacis chapel with a beautiful view over the plain of Finale and its beaches; you now approach the coast line and then gain altitude passing an old quarry and reaching a vast plateau. From this excellent picnic spot you can go down to the right on a track that is initially a stairway which then becomes a path at the edge of the cycle path but spectacular. Otherwise, continue quietly towards the north, on the side that looks towards Borgio Verezzi and in the background there is the outline of the Gallinara island and the promontory of Capo Santa Croce. Continuing on an ancient cobbled ground, you come to a crossroads, turn right to reach the Old Quarry, one of the few sites for the extraction of Verezzi stone cultivated in the tunnel. Continuing on, you will find other old quarries, the work in them reached its maximum development in the twentieth century when over 100 miners worked in the different extraction sites. Continuing on the paved mule track that climbs into the woods, you reach the crest of the sum and the churchyard of the church of S. Martino and the Sanctuary of Maria Regina Mundi. From here either return to Finalborgo or, weather permitting, take a detour of 1 hour and visit the 4 old villages of Verezzi characterized by pink stone buildings and connected by narrow alleys. Or you go down towards Borgio Verezzi, you reach the asphalted road and go up again taking another beautiful paved road at a chapel revived in ancient times by an exiled countess who haunted these paths in solitude with her brushes and palette. From here you return to the Church of San Martino arriving from the opposite side. For the descent you can have fun among the different possibilities offered by the Caprazoppa trails, sometimes you end up in a cul de sac near some old quarry. Then you retrace your steps as in a labyrinth and in the end you go down to the starting point. Back at the crossroads of S. Martino through the pine forests between the Rocce di Orera and Monte Caprazoppa, we return to Finalborgo at the starting point.Show more

This is a multi-day bike route crossing through the Western Alps through France and the last kilometers in Italy. It starts in Geneva, on the shores of Lake Leman and ends at Ventimiglia, on the shores of the Mediterranean. This route is described in the guide: “La traversée des Alpes à VTT: Du Léman à la Méditerranée” by Patrick Bernard. Mountain biking in the Alps is one of the best ways to explore as you go through rough terrain to narrow steep paths, the beauty that the land offers is breathtaking in this once in a lifetime journey. For a list of segments of the Crossing the Alps: Geneva to Ventimiglia visit: https://www.alltrails.com/lists/biking-the-western-alps-geneva-to-ventimiglia Show more