85km Between the Sangro and Aventino

The spirit is transmuted into gold.

One of the great beauties of cycling in the hills between the Aventino and Sangro rivers isn’t necessarily the landscape - although it is wild and beautiful throughout - nor is it the almost traffic-free roads, but it is the air which comes off the Maiella mountains and mixes with that of the nearby sea. It is wild and pure, and when blended with the whirling light which characterises this part of central Italy, it makes the blood dance in the veins. So intoxicating is this combination of light and air, that together they cast out ‘the fog and taint from the spirit, to be transmuted into gold.’ *

Ride details.
START/FINISH: Selva carpark on the SS84, beside the junction where there is a road signed to Altino. DISTANCE: 85KM. TOTAL ASCENT: 1994m TERRAIN AND SURFACES: Constantly hilly, gravel and crumbling tarmac roads along with long smooth sections. FOOD: Cafes in most villages, selling coffee and little else. Il Borgo Nero, Via Fontana, 1 - Montelapiano (Chieti) Tel; +39 0872940118

For an account of this ride, read the article here