Explore inimitable landscapes and artistic and gastronomic heritage of unmatched location
Leg is hard, thigh pulls and calf is a bundle of muscles and tendons that already reminds me of a hemp cord stretched up to the spasm, on the contrary, I can almost hear the creaking plaint of the twisted strands in maximum traction. And yet the foot comes down again and you do another push on a pedal, the face concentrated at that moment on the road uphill, there are no more than a couple of meters ahead of me.
My name is Attilio Carraro, I am an administrator and accountant of Hotel Terme Orvieto in Abano. Yet, as you may have guessed, one of my greatest passions is the bicycle. I work with numbers, with papers, with practices, and certainly I do not mind because it is my role in a family business. Of course, as soon as I have the opportunity to take my racing or mountain bike depending on the inspiration of the moment, I mount in the saddle and take the paths that cross my beloved Colli Euganei (Euganean Hills).
Ah, if you have passed this land, even passing through, you have an idea of the soothing beauty of those splendid expanses of living and changing nature! The green lights up in spring, climbing boldly on the headlands, and shows off all through summer, almost tingling, so as to turn yellow and fall in autumn, when the colors are mixed in intertwining gold and amaranth . The view that your eyes cannot completely perceive, and they are forced to remain satisfied with its soul, yet much more capacious.
Bicycle road of the Euganean hills: Sport and Nature
In this magnificent arc of the mild seasons, the bike paths of that enchanted corner are the means I prefer to get in touch with the many virtues of the Apennine territory. Sport, the physical act aimed at building a link with natural heritage around; shift, itinerary conducted at the right speed, one suitable speed to reach various magnificent villages and monuments and the plenty of time to visit them all, a fusion of art and history that creates a direct link between an illustrious past and us. Finally, local food and wine tour, fascinating exploration of the culture of flavors typical of this place, at the level of food products, ensure presence in major league
As for geography and interaction with it, it must be said that for the past six years from 2012 the Ring of Colli Euganei, marked by the initials E2, has been inaugurated and can be traveled in one day. It takes about 4 or 5 hours of relaxed pedaling to cover the 63 kilometers that articulate between the plains and the hills, but nothing prevents you to enjoy it with more calm, perhaps stopping in various points of interest.
Colli Euganei is the place to challenge a complete range of routes, suitable for all kinds of cyclists and family rides. Here you find gentle paths in the widespread flat stretches, as well as rips that are interesting and real ramps where it is better not to lose oneself in a chat with your business companions, to save your breath, get up on the saddle and pressing deeply throw straight on the feet all the saved energy.
Meter after meter, climb after climb. A territory to discover like this.
The ascent of Monte Venda from the Cingolina is, moderate, panoramic or immersed in the trees according to the moments, and stretches along the slope of the highest pike in Colli Euganei (601 m). The one at the top of Monte della Madonna, however, is definitely another story: if along the ledge that leads to Teolo there are still those who want to compete with others, once passed the Parish where you face the first steep hairpin: the jaws are clenched, the teeth grind and really starts the challenge with the height! Unparalleled satisfaction of wiping the brow after completing the passage: at 530 meters the gaze can rest on the alternation of hills and plateaus drawing a panorama that really warms the heart. Very pleasant the path that leads to Roccolo, one of the most evocative places in the area that takes its name from a traditional hunting construction that was used to capture the birds. Local overpowering beauty of Sentiero del Monte Fasolo ensures a journey to the limits of the fable story in its combination of floods of light and traits immersed in forests of hornbeam, ash and oak.
Overlooking Colli Euganei area, where I am lucky to live, work and move, one gets the impression that someone truly, truly great has mistakenly broken an immense necklace and has scattered pearls here and there among meadows, fields, hills, rivers and streams.
Food and wine, or the better way to recover energy!
At this point of the journey, however, I feel appropriate to make a short relaxing break: the phenomenal beauty of nature rejuvenate the spirit, but do not stretch the muscles that feel a bit contracted now!
No worries: all around Colli Euganei that Hotel Terme Orvieto overlooks has enough routes for exploration of local food and wine with signature venues to stop by. Among wineries, farms, restaurants and wine estates there is only the confusion of choosing the right place to take a break, savoring the products of a territory generous in aesthetic excellence as well as in delighting the palate. So what are we waiting for? Put the bicycle to the fence, remove the helmet, sit down on a bench in oak warmed by the sun, benefiting from the coolness that rises from the rows of vines, and ask for a nice chopping block of grana, Venetian sopressa and a glass of prosecco. I can assure you as a bike enthusiast for decades - after a hard work there is no Polase that holds you, word of Attilio!