Many of our Italian cycling tours include participation in an Italian Granfondo (Italian for “long ride”). These organized cycling events are similar to century rides and yet are unlike any experience that can be found here in America. The combination of small roads and mountaintop villages adds character and depth to every turn, revealing renaissance architecture, switchbacks carved into the hillside, and steep winding descents through an almost tropical forest.

An Italian Granfondo is part of an amateur cycling circuit that extends throughout Italy. Granfondos are typically large and well supported. They are open to all riders, male and female, of varying ages and abilities, and are held in various towns across Italy. They are the centerpiece of the Italian cycling culture and the pride of each city.