Plans are underway to build a bike path along the Arno River from its source at Monte Falterona to its end in Marina di Pisa, on the Mediterranean coast. The trail will go through the provinces of Arezzo, Florence and Pisa in the course of 220 kilometers (137 miles). Best of all, since it follows the flow of the river, it’s mostly downhill!

The route begins in the small town of Stia, then heads south into a wide valley surrounded by the Apennine mountains and dotted with small villages.

Your first stop (at km 10) is at the beautiful village of Poppi, dominated by the castle of the noble Guidi family. From the castle you get sweeping vistas over the valley and over to the nearby town of Bibbiena (at km 15) and surrounding hills.

Follow the sinuous path of the Arno for another 20 km to arrive at Castelnuovo (at km 35) where you enter the plains around Arezzo. Ride around a resevoir in the “Ponte a Buriano e Penna” nature preserve, an area frequented by many bird species during migration or wintering. A few kilometers later you bike through another reserve, called "The Valley of Hell" after the difficult navigation on this stretch of the Arno. The river then makes a wide curve and changes direction, heading up past San Giovanni, Figline and Incisa [at km 88] on its way to Florence. Stop to see the historical center of San Giovanni Valdarno, famous for being one of the first instances of grid-like city planning in all of Italy!

Make some stops along the way, like a short detour from Leccio (at km 92) to see the curious castle of Sammezzano, inspired by Turkish and Arab architecture (unfortunately you can only visit the park right now), or stop for some retail therapy at "The Mall" fashion outlet, featuring all the major designer brands at reduced prices (see this link for more information).

You eventually come to the great Renaissance city of Florence (at km 120), so you’ll want to get off the bike path for a while to go do wheelies in the Piazza della Signoria and say Hi to The David.

Another 30 kms takes you to Empoli, where you can test your legs with a short detour up to the hilltop town of San Miniato, famous for their potent white truffles. The last major milestone before reaching the sea is of course Pisa (at km 200), and then 20 short kms later you pass through the Regional Park of San Rossore before reaching the Mediterranean Sea.

Of course, the finished bike path won't be ready for a few years, but in the meantime you can still find stretches of bike path stretching out on either side of Florence, or along the Arno near San Giovanni. Or, for some serious Tuscan biking, join us on our classic Tuscany Bike trip (see link here) or our Tuscany Coast bike trip (see link here). Or have us design a custom trip for you, it's what we do!