Main Information
RIDE FROM AOSTA TO ROME.
We are pleased to start our collaboration with the Tour de Cure, with our newest European trip, which follows part of the Via Francigena, one of the oldest routes on the Continent.
The Via Francigena follows the route that Sigeric, the Archbishop of Canterbury, followed in the year 990 between Canterbury and Rome. On this trip, we will ride along the Italian section, from the top of Colle del Gran San Bernardo, in the high Italian Alps, to the Vatican City in Rome.
During nine days, we will ride and visit some of the most impressive places in northern Italy, including the amazing Valle d’Aosta, the Piedmontese towns of Ivrea, Santhia and Vercelli, and the incredible city of Pavia in Lombardy. Before reaching the Tuscan coast at Forte dei Marmi and staying overnight in magical San Gimignano, visit the wine region of Chianti and the medieval town of Siena. We will continue our riding, visiting Viterbo in the Lazio province before reaching Rome, the Eternal City.
This is another impressive trip that we are pleased to offer to all the Tour de Cure supporters and to our clients as well.
Part of the revenue from the trip will be destined to support the Tour de Cure foundation.
| Destination | Italy |
| Dates 2026 |
26 September-5 October |
| Hotels | 3-4 Stars |
| Meals | All meals included |
| Arrival | Milan Malpensa (MXP) |
| Departure | Rome Fiumicino (FCO) |
| Non-Rider | 10% Discount |
| Rental Bike | Available |
| Rental E-Bike | Available |
| Price | $8,250.00 |
Details:
DISTANCE: 1,050km
Daily average: 116km
CLIMBING: 13,675m
Daily average: 1,520m
MORE INFORMATION
PRICES: In Australian Dollars.
TWIN room: $8,250.00 pp
SINGLE Supplement: $1,300.00
Rental bike: $1,250.00
Rental e-bike: $1,350.00
Own Bike fee: $400.00. Given the numerous incidents with our clients bringing their bikes, most of the time with poor maintenance. These situations have become difficult to handle, since our mechanics and staff end up spending a lot of their valuable time fixing those bikes. From this year, we are charging an Own bike fee.
PAYMENT TERMS:
$1,500.00 when making the booking. The Balance is to be paid 120 days before the trip starts.
INCLUDED:
9 Nights’ accommodation between 3 – 4 Stars.
Cultural visits.
1 SFIDA Cycling jersey.
ALL MEALS INCLUDED.
9 Breakfasts.
9 Lunches.
9 Dinners, including wine and beer in moderate amounts.
NOT INCLUDED:
International flights.
Travel insurance.
Hotel extras: mini-bar, spa.
Tips for the staff.
SUPPORT:
We will have ride leaders and at least one mechanic on our trip.
Our staff/client ratio is 1:4.
Our passenger vans come fully equipped with everything necessary to give the best support during the rides.
We carry gels, energy bars, powder mix, water, fruit, riding food, tools, pumps, spare tubes and tyres to make sure our first-class support helps you through the trip.
Professional first aid kit.
CANCELLATION POLICY:
Adapting to the changes in international travel after the COVID-19 pandemic, and in coordination with most of the hotel’s terms and conditions, we are adjusting our cancellation policy accordingly as follows:
120 days before the trip starts – the return of your deposit minus any expenses that we may not be able to reimburse.
90 days before the trip starts – partial refund of the amount of the trip, less the $800.00 cancellation fee, plus any amount that we can’t recover from Hotels, and other costs that we may have already incurred in the trip preparation.
No amount will be refunded less than 60 days before the trip starts. We will, however, try to credit as much as possible towards a future trip. This depends on the amount that we can get back from the hotels and other costs that we have already incurred in the trip preparation.
We highly recommend contracting travel insurance as soon as you pay the deposit and buy your international flights.
Make sure your travel insurance covers:
- Refund of the amounts paid in case you need to cancel for any reason.
- Covers the cost of possible damage to your rental bike. Check our T&C for this.
For these reasons, we won’t be holding any spots until the full deposit has been paid.
Hotels are now more strict with how many rooms they are willing to have on hold for groups, so until deposit payments are made, we won’t be able to confirm your spot.
Itinerary
Meet the SFIDA Cycling team at the Milano Malpensa Airport. Then we will travel to the start of our trip, the beautiful town of Aosta.
After checking into our hotel, we will have lunch and hold a trip presentation.
In the afternoon, after setting up our bikes, we will go for a ride around the Aosta Valley.
36km/ 1,180m.
Climb: Lin Noir.
Hotel: Hotel Duca d'Aosta.
The Via Francigena, in its Italian section, starts at the top of the Colle del Gran San Bernardo.
This is ideally located 35km from Aosta, although it is an HC Climb.
In order to start our Via Francigena ride, we will climb to the top of this amazing Col.
Once we summit the Colle del Gran San Bernardo, we will descend back to Aosta and head towards Ivrea.
During our ride to Ivrea, we will pass by the impressive Fenis Castle and the imposing Bard Fortress.
Ivrea is part of the UNESCO list of heritage sites in Italy. The industrial City of Ivrea, founded by Camilo Olivetti in 1908, soon became a reference in modern industrial building and manufacturing.
Nowadays, Ivrea is also a nice town to visit and enjoy great Piedmontese cuisine.
146km/ 2,850m.
Climb: Gran San Bernardo.
Hotel: 3T Boutique Hotel Ivrea.
Today we will ride from Ivrea to Pavia.
In between, we will visit a couple of important stops in the Via Francigena: Santhia and Vercelli.
We should reach Santhia on time for our first coffee of the day, and afterwards we will ride to the Castle of Vettigne, an impressive 15th-century building.
The next place of interest will be the town of Vercelli, strategically located between Torino and Milano; this is one of the oldest cities in Italy. The old hospital of Vercelli was established as a welcome shelter for the pilgrims along the Via Francigena.
Our final destination is Pavia, in the Lombardy region. This is an incredibly beautiful city, perfect to end stage 3 of our ride.
145km/800m.
Hotel: Hotel Moderno.
Today it is our flattest ride on this trip.
We will go from the industrial region of Lombardy to the agrifood region of Emilia Romagna.
Along the ride we will cross the Po river, the biggest in Italy and visit the impressive Abbazia di Chiaravalle della Colomba, a Cistercense Abbey founded in the 11th century.
In Fidenza, after our ride, we will visit the amazing Cathedral and walk around the beautiful city.
112km/510m.
Hotel: Park Hotel Fidenza.
What an amazing ride ahead of us today!
Starting in Fidenza, in the Emilia Romagna region, we will ride across the Apuan Alps via Passo della Cisa.
Once we are at the summit of the Passo della Cisa, it's a fantastic ride down to the Mediterranean coast.
Along our ride, we will see the impressive Castello del Piagnaro in Pontremoli, the Brunella Fortress in Aulla and ride around the Roman ruins in Luni.
Our final destination today is Forte di Marmi, one of the most important seaside resorts in Italy. We will have time to admire the historic villas that surround this town.
150km/2,035m.
Climbs: Monte Marino, Passo della Cisa.
Hotel: Grand Hotel Forte dei Marmi.
Spectacular start of the day, leaving the Mediterranean coast behind, with a short climb up to Montemagno and then riding to Lucca.
Lucca is one of the most fascinating towns in Italy; its medieval centre is incredibly beautiful, and we will have time to enjoy a short walk and coffee.
After our short stroll around Lucca, we will continue our ride to San Miniato.
San Miniato is a small town perched on a hill with a lot of historical buildings; this is one of the most important stops along the Via Francigena.
From San Miniato, we will ride to San Gimignano, which is a UNESCO town in an idyllic location in the heart of Tuscany.
We will have time to walk around San Gimignano and enjoy its unique atmosphere.
Ride day 6.
126km/1,575m.
Hotel: Relais Santa Chiara.
The ride between San Gimignano and Siena is very scenic, but even more if you do an SFIDA-style detour and include riding into the Chianti Wine Region.
The first place of interest today is the walled medieval town of Monteriggioni. This is a spectacular place.
After visiting Monteriggioni, we will head towards Castellina in Chianti and Radda in Chianti, which are the most important towns in the Chianti.
The landscapes in this part of Tuscany are stunning.
After we enjoy lunch in Radda in Chianti, we will make our way to Siena, a UNESCO medieval city worth visiting this afternoon.
86km/1,420m.
Hotel: Hotel Duomo.
There is plenty to see between Siena and Viterbo.
Our longest ride will start with some great riding down the Val d'Orcia. Once we reach San Quiricio d'Orcia, we will stop in this beautiful town.
Next stop will be in the top hill town of Radicofani and its impressive fortress.
Soon after we leave Radicofani, we will be leaving Tuscany and entering the Lazio region.
We will ride by the side of Lake Bolsena before reaching Viterbo, our final destination for today.
Viterbo has plenty of places of interest, also a Thermal town, and our hotel has a great spa!
162km/2,070m.
Hotel: Hotel Niccolo V. Terme dei Papi.
Our last day is also another spectacular ride.
After leaving Viterbo, we will ride along the small Lake Vico, then we will continue to Sutri and onto Lake Bracciano.
For our last part of the ride, and being Sunday, we plan to make it all the way to Vatican City on our bikes.
The planned end of the ride is at Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican City.
After we reach our final destination, we will transfer to our hotel in Rome.
87km/1,230m.
Hotel: A.Rome Lifestyle Hotel.
After breakfast at our hotel, we will transfer to Rome Fiumicino Airport.
We plan to be there around 10:30.
Plan your onward travel accordingly. Don't hesitate to check with us if you need any further information.
