There’s something about long-distance biking that makes you feel like a superhero.
Yet there’s also the comical thrill you feel when you tell family and friends about your long-distance bike plans and they respond with, “Are you crazy??!!”
So says Ernesto G., of Brescia, in northern Italy. Last year, Ernesto shared with Italy Dreams the story of his bike trip from northern to southern Italy, along with his adventure buddy Fabio B.
This summer, Ernesto and Fabio ventured on a five-day journey from the Brescia area all the way to Munich, Germany–traveling 565 kilometers (351 miles) in 5 days.
The trip, which they completed with friends Fabio D. and Giorgio M., took them through northeastern Italy, a small part of Switzerland, Austria, and finally Germany–where they treated themselves to liters of beer at the famous Hofbrauhaus in Munich at the end.
Ernesto shares more details of the journey with Italy Dreams.
The Idea Begins
Ernesto is no stranger to longer athletic challenges, having swimmed competitively in the past and along with trail running, ski mountaineering, and climbing as well as other long-distance bike trips.
With memories from the bike trip to southern Italy fresh in his mind, he wondered in December 2025 why there was no bike trip planned for 2026. That led him to consider a long-distancce trip with beautiful scenery including going through the Alps.
Although he originally planned to go solo, Fabio D., Fabio B., and Giorgio all wanted to be part of the adventure.
Of course, that meant training had to begin asap as the trip was planned for late May/early June.
Ernesto and friends began to train almost every Saturday as they could, with the workouts getting progressively harder. There also were bike workouts during the week along with Ernesto maintaining his regular swim workout schedule three times a week.
Just like his previous trips, Ernesto did some serious trip route planning with the help of online tools and apps.
Before they knew it, it was time for their trip.
The Adventure Begins
The bikers began most days around 7 am or 8 am, a sharp contrast to the 4:45 am start times to beat the heat while in south Italy last summer.
Over the five days, they averaged 113 kilometers (70 miles) per day, with their longest day 146 km and their shortest 97 km.
“We spent between five and seven hours in the saddle, but each stage took about eight to nine hours total, including breaks,” he says.
There was one important break time each day: “We always stopped for lunch at a restaurant,” he says. That also gave the crew time to soak up the local culture and scenery.
In the evening, they stayed at bed-and-breakfasts or hotels. Surprisingly, two of the five places they stayed offered bike repair services, tire inflation, and bike cleaning. One of their favorite hotels was in Laces in the Trentino-Alto Adige region of Italy, which had an outdoor pool and stunning views of the Alps.
The bikers didn’t encounter any flat tires or other bike maintenance issues.
Ernesto had purchased a Dji Mini 5 Pro drone and used it during the ride, which added another “passenger” to the trip. He kept it in a front bag from Apidura, and he watched many tutorial videos in advance so he’d know how to use the drone while cycling or while stopped. The end result? Many great pictures and videos taken with the drone.
Watching the Scenery Change
The bikers traveled through the Lombardy, Veneto, and Trentino-South Tyrol regions of Italy. They started in the Po Valley, which Ernesto describes as having wide-open fields and mountains visible in the distance.
Next came the southern part of famous Lake Garda, surrounded by olive trees, veinyards, and lemon trees.
The Adige River area had a stunning bike trail and small villages and vineyards that continued all the way to the city of Bolzano and to the Alps.
Reaching Val Venosta, an area well-known for its apples, they entered the alps with mountain ranges of 3,000 to 3,900 meters (9800 feet and more).
They were still in Italy at this part of the journey, but it more closely resembled Austria than Italy, and German is widely spoken there.
Although they crossed high elevations during the trip, this didn’t intimidate them too much as they were ready for them.
Upon reaching Austria and the heart of the Alps, the bikers had peaceful views of glaciers and mountains, clear rivers, fields, and Gothic churches and villages.
The same held true in Germany, where the Alps gave way to hills, pastures, and lakes all the way to Munich.
Ultimately, the group traveled through:
–Desenzano del Garda, Italy
–Peschiera del Garda, Italy
–Rovereto, Italy
–Trento, Italy
–Bolzano, Italy
–Merano, Italy
–Lake Resia, Italy
–Prutz, Austria
–Imst, Austria
–Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany
–Starnberg, Germany
–Munich, Germany
They went through Switzerland as well but only for a few kilometers.
Reaching Munich
Upon reaching Munich on day 5, the crew arrived at Marienplatz in the center of Munich, went to their hotel, took showers, and then had beer and dinner at the legendary Hofbrauhaus. Dinner was pork knuckle and pretzels.
“I was impressed by the size of Hofbrauhaus, how quickly they serve beer, the German-style decor, and how quickly you can drink a liter of beer,” Ernesto says.
They returned home the next day–but not by bike!
Comparing Southern Versus Northern Italy
When asked how last year’s sojourn into southern Italy compared to this year’s trip, Ernesto shares a few thoughts.
“Italy is long and narrow, with a wide variety of climates and landscapes. Last year, the dialects, accents, cultures, and landscapes changed several times from stage to stage. On the latest trip, from Bolzano onward, the culture and food were very similar all the way to Bavaria in Germany,” he says.
Still, he says he loved the majesty of the Alps.
The freedom and exploration of new cultures are what keep Ernesto and his biking buddies on the road for these long-distance trips.
“This kind of trip fills you with excitement from the moment you plan it on the map until you’re actually biking,” he says. “The feeling of reaching faraway places under your own power feels great. It makes you feel like a superhero.”
While plans for the next long-distance ride are still in progress, it will most likely lead them to the city of Reggio Calabria in southern Italy, across from Sicily.
Tips for Long-Distance Biking Through Italy
If you’re considering a long-distance biking adventure through Italy–or really, anywhere–here are a few tips shared by Ernesto:
–Train gradually but consistently to prepare your body.
–Start with three- to four-day trips to make sure you like them.
–Pack as light as you can.
–Buy a good bike GPS. He uses the Garmin Edge 1040.
–Learn how to perform basic bike maintenance.
–Have your bike inspected and serviced before setting off.
Buon viaggio!
Italy Dreams 