Planned Route Notes
This stage begins at the Mediterranean naval city of La Spezia and immediately climbs inland into the northern Apennine Mountains. The route avoids coastal highways and instead follows remote mountain roads through forested ridgelines and historic hill towns such as Sarzana and Piazza al Serchio, entering the wild, sparsely populated core of the Garfagnana region. From there, the ride becomes progressively more technical, crossing high Apennine passes with continuous elevation changes, tight switchbacks, and panoramic ridge sections. The terrain transitions from rugged alpine-Mediterranean forest to the gentler, cultivated hills of northern Tuscany, descending toward the cultural basin of Florence. This segment is defined by isolation, technical mountain riding, and a gradual transition from coastal Ligurian wilderness into the historic heartland of Tuscany, ending at one of Europe’s most significant Renaissance cities.