Italy

• Miles cycled: 741
• Feet climbed: 16,684
• Cycling days: 14
• Non-cycling days: 5

Rating (1-10) and comments:

• Road – condition: 8
• Road – shoulders and cycle lanes: 5
  (Far and few in-between)
• Road signage: 7
• Drivers: 6.5
• Campsites – Availability: 6.5
  (Get an Italian Campsite directory available in most bookshops – there’s not a lot of campsites, but they are evenly distributed throughout the country)
• Campsites – Facilities/Value: 7
  (Most of the campsites we used have very good facilities but can be quite expensive esp. in peak season. Mozzie repellant ESSENTIAL.)
• Hotels: 6
  (Not as easy to find in smaller towns… there are Agriturismo B&B style places but these are usually in remote areas, far away from the main roads/towns.)
• Shops: 8
  (Lots of good supermarkets in most towns)
• Food: 7
  (I was hoping for massive bowls of pasta, but alas, pasta is usually served as Primi piatti (first course) so you only get a small ration. Plus restaurants have a cover charge – it all adds up!)
• People: 8.5
  (The friendliest and most helpful bunch by far… Always smiling and greeting you with a “Ciao! Ciao!”)
• Cost: 5
  (Not helped by the fact that we were here in peak summer season)
• Scenery: 7
• Cultural interest: 8
  (What can I say? Florence and Venice… amazing)

Overall: 6.8

General tips:

• Hotels and campsites were expensive compared to Spain, Portugal and France
• Restaurants include a cover charge per head which can range from 1€ to 4€. Some trattorias don’t charge this, and in the bigger cities, restaurants waive the cover charge to be more competitive.