There's no denying it: Liguria is truly at the forefront of everything related to two wheels, with a strong commitment to promoting cycling . This leads to ongoing initiatives related to the construction and inauguration of cycle paths that serve as a link to the entire regional portion of the Tyrrhenian Cycle Route . While the Diano Marina Cycle Route opened to the public just a few weeks ago , those in the east aren't sitting idly by, and the new section of the Tyrrhenian Cycle Route of Eastern Liguria will be inaugurated on May 29th.
It will be nearly 13 kilometers long, between the center of Sarzana and Marinella, an important stretch for the overall economy of the long Ligurian route . To take stock of the situation, we therefore consulted the Regional Councilor for Infrastructure Giacomo Raul Giampedrone , who is extremely busy these days with the two-wheeled front.
Indeed, it's a constant bouncing back and forth across Liguria. Just yesterday, we officially inaugurated the Diano Marina cycle path, riding the wave of success it had already enjoyed as soon as the work was completed . The authorizations had arrived early, so it was already accessible, but the local mayors wanted a solemn moment to celebrate those eight kilometers. The eastern section is the next section we'll be inaugurating. It's still closed, but I can assure you it's a truly fascinating stretch. The construction work is wrapping up on schedule, under the joint management of the Region and the Province of La Spezia, along with the municipalities of Sarzana, Castelnuovo Magra, Luni, and Fosdinovo.
What's really striking is the strong public support for your commitment, which is tied to the development of the entire Tyrrhenian Cycle Route...
We're not surprised. This work, including planning, design, and securing funding, has taken us about ten years to reach this completion, which leads us to the inaugurations between now and June 22nd. The response is truly significant, both in the west, where the sections we're building are opening a continuous 47-kilometer route, and in the east, where we're slightly expanding the cycle path network with structural investments. I frankly believe that the response from the local areas, associations, FIAB , and all those who love this type of slow tourism is a very important one.
How much is the new section?
The eastern stretch is 13 kilometers long and runs from the sea to the hinterland, slightly different from the western stretch, which runs entirely along the coast . This stretch also passes through historic vineyards, the Vermentino vineyards of Liguria, but above all, it's a true slice of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Furthermore, and no small thing, we integrate some stretches with the Tuscany Region because we pass through the municipality of Fosdinovo, thanks to an investment we made ourselves, but which the Tuscany Region allocated to us in funding.
After all, we're talking about a global project that involves much of Italy, starting from Lazio...
Exactly, and I can only thank President Giani of Tuscany for this synergy , because perhaps more in the Levante region than in the Ponente region, one understands the importance of the interregional nature of this project, which aims to unite Ventimiglia and Rome. In the Levante regions, one understands the importance of also working with neighboring regions.
Regarding Liguria, when will we be able to say we have a complete cycle path?
A clarification is needed on this point. We specified it at the beginning of our project, integrating it with the railway. This is because there are areas, such as the Cinque Terre, that overlook the sea and would be impossible to include a cycle path. We have always considered a route integrated with the railway. Today, with these investments that bring 45 kilometers of new access, we have unlocked approximately 75 kilometers of the Tyrrhenian Cycle Route . We need to complete the same amount to be able to claim complete rail-infrastructure integration.
What does it take to achieve completion?
Once this priority section, divided into five parts, is completed, I hope the national government will support us with new resources to complete the new priority sections that will be planned between now and the next few years . These 45 new kilometers cost approximately 50 million euros, and this speaks volumes about the complexity of this infrastructure, given the sheer drops to the sea, the vertical crossings from the hillside to the sea that are never trivial for us, and the overriding of certain hydrogeological features of the territory that are by no means a given. So far, however, state support has never been lacking, regardless of the political affiliation.
Can you give an example?
The final section we'll be opening is the connection between Imperia and Diano Marina, which crosses an old Aurelia state highway. It was originally intended to be a seaside road, and was originally planned fifty years ago, but was then immediately closed due to a significant hydrogeological instability that no one had ever considered remediating. That stretch of just 800 meters alone cost more than €20 million. Instability is never a secondary issue when it comes to infrastructure development in Liguria...
What timeframe have you set for yourselves?
I hope that immediately after these inaugurations, we can work on new executive plans that would allow us to complete, at least by the end of this mandate, not the entire route, but certainly at least another 45 priority kilometers . The ministry, after all, provided this figure at the beginning of this process.
Returning to the specific trait being resolved, what characteristics does it have?
It also connects a key stretch of Tuscany, the Marina di Carrara-Viareggio stretch. Since Sarzana and Luni border Marina di Carrara, we could soon announce the Sarzana-Viareggio stretch, which is more than 40 kilometers long, crossing the entire Versilia coast and is truly beautiful.
In this way, does Liguria aim to become an example of the concept of intermodality as a road for the future?
Absolutely, I believe it's an essential tourism concept . I also think Liguria has given a great demonstration that even in a challenging region, when you want to achieve a goal and there are resources, all the institutions involved work in unison, then things can be done, and we are proud of it.
