Sabina has always been synonymous with nature, villages, and a slow pace. Few people know about this historic region. It's a territory that extends primarily through the province of Rieti in Lazio and touches southern Umbria. A land of hills, olive groves, back roads, and small hilltop villages, perfect for exploring by bike. This is the context in which Sabina Parco Slow was born, a project that aims to enhance the area through sustainable and people-centered tourism , combining trekking, cycling, horseback riding, culture, and food and wine.
The idea is to create a network capable of connecting different yet complementary experiences, with routes that encourage gentle mobility and the slow exploration of Sabina. But it's a different approach: the project doesn't start with the bike, but the bike is part of it. It sounds like a tongue twister, but there you have it (in the opening photo by Giulia Pesarin).
Sabina Slow Park
At the heart of it all is the Sabina Business Network, an organization created to promote the Sabine region through an integrated tourism offering. The project encompasses diverse businesses united by a common philosophy.
«It is a network of companies in fact – the representative Emilia Konopka tells us – To date there are 57 of them, including agricultural companies, hiking guides, accommodation facilities and local operators such as hiking guidesFor some time now there has also been an important bike rental service and e-bike, that is called E-bike park». And it is precisely this last sector that represents one of the most dynamic areas of the project.
The network's goal is to create connections between various local businesses, offering visitors the opportunity to enjoy comprehensive experiences: from trekking routes to tastings, cycling itineraries, and visits to the historic villages of Sabina. This model relies heavily on collaboration between operators and the development of a "distributed" tourism model, starting from the bottom up. And perhaps for this reason, it's even more authentic.
This philosophy is clearly expressed on the official website, in the section dedicated to the project. Soft mobility is a key element: walking, cycling, and nature trails become tools for getting to know the area more deeply.
From this perspective, the bicycle represents an ideal means. The secondary roads of Sabina, the continuous ups and downs and the connections between the villages are particularly well suited to cycle tourism, especially today that the e-bike They allow for an expansion of the number of people who can tackle these routes. This is also why the network is increasingly investing in the creation of dedicated itineraries and the promotion of services related to the cycling world.
Among the villages of Sabina
One of the most interesting projects developed by Sabina Parco Slow, indeed the real jewel in the crown is undoubtedly the Sabina Villages Cycle TourThis is a permanent ring of approximately 106 kilometers that connects eleven villages in the northern part of the Sabina Reatina. The route starts and ends in Collevecchio and is designed to be tackled both by traditional bike and by e-bike.
"This loop was created about ten years ago," explains Emilia Konopka. "The idea came from Salvatore Paruta, the first person responsible for this Sabina Business Network. It was originally designed for hiking, but was later adapted for cycling. It was also designed to promote intermodality." One of the most interesting aspects, in fact, is the connection to the railway. The route starts from the Collevecchio train station, allowing for convenient access by train from Rome or from the Umbrian side, passing through Orte. A solution that fits perfectly with the concept of sustainable mobility, something we've already seen with the GranTour del Lazio.
The loop passes through some of Sabina's most charming villages, including Casperia, Cottanello, and Roccantica, alternating between secondary roads, hilly vistas, and endless glimpses of the area's characteristic olive groves. It also passes through the forests of the little-known but wild and beautiful Sabine Mountains, which separate the Tiber Valley from the Rieti Plain.
Over the years, the Sabina Villages Cycling Tour has also received important recognition for sustainable tourism and local development, including a podium finish at the Green Award a few years ago, dedicated specifically to initiatives that combine environmental protection, slow tourism, and local promotion.
The route more or less follows the same route as the walking route, except that it follows the lightly traveled provincial roads. In each of the 11 villages, upon arrival, there is a sign indicating that you are on the Cicloturistica Boghi della Sabina route.
An active network
Today, Sabina Parco Slow continues to work to expand its cycling offerings. The network already offers, upon request, several tracks for cycling itineraries in the area. Some routes are already published, while others are provided directly to interested users. Among the most interesting itineraries are two stages of the Via dell'Acqua from Assisi to Rome: the fourth, from Narni to Magliano Sabina, and the fifth, from Magliano Sabina to Fiano Romano. These routes combine cycling tourism, spirituality, and exploration of the area.
The future goal (hopefully) is to achieve permanent signage of the routes, thus creating an even more structured and easily usable cycle tourism network.
Emilia Konopka again: «In parallel, the Rete, together with Ebikepark, participated, together with the Municipality of Casperia, in the "Bici in Comune" tender for the creation of five cycle-tourism itineraries between Casperia, Roccantica, and Cantalupo in Sabina. The Green Trail is a 15-kilometer tourist route that connects the three villages, passing by historical sources and sports centers. The Blue Trail, 10 kilometers long, is a mountain bike loop on CAI trails starting from Casperia. The Red Trail, shorter but scenic, is 6 kilometers long and climbs from Roccantica towards some particularly picturesque passes. Finally, there's the Black Trail: 11 more challenging kilometers connected to the Blue Trail that lead to the Cognolo and Valle Ferrara refuges, where you can also recharge your batteries. e-bike».
Finally, there's no shortage of dedicated events. With the Primavera in Sabina events , you'll have the opportunity to combine sport and food. These two dates, June 6th and 21st, will feature outdoor activities and tastings at two local accommodations belonging to the Sabina Business Network. "These events," Emilia continues, "are designed for trekking, which is sort of our main activity, but they're also open to those who want to experience them by bike."
