File:EuroVelo Route 7.svg – Wikimedia CommonsTwo Cyclists Embark on a 7,000 km Journey from Norway to Showcase Southern Italy’s Greenways
On August 13, 2026, two avid cyclists and a reporter set off from the northernmost point of Norway to reach Reggio Calabria, Italy, traversing the EuroVelo 7 route. Over the next three months, they aim to highlight the National Parks of Cilento, Appennino Lucano, Pollino, and Aspromonte, united by an unprecedented inter-institutional agreement.
A 1,500 km Greenway Connecting Three Regions
Spanning over 1,500 kilometers across Campania, Basilicata, and Calabria, this greenway isn’t a future promise but a reality. It comprises existing routes that, when connected, form a continuous cycling corridor along Italy’s southern spine. The Via Silente in Cilento, the Ciclovia Meridiana in Basilicata, and the Ciclovia dei Parchi della Calabria are paths born at different times and with varying logics, yet contiguous, traversing four National Parks covering over 500,000 hectares of protected landscapes and a wealth of biodiversity.
Bringing the Greenway to Life
Historically, these routes were viewed in isolation. Starting August 13, 2026, the most ambitious attempt to change this perception begins, curiously starting 7,000 kilometers away in Capo Nord, Norway.
An Eight-Country Roadshow
Dubbed “South Italy Greenways,” this cycling roadshow will traverse Europe from north to south along the EuroVelo 7, the Sun Route, connecting Capo Nord to Malta over 7,000 kilometers. The journey will last approximately three months, passing through eight countries—Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, and Italy—and crossing 22 natural parks.
Cities Along the Route
The list of cities encountered along the way underscores the scale of the endeavor:
- Finland: Tornio
- Sweden: Haparanda, Malmö
- Denmark: Copenhagen
- Germany: Rostock, Berlin, Dresden
- Czech Republic: Prague
- Austria: Linz, Salzburg, Lienz
- Italy: Bolzano, Trento, Mantua, Bologna, Florence, Rome, Naples, Salerno, Reggio Calabria
Beyond the Kilometers: Engaging with Local Communities
The declared goal isn’t just the mileage. Along the entire route, meetings with local communities, cycle tourists, associations, and industry operators are planned: each stop is an opportunity to talk about Southern Italy to a European audience. It’s territorial promotion done by pedaling, with the logic of those who know that attention must be earned on the spot, one conversation at a time.
Four Parks Collaborating Together
Behind the initiative is an element that deserves more attention than the journey itself, especially for those working in land management: the “Parks of the South – Link Building” agreement, signed in 2025.
This is a unique inter-institutional collaboration that brings together the Cilento, Vallo di Diano, and Alburni National Park; the Appennino Lucano Val d’Agri Lagonegrese National Park; the Pollino National Park; and the Aspromonte National Park. The goal is to build integrated tourism proposals—sustainable, innovative, and respectful of local landscapes and identities—enhancing green infrastructures, trails, cycle paths, and the many thematic itineraries already present in these natural reserves.
The Organizers and Cyclists
The general organization is entrusted to Slow Italy S.r.l., a Lucanian company directed by Michele Cappiello, which has been working for years on promoting slow and ecological tourism and enhancing the inland areas of Southern Italy. The roadshow is coordinated by project manager Palmarosa Fuccella.
Cycling will be two exceptional cycle tourists, Simona Pergola and Simona Ridolfi, who also contributed to the design and planning of the tour—a not insignificant detail, because it means that the route was designed by those who will actually face it, with all that it entails in terms of realism of the stages and time management. With them will travel reporter Francesco Vigliotti, tasked with documenting the experience day by day.
Daily Storytelling: The True Product
This is the central point of the project. South Italy Greenways is not designed to be told at the end, when the bicycles arrive in Reggio Calabria: it is built to be followed while it happens.
The journey will be documented daily through storytelling, photographic reports, videos, and constant activity on the project’s dedicated social channels, coordinated by content creator Maria Livia Di Leo. Three months of continuous content, aiming to strengthen the international visibility of the four Parks by directly involving the public rather than limiting itself to distributing promotional material.
For those involved in territorial communication, it’s an interesting case to observe in real time: the bet is that a long, daily, and first-person narrative builds more attention than any seasonal campaign. Those who want to see if it works have three months to verify it, following the website and Instagram profile of the project.
What Remains When the Journey Ends
The end of the ride will not close the project. A video documentary and a series of presentation events of the outputs are planned, to be held both in the four Parks and during the main sector appointments scheduled between the end of 2026 and 2027, such as the sixth edition of the Cycle Tourism Fair to be held from March 19 to 21, 2027, in Padua.
This is the part that interests operators and administrators most directly: the material collected along 7,000 kilometers