Trail dei Papi

The Trail dei Papi is a long gravel journey through Lazio that sets off from Bracciano, reaches Rome and finishes back by the lake, where the organisers invite finishers to dive into its clear water. Along the way it strings together places shaped by the popes and by the Etruscans before them, such as Viterbo, Montefiascone, Bagnoregio, Caprarola, Tivoli, Subiaco, Anagni and Castel Gandolfo, on back roads and long unpaved stretches chosen to keep traffic away.

It is a single non-stop stage: there are no fixed overnight stops, so each rider plans their own pace and rests, collecting stamps at checkpoints on a brevet card. The local association behind it wants to promote the towns of the region, their food and hospitality, and the bike as a tool for wellbeing, working with the municipalities the route passes through.