Mantua, a two-wheeler Italian capital of Europe with its Bike Festival

MANTUA, Italy - Oct. 13, 2014 - PRLog -- Mantua - The city of Mantua has hosted Mantua Bike Festival that was a weekend totally dedicated to the two-wheeler enthusiasts. The Festival was a big success thanks to various and numerous events that attracted bicycle tourists from all over Italy and abroad, especially from Germany and Great Britain.

The guests and participants have especially appreciated the bike itineraries, that permit the Province of Mantua to showcase the natural and artistic beauty of the region. Six itineraries were presented, ranging from the one that makes discover Santuario delle Grazie, to the route that makes use of the bike lane Mantova-Sabbioneta that connects two UNESCO World Heritage cities.  Among other  interesting routes were the one of the valley Valletta di Belfiore, then a route that included bus transfer from lake Garda in direction of Mantua, and went along Mincio river and another itinerary along the river that brought the two-wheeler tourists to the historic town of Governolo. To crown the itineraries presentation, a family route was proposed to public. It permits to ride in the national park of Mincio river and arrive to the park of Bertone. Bicycle tourists from all over North of Italy took part in these tours, including participants coming from Province of Mantua, Venice, Monza Brianza, Mestre, Milan, Pavia, Vicenza, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Trieste, Cremona, Verona, Brescia and Ferrara.

Together with the rich day trip programme, the Festival offered the programme of events dedicated to in-depth analysis of some aspects of bike tourism. Workshops dedicated to the two-wheeler universe were organized, as well as those focused on road safety education,and others that provided tips on athletic preparation of the cyclists and advise on family biking.

Freestyle open-air performances were particularly appreciated by the youth and passers-by. General public could also visit three different photo exhibitions in different parts of the city. The first one “A human Locomotive” is dedicated to a great cyclist Learco Guerra and was organized at Casa del Rigoletto. Then there is the exhibition  at Madonna della Vittoria venue, called “100 years of biking” that displays the collection of thirty bikes of historical value, belonging to Cavalier Virgilio Gazzetta di Gabbiana. This event registered more than 1.000 visitors in two days. The third exhibition was an artistic installation of Francesco Cozzani, a restorer, in the Piazza delle Erbe, the city’s main square.

Bike Village was set up in Sordello square, a true heart of the Mantova Bike Festival. Setting up the Bike Village proved a great interest of the regional administration in promoting biking. During the Festival, the Province of Mantua has presented the European Union project of bike itineraries promotion “EuroVelo 8 – Mediterranean Route, Europe's longest thematic tourism route”. The regional authorities are the leaders of the project.

The market of bike tourism is on the continuous rise. In 2012 it has generated the turnover of 44 billion of euro in Europe, that derived from two billion of two-wheeler travels and 20 million of overnight stay in hotels.

«We are very proud of having promoted and hosted this very important event -  Alessandro Pastacci, the President of the Province of Matua commented, - as the ecotourism has become an Italian and European frontier. Mantua Bike Festival has proved to be a perfect occasion for many to get to know our land, our services and, above all, the rich bike routes network of our territory that can be explored also thanks to the App Terre di Mantova (Lands of Mantua). This App contains, among other features, a section dedicated to bicycle routes. It also contains thematic tourist itineraries and can generate personalized trip plans».