If you pass through these parts for the first time, you probably won't be very impressed. The Susa Valley in northern Italy doesn’t have the wild charm of other valleys and, over the 20th century, the hand of modern civilisation left a deep mark. Two state roads and a highway run through the lower part, whilst hundreds of kilometres of ski slopes, two tunnels, one railroad and one highway are located higher up.

To understand and appreciate the Susa Valley, you have to take a step back, learn about its history. There are few hills and hairpin bends in the Alps where armies from Europe and Africa, emperors, kings, princes, generals, pilgrims, and also the last champion of modern cycling (on the Giro-Tour-Vuelta triplet) have journeyed.

To bike through this valley, you don’t need to invent roads. The centuries-old passages from one side of these mountains to the other are evident in the dense road network here.
There are the dirt roads once used by those who walked the Via Francigena ancient pilgrimage route, asphalt that connects cities and nations, and many miles of military roads that today, with their weathered surface and gentle gradients, are perfect for riding on a gravel bike. The valley has the unusual added bonus of a railroad that runs along the valley floor from Turin to Bardonecchia, making the train the perfect companion to arrive at your adventure, leaving the car at home.

So what are you waiting for to discover the real Susa Valley?

(Adapted for Komoot from part of the text of ‘Alvento Destinations 02’, a book featuring a dozen unconventional travel ideas across Italy. You can order your copy here: alvento.cc/prodotto/destinations-italy-unknown-2/)