ITALIAN GREENWAYS: GREEN TOURISM BRINGS FORMER RAILWAYS BACK TO LIFE
Between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries Italy, together with other western countries, had great impetus in constructing railway infrastructures: at the time, and until at least the middle of the last century, the train was certainly the most effective means of transportation for covering long distances. Nevertheless, the booming economy, the arrival of new means of transportation and the improvement of technologies in the railway sector have slowly led to long sections of previously installed rails to fall into disuse. Today we’re talking about more than 7,000 km of disused railway lines in Italy, some tracks that have been entirely closed off to traffic, some closed down because new variants had been built, and some that had been under construction but never completed.
Italy is not the only country that finds itself in this situation. It is in good company with many other European countries and with the United States. What these other countries have done, however, is to reclaim these old routes, which travel across very beautiful and evocative natural areas, by giving them a new designated use: “green tourism”. Today those old railways have been turned into Greenways. Those Infrastructures in disuse have been turned into roads or pathways which may only be traveled on foot or, better yet, by bicycle. Although there’s still a long way to go, our country can boast a number of absolutely unmissable routes, suitable for those in search of beauty who also want to pursue an environmentally sustainable philosophy in their travels.
An example of this is in the north-western region of Liguria, in the heart of the coastal area of the Cinque Terre. Here, between the cities of Levanto and Framura, there’s a wonderful 6-km long stretch where the former railway route can become the ideal destination for unforgettable walks and bicycle rides across the famous Ligurian landscape, halfway between steep mountain slopes and the blue sea. The center of Italy also has its Greenway: in Umbria, today the former Spoleto-norcia railway that had been decommissioned in 1968 houses one of the most beautiful cycleways of the entire peninsula. 51 km long, with 19 (not all so short) tunnels which need to be traveled with a front light. The Spoleto-norcia runs across protected areas, historic villages and unique landscapes which can be admired on foot or by bike; a path that is truly suitable for everyone.
The South, on the other hand, can definitely boast a stretch like that from the former Castelvetrano - Ribera railway, in Sicily, which passes through Menfi, located in the Agrigento province. Thanks to a nearly 17-km long route, it will therefore be possible to cycle through the wonderful scents of the Sicilian countryside overlooking the sea.