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Arne stops to take in the spectacular view of San Pietro in Guarno, one of a dozen picturesque hill towns on the 950- meter wide narrow gauge. Much of the railroad is now blocked by blackberries. Tourist trains traversed this wonderland until two years ago. Now its fate is in jeopardy. It is worthy of a national heritage site.
Italy
The Next Railbiking Frontier?
by Peter Hoffman
Arne Nilsson and I teamed up to investigate the feasibility of railbiking in France and Italy as a prelude to a possible group tour. We began our research using maps of abandoned railroads
Almost all bridges in Italy, regardless of size, were
this arched stone design. This beauty was on the narrow gauge out of S. Pietro in Guarno.
published in both countries and then located them on Google Earth. The routes were then followed and “street views” were used to determine whether the rails were still In place, how badly overgrown they might be and if they were suitable for railbiking.
We located several dozen lines in France which appeared to be good prospects although many ran through flat farmland and some had long uninteresting straight stretches. Abandoned lines in Italy looked far scarcer.
By coincidence during this period, I was contacted by Albano Marcarini, editor of a Italian cycling magazine, seeking to publish an article based on the Patagonia story which is archived here in The Insider. As it turned out this gentleman was also an avid railroad fan, historian, hiker and preservationist. When he learned we were planning to visit Italy he provided us with reams of information, advice and railroad maps. He also put us in contact with several others who are active in preserving historical rail lines.
Through these contacts we received permission to ride two historic lines and we gained insight into the possibility of riding recently deactivated lines without official problems. Thus, Italy was chosen as our railbiking destination. With countless hours of research and our contacts awaiting our arrival we anticipated a very promising and productive adventure.
September 2013. A Reconnaissanc In The Land Of Wine And Pasta.
