Last Updated on September 30, 2026 by freebuffalo

Riding through the medieval towns and villages of Italy was an excellent experience; thoroughly enjoyed the architecture and the warmth of the people, not to mention pizzas and pistachio ice-cream that were the standard meal, every day whilst I was in Italy. The coastal town of Imperia hemmed by the mountains was fabulous, there was a bike lane along the coast for about 30km including some tunnels which had disco lights and had music playing – unique experience. 

Crossing from Italy to Monaco and then onto Nice was a bit of a challenge because of the traffic and the volume of tourists in the coastal areas. I had enough of this and so headed straight back into the mountains in Southern France. Parque national Verdun stood up to the expectations, gorgeous cliffs and rural quieter roads made this visit to this canyon a worthwhile venture.

After Aix-en-Provence I went to Montpellier along the lovely vineyards and then on to the Pyrenees. Artesenal products and the quality of food was just as expected – superb. The only downside was the working hours of the French. Nevermind the opening hours stated on the Google Maps, even the hours stated on the doors of business establishments were not adhered to. On top of this, even on the few hours they were open the attitude of ‘I don’t like to work’ was quite frankly annoying, although this is more a generalization. I longed for the exceptions! 

By the time I arrived at the Pyrenees it was the end of summer seasons, so hardly any tourists at the campsites and roads were quiet. I was dreading the climb to Andorra, as this was the highest total ascent I did on any single day in this trip, 1700m over 38km. But I presume my fitness had improved besides the new smaller ring on the front crank helped a lot. I was able to do the climb with relative ease. Andorra, as all tax havens, was shiny, clean and signs of wealth made it obvious what lower taxes bring. From here it was a three-day ride to Barcelona, where I ended this mini-trip!

Three new countries added to my list taking the number of countries I have visited to 100. About 2200 kilometers in total, 9 countries, just under 2 months, zero punctures, several 2000+m passes, great food and fabulous weather. An Alpine trip just as I I dreamt. I will be back for more. 

Route (1212 km): Turin – Narzole (63) – Priero (43) – Imperia (85) – Nice (79) – Andon (60) – Castellane (33) – Moustiers St Marie (44) – Aix en Provence (85) – Arles (79) – Montpellier (73) – Beziers (69) – Lagrasse (67) – Axat (77) – Ax les Thermes – (60) – Andorra la Vella (67) – Oliana (69) – Cervera (57) – Barcelona (102)