Cima Tauffi, Acquamarcia, The Queen e Il sentiero dei Giganti

A beautiful e-bike ride in the Fanano area, featuring the brand-new “The Queen” descent—at least for me—recently opened by the Fanano bikers: well done! The route starts in Fanano and climbs on paved road up to Fellicarolo, then continues toward the Taburri picnic area. This is where the forest road begins, which climbs toward the Colombino Pass with a few steep sections. The final stretch turns into a technical singletrack, almost entirely rideable thanks to the trail’s excellent maintenance. Once you reach the Colombino Pass, take the trail to the right that climbs toward Cima Tauffi. It’s a technical trail, featuring some challenging climbs, while the rather narrow path requires careful riding in several spots. A couple of short sections force you to dismount, but the overall rideability exceeds 95%.

From Cima Tauffi, turn left onto the ridge trail: before reaching the entrance to Acquamarcia, there’s a short section you’ll need to walk due to tight switchbacks and a rather challenging surface. The rest of the descent is rated medium difficulty (S3). The Acquamarcia descent is very technical and definitely fun. The first section flows more smoothly, with a few S2-rated rocky passages. Then the terrain changes, featuring protruding rocks and boulders interspersed with a few jumps, requiring precise, decisive, and consistently well-executed riding: this is full-on S3. The finale, on the other hand, offers a beautiful sequence of tight hairpin turns and thrilling steep sections, rated S2, leading up to the final drop—a great S3 section.

At the bottom, turn right toward Capanno Tassoni, then take the beautiful, quiet forest road that climbs toward Passo della Riva. The final stretch of the climb becomes decidedly technical again: a mule trail characterized by small rocks, steps, and loose stones, with a few short sections where you’ll need to walk. You crest the Passo dei Baichetti—here, too, with a couple of short sections requiring a push—and after a series of ups and downs on singletrack and forest roads, you descend to Fosso Scopa. Here, take the CAI 409 to the left and, shortly after, turn right onto the CAI 4 toward La Sega. The first section is a fast singletrack, then “The Queen” trail begins: a beautiful route restored from an old abandoned trail, the Sentiero delle Carbonaie, which leads all the way to La Sega. It’s a technical route, with steps, rocky sections, and tight switchbacks, generally rated S2 but with some S3 sections. And that’s not all: another trail, which we’ll ride soon, is “The King,” even more technical and running practically alongside “The Queen.” This trail, too, has been restored and cleared by the talented bikers from Fana.

You’ll pass through the village of Sega, taking the trail on the left before entering the village, and arrive at the provincial road (SP) heading toward Ospitale. Keep left and tackle a short climb up to L’Isola, where you’ll take the beautiful singletrack “Il Sentiero dei Giganti.” The name comes from the numerous centuries-old chestnut trees that line the trail, which has recently been restored and cleared and is now fully rideable. The first part is a classic “ride-and-enjoy” route, featuring constant changes in pace and short ups and downs, before transforming into a smooth, flowing ride on the final descent, with a series of fun hairpin turns (S2). A short climb over a hill then leads to the final stretch of CAI 425, a classic in the area. The final section is quite technical, featuring steps, tight switchbacks with steps, rocky sections, and steep slopes, all the way to Madonna del Ponte: here the difficulty level rises to S3.

From here, following the trail along the Fellicarolo stream, you return to Fanano, completing a long, varied, and thoroughly well-rounded loop that alternates between scenic rides, technical uphill sections, and a great sequence of trails and FR descents. A great day on an e-bike, with the added bonus of several trails that have recently been restored and improved thanks to the invaluable work of the Fanano bikers.