There’s a project underway in Rome that could change the way people visit the Eternal City. The Grande Raccordo Anulare delle Bici (GRAB) is a 44km (27 mile) pedestrian and cycling path that rings the city. It passes through many ancient and modern sites, from the Appian Way and the Colosseum, to the contemporary architecture of Zaha Hadid’s MAXXI and street art in Quadraro and Torpignattara, and so much more.
The project, which is set to launch in 2022 and be completed in 2025, will be the longest network of interruption-free cycling routes in Rome, and possibly the world. However, since it's based on preexisting paths, some of the routes can already be accessed today.
Photo Credit: Lifegate.it
The GRAB has the potential to bring new types of tourists to the city, from cyclists to fans of urban trekking. The route is entirely flat, spread mainly along pedestrian walkways and bicycle paths, parks and river banks, and is ideal for anyone who wants to see the best sites of Rome while staying active.
The initiative is supported by VeloLove with Legambiente, Touring Club Italiano, among other organizations. It’s also gaining support from politicians. In August 2016 the government of the then-new mayor of Rome (Virginia Raggi of the 5-Star Movement) approved a protocol to build the path. Financing for the path was included in the 2016 national budget, which also provided for another three tourist bike paths to be built: one to be called Ciclovia del Sole (Bike Path of the Sun), one along ancient aqueducts in Puglia, and one linking Venice to Turin along the Po River.
