The bicycle, more than other vehicles, allows you to taste shades and varieties of some territories full of points of interest, different sceneries, hidden places. Along the Po river, from ancient borders of the Savoy’s Ducat to the springs, a fascinating project of a bike lane is almost complete: the Monviso’s bike lane. Along the way, a selection of points of interest outside main towns is presented on Atlasfor, with some sections (in red) still to be secured.
It is a model of illustration of points of interest, which will be used for all the major bikeways, with the addition of interesting activities for receptiveness, food and wine, typical products. In collaboration with FIAB (Federazione Italiana Amici della Bicicletta) Atlasfor dedicate a selection of the most intriguing route of each region for cyclists and tourists.
From Savoy’s fortifications to thermoelectric power plants, from Benedictine Abbeys to nightlife clubs, from naturalistic areas to quarry activities, the path along the Po offers a series of points of interest near to each other.
They are part of the natural and cultural heritage or little-known activities because usually, the river is a neglected place from which cities try to be far from. In this way, we have treasures ready to be discovered at hand (or better, at legs). Timetables and procedures of visit are explained on Atlasfor in a specific window.
The managers of those places can indicate any changing, or ask for a specific NEWS window to present their initiatives. In this way, those activities of different subjects present in that area could be seen on a calendar.
This service is still little used since many operators very often ignore neighborly relations preferring those within the same area of competence at a regional, national or even global level.
In the mountain part, going up the Po Valley past Saluzzo, the pedaling becomes heavy for the untrained, it requires the “assisted”, or an engine that still leads to places to visit at low speed and with the calm of the people living in the valleys.
It is home to castles, medieval towns, landscapes with little alteration, as in most of the West Alpine valleys.
Atlasfor begins with the program of exploration of the less known territories, marginal respect to tourist flows.
They are often places full of environmental quality or historical evidence but also of innovative initiatives for the “resistance” to the abandonment processes and the valorization of underutilized places. The case of Ostana, where a mayor-manager is promoting an exploitation of abandoned villages that is adopted as a model in all the Alps.
For this reason, Atlasfor documents the interventions qualifying the places not only related to the field (Piedmont) or to the route (Ciclovia del Monviso) but also in the thematic selections at the national level (Premio del Paesaggio Alpino), thus promoting their knowledge and encourage visits by “insiders”.
The provision of accommodation equipment and food and wine is an additional service that can be useful to the visitor at particular times and is activated on command, not cluttering the map during excursions.
The receptive services or restaurants, for now inserted following the selections made by the ATL of Turin, can be better presented with materials made available by the operators themselves, which are equipped, as for cultural activities, with a window with the references of their site and with the possibility of inserting NEWS for events, special offers or additional services (such as guided tours, specific equipment for the cyclists, sports experiences, etc.).
Atlafor opens a call, which will remain open until the end of 2018, for operators along the bike lane of the Monviso interested in showcasing their offers and became part of Atlasfor.