Parenzana Cycling Trail - Muggia to Porec

The Parenzana Cycling Trail.
More information on the trail can be found here: parenzana.net
The cycling trail stretches from the Italian coastal town of Muggia along the route of an old narrow-gauge railway line, making use of the many bridges and tunnels as it winds past beaches, to the coastal Sečovlje salt pans before moving through the hills and down into Poreč. The railway transported wine and olive oil between 1902 and 1935 but now provides a spectacular cycle path. The route is mainly asphalt in Italy and Slovenia, but changes to a gravel trail in Croatia. With a good trekking bike you should have no issues navigating the entire trail, as you can see from the videos.Part 1 - 38km. Starting in Muggia, Italy, part 1 of the Parenzana trail shares the same route as the Eurovelo 8, taking you into the countryside over rolling hills, crossing the border into Slovenia before descending back to the Adriatic at Koper. The ride then travels along a dedicated cycle path that hugs the shore to Izola before crossing the town and up into the hills. This part takes in a couple of superb tunnels before descending into the resort town of Portorož. The ride then travels along yet another coast-hugging track past the spectacular 13th century Sečovlje Salt Pans, which still produces sea-salt via traditional methods. Finally we finish the first part of the ride at the Slovenian/Croatian Border checkpoint.Part 2 - 22km. Resuming where we left off at the Slovenian/Croatian Border this section of the Parenzana cycling trail follows the old railway route which is now mainly a gravel surface that can get a little rough at times. However, there are no issues, as you can see, with good trekking bikes. It's an easy and gentle hill climb virtually from start to finish initially along the terrific Eurovelo 8 path that affords superb views over the Sečovlje Salt Pans and the Adriatic. We then cut back and move inland to Kaldanija, then Buje and finally finishing at Grožnjan. Part 3 - 20km. This section of the Parenzana is pretty much one long downhill section with just a gentle uphill between 8km to 10km. Starting at Grožnjan the route is 100% along the old railway route to Livade. It can almost feel like the cycling equivalent of a bobsleigh ride depending how comfortable you feel on a loose gravel surface. You travel through several tunnels, bridges and over many bridges that once served the railway line. It is a truly breath-taking section affording spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. Adding to this video is the fact that a cycling time-trial was underway in the opposite direction. Part 4 - 39km. The fourth and final section of the Parenzana trail starts in Livade before climbing into the hills around Motovun. Along the way the route crosses some spectacular ex-railway bridges up to Vižinada. It then passes through lovely rolling countryside, past vineyards growing from the dark red Istrian earth. Finally we reach the the end of the Parenzana before travelling first along roads and then the dedicated coastal path into the heart of beautiful Poreč.