Good practice:

Discesa Internazionale del Tevere- Tiber Tour

Along the Tiber from Umbria to Rome (and then to the sea) thanks to Tibertour is possible to descent the river walking, cycling and paddling once a year for one week. The Tiber river is undoubtfully one of the most iconic in Europe and in the past was used as a mean of transport for trading and to a lesser extend for tourism. Nowadays although the request of outdoor activities is greater, it is impossible to undertake the “Tiber route” without a proper organization. It is difficult to find out all the needed information in order to undertake the route. Tracks (also according to seasons), accommodation (according to types), food, inter-modality, accessibility are not easy to reach notwithstanding the web. In addition, during the “pandemic” period number of people intending to follow routes has increased.
Thanks to Tiber Tour practice once a year, for a week (25th April-1st May) is possible, with the “International Tiber Descent”, to undertake the “Tiber route” exploring both the countryside and the cities directly from the river. The Tiber Tour network, in addition just published the “mappatevere360” (the entire trackline of 444km from spring to source along path bordering the river in stages (8 cycling and 16 walking) and is involved in the yearly forum on riverine sustainable tourism within the soft tourism meeting “All routes lead to Rome”. Tiber Tour has been exported with the “paddling in Lithuania from Vilnius-Rusne experience along the Neris and Nemunas rivers”.

Tiber tour itself, once a year, is self sustained, however in order to allow the functionality of a “Tiber route” undertaken all year round there is the need of a webpage/app gathering all the info 50.000.

Tiber Tour each year gather more than 200 people participating to the one-week travel along the Tiber Valley. The atmosphere of the TiberTour is joyful, but orderly. All are welcome, but it will be best for those who are adaptable, able to go it alone, ready to help and kind towards others. n sport, we always help each other, especially in the TiberTour. Accompanying family members and friends can organize sightseeing and cultural tours to enjoy the interesting surroundings.

Trying to have a “zero waste policy during Tiber Tour. The organizing committee undertook also an Appropriate Assessment (VINCA) to be sure not to impact the protected species and habitat, as well as the ecosystem functions, during our passage also in view of the sites’ conservation objectives.

The possibility to travel for one week into the river valley, taking into consideration nature conservation (i.e. appropriate assessment in Natura2000 sites), making the descent suitable for disabilities, a zero-waste policy: keeping it International with participants of all Europe. The big challenge, however, is to allow travelers to undertake the Tiber route a single person or in a big group all year and not for one week only. The practice proposed aims at reconnecting people whit rivers promoting a participated tour on the Tiber. Bringing people closer to rivers, through the organization of an important initiative that allows them to use the Tiber in the most natural and sustainable way, may have a strong replicable potentiality.