Randonnée Reale Borbonica

A randonnée in the heart of the Terra di Lavoro

The Randonnée Reale Borbonica is the cycle-touring event that, for several seasons, has brought the upper Caserta area to life, starting from Piana di Monte Verna, a municipality in the Province of Caserta overlooking the Volturno valley, in Campania. Organized by the amateur sports association Cam.Bi.A - Campania in Bici with the collaboration of the Royal Palace of Caserta, the Municipality of Piana di Monte Verna, and the local Pro Loco, the event is not a time trial but a randonnée in the most authentic sense: you cycle independently, stamp your card at control points, and arrive whenever you finish, provided it is within the maximum time allowed by the regulations.

In the footsteps of Luigi Vanvitelli

The guiding theme of the 2026 edition is the vision of Luigi Vanvitelli, the architect who designed the Royal Palace of Caserta and the impressive hydraulic system that feeds it. The route leaves the gates of the royal palace to tell the story of the entire Bourbon infrastructure: the Carolino Aqueduct, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Fizzo Springs, the famous Ponti della Valle near Valle di Maddaloni, and the Ponte di Durazzano, the second bridge of the aqueduct, included in the route as a symbol of the link between inland areas and great European monuments.

Five routes for every level

The formula is designed to welcome both highly trained randonneurs and those getting in the saddle for the first time for an event of this type:

• 300 km and 200 km: the most challenging brevets, included in the Audax Club Parisien and Audax Randonneur Italia circuits;
• 110 km and 60 km: accessible distances, also open to families and e-bikes;
• 100 km gravel: a route on white roads and dirt tracks that follows the Carolino Aqueduct in its entirety.

Along the route, the control points and reception stations are managed by the communities crossed: Giano Vetusto, Gioia Sannitica, Dugenta, Airola, Durazzano, Valle di Maddaloni, the Oasis of San Silvestro, Casertavecchia, and Villa Santa Croce. At each stop, volunteers, Pro Loco associations, and local producers offer refreshments with local specialties; in Gioia Sannitica, the selection of typical products is curated by Slow Food.

More than just cycling

The Reale Borbonica is also a village festival that lasts the entire weekend. On Saturday, the Villetta Comunale fills up with the event presentation, the delivery of travel documents, stalls from local farmers, and the now-traditional RandoPizza, followed by live music. On Sunday, while the cyclists are on the road, those who stay in Piana di Monte Verna can participate in guided tours by the Pro Loco, trekking towards the Pyramid of the Volturno, the midday pasta party, and the afternoon walk along the mule track that climbs to the Benedictine Monastery of Villa Santa Croce.

A territory best discovered by pedaling

The added value of the event lies in the special permits obtained by the organizers: during the randonnée, participants cross sections of the UNESCO site of the Royal Palace of Caserta, the Belvedere of San Leucio, and the Real Sito di San Silvestro, now a WWF Oasis, which are normally not accessible by bicycle. This is what has brought cyclists from all over the peninsula over the years, from Lombardy to the Marches, from Lazio to the entire South, and even Sicily, transforming a small town of a few thousand inhabitants into the Campania capital of slow mobility for an entire weekend.

Information and registration

Registration opens well in advance on the campaniabici.it and audaxitalia.it portals, with progressive fees that reward those who register early. The organization can be reached at [email protected] and at +39 333 3101905. The randonnée is valid for the Rando Tour Magna Grecia and the Rando Tour Campania, and the 200 and 300-kilometer brevets qualify for the major international events on the Audax calendar.