Good places in Italy to do solo bike rental/exploring?

Hi Roger,
I would recommend the Emilia-Romagna region. Parma is a university town, very popular with cyclists and has some nice routes around the town. It's also interesting in its own right and the whole area is foodie heaven! If you're reasonably fit and want a long cycle go to Modena - it's about 30 miles from Parma and is well worth visiting. Another 25 miles will take you to Metropolitan City of Bologna the gourmet capital of Italy. The whole area is rich in culture and history with beautiful ancient squares. The terrain is reasonably flat with undulating hills and nice scenery. The great thing about this route is that it is well served by rail too, so if you feel tired you can hop on a train.