Just back from a week in the rural north-east of Italy near Vicenza (last minute package holiday).
Country is flat as the flattest pancake I have ever seen. I laughed at my Strava elevation profile. Some days the largest hill I climbed was a motorway overpass. On others the total distance climbed didn't even register. If you have the will and the bike there are hills to the north-west and south-east which await you.
Hire bikes were (as I've become accustomed to) absolutely atrocious. 21 speed with front suspension in a flat landscape. 14kg monstrosities. Between that and the heat we were at no risk of going too fast. The locals all had much more appropriate bikes, obviously. Majority on well-loved utility bikes with racks, moustache bars and step-through frames. The remainder lycra set there too (some v. expensive machines).
The quiet country lanes and cycle paths alongside the main roads were pretty great. The drivers were even better. It says a lot about cycling in the UK that we didn't know how to respond when drivers would hold back instead of overtaking to right-hook. But everyone there cycles and everyone's kids and grandparents cycle too. Not to mention that nobody did anything in a hurry (well, apart from drink espresso).
The food was very nice, if you can find anywhere open. Stayed in an agriturismo (hippy hotel? farm B&B? not quite sure the right translation). Everything we ate and drank at the accommodation was grown on site: cherries (so many cherries), peas, quail, courgettes, wine ... All very simple compared to UK 'Italian restaurant cooking'. Maybe a combination of regional style and "home cooking" too, as my memory of Napoli and region was fairly different (more touristy?).
I would recommend the area and the accommodation but encourage you to find your own bikes. There were plenty of bike shops nearby that would surely be able to supply something appropriate to area and your cycling needs. The supplied machines were one-size-fits-all apart from the curious ladies-get-step-through rule.
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