A lot of bike stores will steer you towards "comfort" bikes or hybrids when you tell them you mainly want to ride on bike trails for recreation. Those who want to go fast and like a more aerodynamic/aggressive ride tend to go towards road bikes with drop handles. Drop handles do have the advantage of giving you more hand positions for long rides.
What does all that mean - it means you can get any bike you want for whatever riding you want really. But, you might also want to consider what type of riding you want to do. Do you want to be more upright and comfortable? = hybrid or comfort bike. Do you want to go fast and/or have a desire to ride with a bike club = road bike. Do you want to some time take your bike on a dirt trail up a mountain = mountain bike.
But, I go back to my statement that any bike you want will work. Get what makes you happy and is comfortable. The only time I worry about if a bike is "right" is if I'm considering taking a bike on a dirt trail - then a road bike is not ideal.
All that being said - I got a Dolce as my first road bike and am pretty happy with it. It has allowed me to put in more miles than I had ever considered before and I feel like a champion on it most days.