A route for bicycles, nature and sports lovers, that runs mostly along slow streets and bike paths, passing through the towns and the relaxing countryside of Alfonsine, Bagnacavallo and Conselice.
The itinerary is suitable for everybody, is marked by specific road signs, and passes through a territory that is rich in parks and equipped areas for sports and wellness.
It is characterized by the presence of nature reserves and ecological rebalancing areas and also by ancient parish churches, significant museums and monuments.
PRACTICAL INFO
Who: everybody, those who love outdoor life and cycle tours
When: all year round
How: by bicycle
Why: to explore some of the most beautiful territories of Lower Romagna, discovering the local points of interest
MAP
For the most experts – Download the gpx track
The routes can be downloaded and can be managed with any satellite navigator for outdoor use.
You can use telephone Apps enabled to manage information through geolocation.
The files are all in GPX format, the exchange format, click here
ITINERARY
First stop, Alfonsine
The route passes through Alfonsine, where one can encounter the birthplace of the well-known Italian neoclassical poet Vincenzo Monti. It is a colonial building that houses a museum dedicated to him and is also the starting point for exploring the Riserva Naturale di Alfonsine (Natural Reserve) with its rich fauna and flora.
Along the route there is one of the three stations of the Natural Reserve, called Fascia boscata del Canale dei Mulini (Wood area of Mills’ Canal). It consists of the last section of the Canale dei Mulini (Mills’ Canal), which is protected by dense vegetation and delimited by the nineteenth-century Chiavicone della Canalina, an old building that has been chosen by an interesting colony of the so-called “Pipistrelle di Tebano” (a species of bat, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) for their breeding.
A short distance away, in a formerly wooded area, where frequent miracles happened, there is the Santuario della Madonna del Bosco.
In the center of the town, the Museo della Battaglia del Senio (Museum of the Battle of the Senio) is an unmissable stop, for a total immersion in the period of World War II, with a focus on the significant permanence of the front in Romagna, along the Senio river valley, that represents, for Alfonsine and the other small towns along it, the place of Memory.
Second stop, Bagnacavallo
The itinerary continues towards Bagnacavallo, along the Canale Naviglio Zanelli (Naviglio Zanelli Canal) bicycle path. Here, the countryside is tinged with a variety of colors depending on the season and is enriched by the presence of an old donkey bridge, the last vestige of the existence of one of the eleven locks built at the time the canal was created in the late 18th century, and an old mill.
Passing through the small and charming town center, which retains its medieval structure, the route leads to the ancient Pieve di San Pietro in Sylvis (San Pietro in Sylvis parish church) which is the best-preserved parish church in the area around Ravenna and houses precious 14th century frescoes attributed to Pietro da Rimini.
Not far away from the Pieve, there is the Ecological Rebalancing Area Podere Pantaleone. It is an outdoor educational museum where the human presence is limited to the area near the entrance and the local fauna und flora have freely grown, creating an habitat of great enviromental interest. It has become a refuge for many species of birds in winter, during migrations.
To reach Conselice (third stop), the itinerary crosses Lugo countryside, encountering the Chiesa di Ascensione with its 16th century frescoes, the Castello del Ducato di Fabriago and the Antica pieve – Chiesa di Campanile which is one of the oldest rural parish churches in the area around Ravenna, with its majestic 11th century cylindrical bell tower.
Third stop, Conselice
In the area around Conselice, one can visit the Bosco Urbano (Urban wood) that is an Ecological Rebalancing Area where birds and bats can breed, and it’s arecreation of the original marsh environment of the area, with groves and wetlands..
Once in the town center, one can find a very symbolic monument that commemorates the story of more than 140 women and men involved in the clandestine printing complex of Bassa Romagna during World War II. It is the Monumento alla stampa clandestina e alla libertà di stampa (Monument to the Clandestine Press and Press Freedom).
Along the route the building once used for tobacco manufacturing and rice storage now hosts ancient peasant tools, testifying to the essence of a land devoted to peasant labor.
Fountains map by Ciclo Guide Lugo
