Why this ride
91 km from Bra to Bra, about 2 h 01 of riding. On the way it passes Hills of Barbaresco, Canelli and Asti Spumante and back through Hills of Barbaresco.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Castello di Pollenzo and Canelli and Asti Spumante
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 91 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 01
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Castello di Pollenzo
The village of Pollenzo was a Roman town, Pollentia, long before it was a Savoy estate, and in 402 a Roman army under Stilicho fought Alaric's Visigoths nearby in one of the last great battles of the Western Empire. Today the name means food. The castle and the neo-Gothic agricultural complex built around it by King Carlo Alberto in the nineteenth century, the Agenzia, now house the University of Gastronomic Sciences, founded by the Slow Food movement, which was born in nearby Bra. The estate is part of the UNESCO-listed Residences of the Royal House of Savoy.
Read the complete Castello di Pollenzo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Castello di Pollenzo is where the day begins. Next is Hills of Barbaresco.
2. Hills of Barbaresco
Barbaresco is a hill, a village, a tower and a wine, and in the Langhe those things are hard to separate. The village sits on a ridge above the Tanaro river a few kilometres northeast of Alba, its medieval brick tower standing over rows of vines that roll off in every direction like a green sea frozen mid-swell. Together with the neighbouring Barolo country and the Roero and Monferrato, these hills form the vineyard landscape of Piedmont listed by UNESCO in 2014.
Read the complete Hills of Barbaresco write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Hills of Barbaresco comes up about 24 km into the recorded legs. Next is Canelli and Asti Spumante.
3. Canelli and Asti Spumante
Under the streets of Canelli runs a second town, made of brick tunnels and vaulted galleries cut into the hillside, where for well over a century sparkling wine has rested in the cool and the dark. The locals call them the underground cathedrals, and they are the reason this small Piedmontese town is part of the UNESCO listing of the vineyard landscapes of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato. Canelli was one of the places where Italian sparkling wine was pioneered in the nineteenth century, using the local Moscato grape, and the town's big wine houses still welcome visitors into their cellars by appointment.
Read the complete Canelli and Asti Spumante write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 45 km into the recorded legs you reach Canelli and Asti Spumante. Next is back through Hills of Barbaresco.
4. back through Hills of Barbaresco
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Hills of Barbaresco write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Hills of Barbaresco, late in the day. Next is Castello di Pollenzo.
5. Castello di Pollenzo
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Castello di Pollenzo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Castello di Pollenzo. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Castello di Pollenzo to Hills of Barbaresco
Castello di Pollenzo → Hills of Barbaresco is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Hills of Barbaresco to Canelli and Asti Spumante
Hills of Barbaresco → Canelli and Asti Spumante is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Canelli and Asti Spumante to back through Hills of Barbaresco
Canelli and Asti Spumante → back through Hills of Barbaresco is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Hills of Barbaresco to Castello di Pollenzo
back through Hills of Barbaresco → Castello di Pollenzo is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.