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CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE

Gessi di Zola predosa and Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Penzola

Plan this ride

Recorded distance
176 km
Riding-time estimate
3 h 20
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.

Open this ride in CurveScout

Why this ride

A 176 km round trip from Zola Predosa - roughly 3 h 20 in the saddle. It goes by way of Gessi Bolognesi, Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Penzola and back through Gessi Bolognesi.

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

  1. 1. Gessi di Zola predosa

    Southwest of Bologna, where the flat Po plain meets the first ripples of the Apennines, the hills around Zola Predosa hide a strange geology. These are gypsum hills, made of evaporite rock formed when an ancient sea dried out millions of years ago, leaving layers of shimmering selenite crystals. Water dissolves gypsum easily, and over time it has carved sinkholes, blind valleys and caves through the rock. In 2023, the Evaporitic Karst and Caves of the Northern Apennines were listed by UNESCO, and the Gessi Bolognesi around here are a key part of that story.

    Read the complete Gessi di Zola predosa write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Gessi di Zola predosa is where the day begins. Next is Gessi Bolognesi.

  2. 2. Gessi Bolognesi

    Ride south out of Bologna and within ten minutes the city's suburbs give way to something surprising: a range of low hills made of gypsum, a soft, crystalline rock that dissolves in water and forms caves, sinkholes and strange, shiny outcrops. These are the Gessi Bolognesi, a protected regional park between the Savena and Idice valleys, and in 2023 they became part of the UNESCO site for the evaporitic karst and caves of the northern Apennines.

    Read the complete Gessi Bolognesi write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Gessi Bolognesi comes up about 31 km into the recorded legs. Next is Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Penzola, 25 km on.

  3. 3. Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Penzola

    The Santerno valley climbs south from Imola into the Apennines toward Tuscany, and about fifteen kilometres up, the river cuts through a ridge of shining grey-white rock. This is the western end of the Vena del Gesso Romagnola, the gypsum vein that runs across this part of Romagna, and Monte Penzola rises above the village of Borgo Tossignano, with Fontanelice and Casalfiumanese nearby.

    Read the complete Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Penzola write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    about 87 km into the recorded legs you reach Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Penzola. Next is back through Gessi Bolognesi.

  4. 4. back through Gessi Bolognesi

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Gessi Bolognesi write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    back through Gessi Bolognesi, late in the day. Next is Gessi di Zola predosa.

  5. 5. Gessi di Zola predosa

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Gessi di Zola predosa write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Back at Gessi di Zola predosa. That is the ride.

Leg by leg

Gessi di Zola predosa to Gessi Bolognesi

Gessi di Zola predosa → Gessi Bolognesi is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

Gessi Bolognesi to Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Penzola

Gessi Bolognesi → Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Penzola is 56 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Penzola to back through Gessi Bolognesi

Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Penzola → back through Gessi Bolognesi is 58 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

back through Gessi Bolognesi to Gessi di Zola predosa

back through Gessi Bolognesi → Gessi di Zola predosa is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

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