Monferrato of the Inferot and Castello di Racconigi · 264 km from Frassinello Monferrato
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
264 km
Riding-time estimate
4 h 40
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.
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Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
From Frassinello Monferrato it runs 264 km to Frassinello Monferrato; allow about 4 h 40 of riding. The stops in between: Nizza Monferrato and Barbera, Grinzane Cavour Castle, Castello di Racconigi and back through Grinzane Cavour Castle. The line favours views over speed.
Scenic road chapters
Nizza Monferrato and Barbera → Grinzane Cavour Castle
Speed drops and stays down. Park rather than crawl through. 40 km through ground somebody thought worth listing. The road passes it rather than bypassing it.
Chapter facts
Length
45 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Monferrato of the Inferot
The low hills of the Monferrato, in Piedmont, roll between the Po to the north and the Tanaro to the south, and the Inferot label points at the part of them near Cella Monte, Rosignano and Frassinello, ten kilometres from Casale Monferrato. This is soft country, sandstone ridges clothed in vines, with brick villages on the crests and fog in the valleys on autumn mornings.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Monferrato of the Inferot is where the day begins. Next is Nizza Monferrato and Barbera.
2. Nizza Monferrato and Barbera
Barbera is the everyday red of Piedmont, the wine on every trattoria table, and around Nizza Monferrato it has been raised to something more serious. The hills between Nizza, Vinchio, Castelnuovo Calcea and Mombercelli are covered in vines, planted in rows that follow the contours of the slopes, and the best wines from this area carry their own designation, Nizza DOCG, made from barbera alone. The vineyard landscapes of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato were listed by UNESCO in 2014, and this corner of the Asti hills is a fine example of what that means: a working landscape shaped by centuries of farming, with hilltop villages, brick churches, and small family wineries at the end of gravel tracks.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Nizza Monferrato and Barbera comes up about 42 km into the recorded legs. Next is Grinzane Cavour Castle.
3. Grinzane Cavour Castle
Count Camillo Benso di Cavour, the man who more or less engineered the unification of Italy, spent years as mayor of this little Langhe village before he went on to bigger things, and the square brick castle on its knoll still carries his name. He experimented with winemaking here too, at a time when Barolo was still finding its modern form, so the building sits at a neat crossroads of Piedmontese politics and Piedmontese wine.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 87 km into the recorded legs you reach Grinzane Cavour Castle. Next is Castello di Racconigi.
4. Castello di Racconigi
Racconigi is a small town on the plain south of Turin, in Piedmont, surrounded by fields of maize and rice and lines of poplars. It is dominated by its castle, a grand residence of the House of Savoy, which ruled Piedmont and later Italy. Originally a medieval fortress, it was transformed over the centuries into a palace, with Baroque and neoclassical façades, and surrounded by a vast park with lakes, woods and a farm. The castle is part of the UNESCO-listed Residences of the Royal House of Savoy, inscribed in 1997.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Monferrato of the Inferot closes the day.
Leg by leg
Monferrato of the Inferot to Nizza Monferrato and Barbera
Monferrato of the Inferot → Nizza Monferrato and Barbera is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Nizza Monferrato and Barbera to Grinzane Cavour Castle
Nizza Monferrato and Barbera → Grinzane Cavour Castle is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Grinzane Cavour Castle to Castello di Racconigi
Grinzane Cavour Castle → Castello di Racconigi is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Castello di Racconigi to back through Grinzane Cavour Castle
Castello di Racconigi → back through Grinzane Cavour Castle is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Grinzane Cavour Castle to back through Nizza Monferrato and Barbera
back through Grinzane Cavour Castle → back through Nizza Monferrato and Barbera is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Nizza Monferrato and Barbera to Monferrato of the Inferot
back through Nizza Monferrato and Barbera → Monferrato of the Inferot is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.