Nizza Monferrato and Barbera and Castello di Agliè
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
344 km
Riding-time estimate
5 h 05
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.
A 344 km round trip from Nizza Monferrato - roughly 5 h 05 in the saddle. The stops in between: Castello di Racconigi, Castello di Agliè and back through Castello di Racconigi. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,200 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. 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 is where the day begins. Next is Castello di Racconigi.
2. 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
Castello di Racconigi comes up about 80 km into the recorded legs. Next is Castello di Agliè.
3. Castello di Agliè
Agliè is a small town in the Canavese, the hilly district north of Turin that spreads between the Po plain and the mouths of the Alpine valleys, and its castle is far grander than the town around it. Begun as a medieval fortress by the San Martino counts, it was transformed in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries into a baroque residence and later bought by the House of Savoy, who turned it into a summer palace with richly decorated rooms, a chapel, a theatre and a large park with fountains and a lake. It is part of the UNESCO listing of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy, a ring of palaces around Turin, and Italian television viewers may recognise it from a popular costume drama filmed there.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Nizza Monferrato and Barbera. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Nizza Monferrato and Barbera to Castello di Racconigi
Nizza Monferrato and Barbera → Castello di Racconigi is 80 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Castello di Racconigi to Castello di Agliè
Castello di Racconigi → Castello di Agliè is 93 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Castello di Agliè to back through Castello di Racconigi
Castello di Agliè → back through Castello di Racconigi is 92 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Castello di Racconigi to Nizza Monferrato and Barbera
back through Castello di Racconigi → Nizza Monferrato and Barbera is 79 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.