Why this ride
From Nizza Monferrato it runs 225 km to Nizza Monferrato; allow about 4 h 13 of riding. On the way it passes Hills of Barbaresco, Castello di Racconigi, Castello di Pollenzo and back through Castello di Racconigi.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Nizza Monferrato and Barbera and Castello di Pollenzo
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 225 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 13
- 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. 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.
Read the complete Nizza Monferrato and Barbera write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
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 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 28 km into the recorded legs. Next is Castello di Racconigi.
3. 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.
Read the complete Castello di Racconigi write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 84 km into the recorded legs you reach Castello di Racconigi. Next is Castello di Pollenzo.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is back through Castello di Racconigi.
5. back through Castello di Racconigi
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Castello di Racconigi write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Castello di Racconigi sits at 129 km, about halfway. Next is back through Hills of Barbaresco.
6. 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 comes up about 197 km into the recorded legs. Next is Nizza Monferrato and Barbera.
7. Nizza Monferrato and Barbera
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Nizza Monferrato and Barbera write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Nizza Monferrato and Barbera closes the day.
Leg by leg
Nizza Monferrato and Barbera to Hills of Barbaresco
Nizza Monferrato and Barbera → Hills of Barbaresco is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Hills of Barbaresco to Castello di Racconigi
Hills of Barbaresco → Castello di Racconigi is 56 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Castello di Racconigi to Castello di Pollenzo
Castello di Racconigi → Castello di Pollenzo is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Castello di Pollenzo to back through Castello di Racconigi
Castello di Pollenzo → back through Castello di Racconigi is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Castello di Racconigi to back through Hills of Barbaresco
back through Castello di Racconigi → back through Hills of Barbaresco is 55 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Hills of Barbaresco to Nizza Monferrato and Barbera
back through Hills of Barbaresco → Nizza Monferrato and Barbera is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.