Why this ride
From Nizza Monferrato it runs 101 km to Nizza Monferrato; allow about 1 h 58 of riding. It goes by way of Castello di Govone, Grinzane Cavour Castle and back through Castello di Govone. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Nizza Monferrato and Barbera and Grinzane Cavour Castle
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 101 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 58
- 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.
Scenic road chapters
Castello di Govone → Grinzane Cavour Castle
Speed drops and stays down. Park rather than crawl through. 26 km through ground somebody thought worth listing. The road passes it rather than bypassing it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 24 km
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 Castello di Govone.
2. Castello di Govone
Govone is a village of eight hundred people in the Roero, the hilly country on the left bank of the Tanaro across from the Langhe, and it is dominated by a palace far too grand for its size. The Castello di Govone was a residence of the House of Savoy, rebuilt in the baroque style in the eighteenth century, and it is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy inscribed together as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Inside are rooms decorated with Chinese wallpaper, and outside, terraced gardens look down over the valley.
Read the complete Castello di Govone write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Castello di Govone comes up about 25 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.
Read the complete Grinzane Cavour Castle write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 49 km into the recorded legs you reach Grinzane Cavour Castle. Next is back through Castello di Govone.
4. back through Castello di Govone
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Castello di Govone 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 Govone, late in the day. Next is Nizza Monferrato and Barbera.
5. 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
Back at Nizza Monferrato and Barbera. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Nizza Monferrato and Barbera to Castello di Govone
Nizza Monferrato and Barbera → Castello di Govone is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Castello di Govone to Grinzane Cavour Castle
Castello di Govone → Grinzane Cavour Castle is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Grinzane Cavour Castle to back through Castello di Govone
Grinzane Cavour Castle → back through Castello di Govone is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Castello di Govone to Nizza Monferrato and Barbera
back through Castello di Govone → Nizza Monferrato and Barbera is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.