Why this ride
265 km from Serralunga di Crea to Serralunga di Crea, about 5 h 05 of riding. It goes by way of Nizza Monferrato and Barbera, Hills of Barbaresco, Castello di Racconigi and back through Hills of Barbaresco.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Sacro Monte di S.Maria Assunta di Serralun and Castello di Racconigi
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 265 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.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Sacro Monte di S.Maria Assunta di Serralun
On a wooded hill above the vineyards of the Monferrato, between Casale and Asti, stands the Sacro Monte di Crea, one of the nine Sacred Mountains of Piedmont and Lombardy that are listed together as a World Heritage Site. The sanctuary of Santa Maria Assunta, a pilgrimage church, sits on the slope, and above it a path climbs through the woods past a series of chapels, each with terracotta statues and painted scenes from the life of the Virgin, to the Chapel of Paradise at the summit, with a crowd of figures depicting her coronation.
Read the complete Sacro Monte di S.Maria Assunta di Serralun write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Sacro Monte di S.Maria Assunta di Serralun 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.
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 comes up about 49 km into the recorded legs. Next is Hills of Barbaresco.
3. 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
about 76 km into the recorded legs you reach Hills of Barbaresco. 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.
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
Castello di Racconigi, about halfway. Next is back through Hills of Barbaresco.
5. 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 sits at 154 km, about halfway. Next is back through Nizza Monferrato and Barbera.
6. back through 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 through Nizza Monferrato and Barbera comes up about 215 km into the recorded legs. Next is Sacro Monte di S.Maria Assunta di Serralun, 38 km on.
7. Sacro Monte di S.Maria Assunta di Serralun
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Sacro Monte di S.Maria Assunta di Serralun write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Sacro Monte di S.Maria Assunta di Serralun closes the day.
Leg by leg
Sacro Monte di S.Maria Assunta di Serralun to Nizza Monferrato and Barbera
Sacro Monte di S.Maria Assunta di Serralun → Nizza Monferrato and Barbera is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Nizza Monferrato and Barbera to Hills of Barbaresco
Nizza Monferrato and Barbera → Hills of Barbaresco is 27 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 back through Hills of Barbaresco
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 back through Nizza Monferrato and Barbera
back through Hills of Barbaresco → back through Nizza Monferrato and Barbera is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Nizza Monferrato and Barbera to Sacro Monte di S.Maria Assunta di Serralun
back through Nizza Monferrato and Barbera → Sacro Monte di S.Maria Assunta di Serralun is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.