Why this ride
From Bologna it runs 238 km to Bologna; allow about 3 h 33 of riding. It goes by way of Diamantina, Laghetto della Costa and back through Diamantina. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Strada Maggiore and Laghetto della Costa
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 238 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 33
- 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. Strada Maggiore
Strada Maggiore is one of the oldest streets in Bologna, running east from the Two Towers along the line of the Roman road toward the Via Emilia, and it is a street where the arcades seem to be a different style every hundred metres. Some are medieval and made of timber, with beams that look too old to hold anything up, others are Renaissance and graceful, with slender columns. Along the way the street passes tall palaces, small shops, old churches and, on the right, the lovely porch of Santa Maria dei Servi, a Gothic church whose portico is among the most beautiful in the city.
Read the complete Strada Maggiore write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Strada Maggiore is where the day begins. Next is Diamantina.
2. Diamantina
The Este dukes of Ferrara loved their countryside retreats, the delizie, and they scattered them across the flat land around the city like jewels on a cloth. The Diamantina, near Vigarano Pieve west of Ferrara, was one of them, an estate of farmland, woods and buildings named after the diamond, a symbol of the Este family. The delizie are part of the UNESCO listing of Ferrara, City of the Renaissance, and its Po Delta, which recognises the city's planned urban layout and the way the Este shaped the surrounding landscape, draining marshes and creating farms and hunting grounds.
Read the complete Diamantina write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Diamantina comes up about 55 km into the recorded legs. Next is Laghetto della Costa.
3. Laghetto della Costa
The Euganean Hills rise abruptly from the flat plain south-west of Padua, a cluster of volcanic cones covered in vineyards, chestnut woods and olive groves. Arquà Petrarca, a medieval village on the southern slopes, is where the poet Petrarch spent his last years and died in 1374; his house can still be visited. Close by, in a small hollow between the hills, lies the Laghetto della Costa, a tiny lake that hides a big secret.
Read the complete Laghetto della Costa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 120 km into the recorded legs you reach Laghetto della Costa. Next is back through Diamantina.
4. back through Diamantina
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Diamantina write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Diamantina, late in the day. Next is Strada Maggiore.
5. Strada Maggiore
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Strada Maggiore write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Strada Maggiore. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Strada Maggiore to Diamantina
Strada Maggiore → Diamantina is 55 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Diamantina to Laghetto della Costa
Diamantina → Laghetto della Costa is 65 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Laghetto della Costa to back through Diamantina
Laghetto della Costa → back through Diamantina is 64 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Diamantina to Strada Maggiore
back through Diamantina → Strada Maggiore is 55 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.