Why this ride
331 km from Borgo Tossignano to Borgo Tossignano, about 6 h 37 of riding. On the way it passes Gessi Bolognesi, Gessi di Zola predosa, Cathedral and Bassa collina reggiana. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Casino and Bassa collina reggiana
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 331 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 37
- 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
Gessi di Zola predosa → Cathedral
Speed drops and stays down. Park rather than crawl through. 42 km through ground somebody thought worth listing. The road passes it rather than bypassing it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 44 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Casino
Crystals the size of a hand catch the sun along the Vena del Gesso, a ridge of selenite gypsum that runs for some twenty-five kilometres across the hills of Romagna, from the Sillaro valley to the Lamone. The rock formed millions of years ago when the Mediterranean dried up and its salts were deposited, and it has since been carved by water into caves, sinkholes and blind valleys. In 2023, UNESCO listed the evaporite karst and caves of the northern Apennines, and the Vena del Gesso is the heart of it. Monte Casino is one of the peaks on the ridge, near Borgo Tossignano and Casola Valsenio.
Read the complete Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Casino write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Casino is where the day begins. Next is Gessi Bolognesi.
2. Gessi Bolognesi
Ride south out of Bologna and within ten minutes the city's suburbs give way to something surprising: a range of low hills made of gypsum, a soft, crystalline rock that dissolves in water and forms caves, sinkholes and strange, shiny outcrops. These are the Gessi Bolognesi, a protected regional park between the Savena and Idice valleys, and in 2023 they became part of the UNESCO site for the evaporitic karst and caves of the northern Apennines.
Read the complete Gessi Bolognesi write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Gessi Bolognesi comes up about 58 km into the recorded legs. Next is Gessi di Zola predosa.
3. Gessi di Zola predosa
Southwest of Bologna, where the flat Po plain meets the first ripples of the Apennines, the hills around Zola Predosa hide a strange geology. These are gypsum hills, made of evaporite rock formed when an ancient sea dried out millions of years ago, leaving layers of shimmering selenite crystals. Water dissolves gypsum easily, and over time it has carved sinkholes, blind valleys and caves through the rock. In 2023, the Evaporitic Karst and Caves of the Northern Apennines were listed by UNESCO, and the Gessi Bolognesi around here are a key part of that story.
Read the complete Gessi di Zola predosa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 89 km into the recorded legs you reach Gessi di Zola predosa. Next is Cathedral.
4. Cathedral
Modena's cathedral is one of the masterpieces of Romanesque architecture in Europe, and the inscription on its facade still names its makers with pride: the architect Lanfranco and the sculptor Wiligelmo. Work began in 1099 to house the relics of Saint Geminianus, the city's patron, and the result is a building of pale stone, with arcaded galleries, lions supporting the columns of the portal, and carved panels telling the story of Genesis with an expressive power that still surprises. The Ghirlandina, the cathedral's bell tower, leans slightly and rises high above the rooftops, and together with the Piazza Grande they form a UNESCO site.
Read the complete Cathedral write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cathedral, about halfway. Next is Bassa collina reggiana.
5. Bassa collina reggiana
The low hills south of Reggio Emilia, where the Po plain starts to ripple up toward the Apennines, hide a strange geology: outcrops of gypsum, the glittering crystalline rock left behind when ancient seas evaporated millions of years ago. Water dissolves gypsum easily, and over time it has carved caves, sinkholes and blind valleys into these hills. The Bassa Collina Reggiana, the low Reggio hill country, is part of the UNESCO site Evaporitic Karst and Caves of Northern Apennines, listed in 2023, and around Borzano, Albinea and Vezzano sul Crostolo you can see the white and grey gypsum cliffs poking through the woods and vineyards.
Read the complete Bassa collina reggiana write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Bassa collina reggiana sits at 133 km, about halfway. Next is back through Cathedral.
6. back through Cathedral
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cathedral write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Cathedral comes up about 204 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Gessi di Zola predosa.
7. back through Gessi di Zola predosa
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Gessi di Zola predosa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 243 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Gessi di Zola predosa. Next is back through Gessi Bolognesi.
8. back through Gessi Bolognesi
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Gessi Bolognesi write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Gessi Bolognesi, late in the day. Next is Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Casino, 33 km on.
9. Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Casino
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Casino write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 331 km.
Leg by leg
Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Casino to Gessi Bolognesi
Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Casino → Gessi Bolognesi is 58 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Gessi Bolognesi to Gessi di Zola predosa
Gessi Bolognesi → Gessi di Zola predosa is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Gessi di Zola predosa to Cathedral
Gessi di Zola predosa → Cathedral is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cathedral to Bassa collina reggiana
Cathedral → Bassa collina reggiana is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Bassa collina reggiana to back through Cathedral
Bassa collina reggiana → back through Cathedral is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cathedral to back through Gessi di Zola predosa
back through Cathedral → back through Gessi di Zola predosa is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Gessi di Zola predosa to back through Gessi Bolognesi
back through Gessi di Zola predosa → back through Gessi Bolognesi is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Gessi Bolognesi to Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Casino
back through Gessi Bolognesi → Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Casino is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.