Why this ride
From Turin it runs 195 km to Turin; allow about 3 h 29 of riding. On the way it passes Castello di Racconigi, Castello di Pollenzo, Castello di Govone and back through Castello di Pollenzo.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Villa della Regina and Castello di Govone
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 195 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 29
- 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. Villa della Regina
Turin looks up at its hills, and on the slope above the Po stands a villa built for those who wanted the view. The Villa della Regina, the Queen's Villa, was begun in the early seventeenth century for Cardinal Maurizio of Savoy and later passed to the queens of the House of Savoy. It stands on the hillside above the city, with a baroque garden descending in terraces, a fountain and a nymphaeum, and a vineyard that still produces wine.
Read the complete Villa della Regina write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Villa della Regina is where the day begins. Next is Castello di Racconigi.
2. 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 comes up about 40 km into the recorded legs. Next is Castello di Pollenzo.
3. 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
about 69 km into the recorded legs you reach Castello di Pollenzo. Next is Castello di Govone.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is back through Castello di Pollenzo.
5. back through Castello di Pollenzo
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Castello di Pollenzo sits at 131 km, about halfway. Next is back through Castello di Racconigi.
6. 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 comes up about 155 km into the recorded legs. Next is Villa della Regina.
7. Villa della Regina
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Villa della Regina write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Villa della Regina closes the day.
Leg by leg
Villa della Regina to Castello di Racconigi
Villa della Regina → Castello di Racconigi is 40 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 Castello di Govone
Castello di Pollenzo → Castello di Govone is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Castello di Govone to back through Castello di Pollenzo
Castello di Govone → back through Castello di Pollenzo is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Castello di Pollenzo to back through Castello di Racconigi
back through 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 Villa della Regina
back through Castello di Racconigi → Villa della Regina is 40 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.