SD-GRAVEL Stage 1: Quattro Castella – Canossa Castle (RE)

Notes: Some sections to push the bike - NCB from Madonna della Battaglia to Cà Roma.

Description of the stage

The stage is short, it can be cycled in half a day.

The route from Quattro Castella enters the heart of the territory that once belonged to Matilde, touching some of its most important places: the “Four hill park” that houses the Bianello Castle and the Lipu Oasis, the church of Madonna della Battaglia, the Canossa Castle and the Rossena Castle.

This will be the first contact with the environment and the paths of the Reggio Emilia Hill, with its wooded areas that alternate with agricultural land and small villages with ancient buildings that are often well preserved. The biker will realize that cycling here is not a joke: a succession of steeply climbs and downhills that are not always cycleable due to the clayey surfaces that are often furrowed and "sticky" when wet. On the other hand, at the peak of each ridge, there will be the surprise of a new point of view ...

The Canossa - Rossena area has so many reasons of interest and hiking trails, feasible in a loop, that it deserves a day's stop; the Rupe di Campotrera and the Castello di Rossena - Torre Rossenella system are particularly noteworthy.

Technical notes

Suggested stops: Le Pietre (3 km), Villa Marconi, Rossena Castle (6 km -150 m).

Water-refill stations: Grassano Church, Canossa Castle.

Facilities: Madness Bike Shop 0522 873306 - San Polo d’Enza, the only shop available in the area