Bike tour on the Via Romea Nonantolana - Journey through Flavors, Panoramas, and Traditions -

SELF-GUIDED ITINERARY WITH GUIDED VISIT TO A BALSAMIC VINEGAR PRODUCER 

OPEN DATE: START WHENEVER YOU WANT 

Cycle through a historic stretch of the Via Romea Nonantola in a charming loop route. The first part takes you along the Nonantola route on flat sections, exploring some fundamental monuments for Emilian history, such as the Nonantola Abbey and the historic center of Modena with its UNESCO site. The second, more challenging part continues along the Via Romea Nonantolana, following the course of the Panaro River until reaching the first hills of Vignola and Marano.

First Stage - From Modena to Modena passing through Nonantola - 50 km

A journey through navigable canals, docks, and land reclamation works: retracing the known lanes where animals used to pull boats against the current. The Naviglio Modenese left the city behind the Ducal Palace and, passing through Bastiglia, reached Bomporto where it joined the Panaro River. The octagonal-shaped and marble-decorated dock of Bomporto is interesting and unique in its kind.

Return through the territory of Partecipanza Agraria and the town of Nonantola, famous for the Abbey of San Silvestro and its ancient monastic complex: the church features beautiful apses, and the interior and crypt are very evocative.

Before completing the itinerary, a pleasant stop in nature can be made at the historic estate of Villa Sorra with its romantic English garden amidst groves, meadows, water mirrors, statues, and caves.

Second Stage - Modena-Vignola - 74 km

From Modena to Vignola on the former railway cycle path, passing through historic centers, with a return through the hills and, in the final part, through a section of the Tiepido Nature Trail.

Discover the gentle hills of Modena, pedaling through the cherry fields of Vignola and the famous vineyards of Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro. Some towns deserve a stop to admire the beauty of their historic centers: Spilamberto with its Rocca Rangoni, Vignola with the medieval castle, one of the most interesting examples of fortified architecture, Levizzano Rangone with the fortress of Matildic origin, Castelvetro, a rare example of a medieval village animated by towers and bell towers, and Castelnuovo with its tower and the bronze pig.