Cross-cutting the Lowlands

route analysis

This is a route with many different kinds of roads, with paved roads, gravel, dirt tracks, cobblestone and country roads. It has low difficulty and it is suitable for everyone. You can also follow smaller segments of the same route.

Route length: 27,7 km
Difficulty level: low. The route follows country roads and streets with low or no traffic. Pay particular attention to crossroads and roundabouts.

The only segment with critical attention is SP3 crossing in Vezzola (Novellara Municipality), equipped with zebra crossing, but still on a busy road.

route description

The countryside here, sometimes resembles to a spider web, with a plethora of roads connecting everything. Here we call these roads "strade basse" (low roads), narrow country roads that follow and flank the wavy profile of canals and ditches. These roads are used as service roads, in order to reach fields or short ways. Along these roads it is not unusual to find wild animals, century-old trees, and farm houses lost in the time.

This route along "strade basse" unites the two main towns of the Reggio Emilia Plain: Correggio and Guastalla, reaching the bank of the Po River. The surroundings of the embankment, from mid-March to October, become the place to be for everyone to celebrate the warm season, with trails in the nature, bars and events.

We start then our route from Correggio, small Capital of the homonymous Dukedom and Autonomous County during the centuries. Palazzo dei Principi (The Princes' Palace) is definitely worth a visit, as in its inside also hosts the Correggio Museum, the permanent exhibition of the painter who decorated Parma, who was born here. Here, we can also find a beautiful collection of Belgian tapestries. Outside, we can also notice what remains of La Rocchetta (the small fortress), partially demolished during the 1800s, in order to build the railroad that once connected Bagnolo in Piano to Carpi (Province of Modena), now dismantled.

We then exit from Correggio and we follow for Canolo, a small hamlet, where we continue onto Via Frassinara, until the hamlet of Vezzola, in the territories of Novellara. We then cross the SP3 road onto the zebra crossing, and we take Strada Bruciata through the subway. We then continue straight onto Strada Levata, until the crossroads with Via per Santa Maria, a road with many curves, as this follows the parallel canal. We then cross the SP81 road near San Bernardino, and after 1,75kms we reach the Crostolo River embankment. We then follow the cyclable path of the river, until arriving into the first neighbourhood of Guastalla. 
We arrive in the second capital of the Lowlands. Here we can admire proper jewels, such as Palazzo Ducale (the Noble Palace), the Duomo, the City Hall (hosted in a 15th century building), and the statue of Ferrante I Gonzaga, the founder of the Gonzaga-Bagnolo family branch. We can also find Piazza Garibaldi, with a nice Italian Garden, and nearby also the hotel where Giuseppe Garibaldi used to live (hence from here the name of the square). Just some meters ahead we can also find the Sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary, demanded from the Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga. In the surroundings we can find many parishes and churches in romanic style, such as St. Francis Church, the Basilica of St. Peter and Paul, and the Oratorio di S. Giorgio. It is definitely worth a visit also the Communal Theatre, built in 1671.

From here, we exit the city centre, following the cycling path onto the defending walls, with their 7-points star shape. We then continue beyond the parking lot, and at the roundabout, we take the second exit, continuing on the path. We then arrive at Lido Po, where our journey can continue onto the cycling trail VEN.TO. (Venice-Turin cycling trail), in order to reach the nearby locations of Gualtieri, Luzzara or other places.

how to arrive

It is possible to follow the route entirely or starting from one of the passage points, following the GPX tracks (for GPS devices or supporting mobile apps), KML files (for Google Earth), or the PDF maps.

Arriving in Correggio:

- in auto: from Reggio Emilia via SS722 Tangenziale di Reggio and SP468R di Correggio

- with public transportation: from Reggio Emilia Autostazione - P.le Europa/CIM take bus line no. 43 of SETA to Rolo, and get off in Correggio

Arriving in Novellara:

- by car: from Reggio Emilia, take SP3 to Bagnolo in Piano - Novellara

- by train: Novellara has its own station on the Reggio-Guastalla train line. The hamlets have their own stations on the same line: San Tomaso, Vezzola e San Giovanni.

Arriving in Guastalla:

- by car: from Reggio Emilia via SP63R until the intersection in Gualtieri - Ligabue Shopping Center, from here, take SP62R var until the San Giacomo/Guastalla/Novellara exit.

- by train: from Reggio Emilia FS there is a direct connection on the Reggio-Guastalla line.

tracks link

Cartografia PDF (downloads the PDF directly)

Traccia GPX (for GPS devices and supporting mobile apps)

Traccia KML (for Google Earth)