Po Bike Route 3 – reflections

Even small towns have lovely piazzas

The ink was hardly dry on the new edition of Bikeline’s Po river cycling guide as we set off. Perversely we rode upriver from Venice rather than down from the Turin end. Reckoning on it being exceedingly flat, it didn’t matter which way we went. The guide, however, is written for downriver riders.

Once we found the raised dike which keeps the river from flooding too large an area, navigation was easy. Keep riding along the raised dam – asphalt surface, not a hill in sight.

 

Easy riding, not a hill in sight

Not much else in sight either. After an hour you have seen it all. Fields of corn and wheat. A few houses. The river, fat, dark and seemingly motionless. This is how it will be for the next few days. Tomato and rice fields come later as a welcome diversion.

 

Tomatoes - a welcome change from the maize fields

It’s rare to find a village without a bar. A good espresso costs just €1 everywhere. The bar serves as the meeting point for the village men loudly discussing politics. Their bikes are parked around the bar. Ours come in for scrutiny. “How do you change the gears?” “Campagnolo!  Bene!” “Questo?” What’s this for? One guy explains that on his first bike, the gear changer was located down near the back axle on the seat stay – it must have been a long time ago.

 

Detailed examination of our bikes at a bar:
"Questo?" "Campagnolo, Bene"

For a week the scenery hardly changes. Days go by, each with just 50 vertical meters of climbing. More bars, more coffee. Reasonable prices in hotels. Good food. Hardly a touring cyclist to be seen. Just the local racers who, at least, give a welcome call, “Salve, Forza!”.

 

Every village has a bar. Every bar has good coffee,
Every bar is the place for political discussion

So why ride the length of the river Po?  You will know the answer as you arrive in one of the historic cities along its length. Ferrara, Cremona, Piacenza, Pavia, Casale Monferrato. Bumping along terrible cobbled streets you are riding back into another age.

Beautiful classical buildings, narrow lanes you just have to stroll down, tall houses in warm earthy colours hiding the gardens and courtyards glimpsed through gateways. Cathedrals, castles and civic buildings in a grand and opulent scale face huge piazzas of perfect proportions.

 

Cremona, beautiful buildings, large piazzas, relaxed atmosphere

And the piazzas are lined with bars and cafes offering classic surroundings for people-watching, relaxing and nibbling on the extras that come with the drinks.

 

Cremona, the piazzas are lined with bars and cafés

Even in the smaller towns there are delights to savour. In Ostiglia is a b&b in a magnificent, recently restored fifteenth century palace, right in the town centre. Elsewhere, even in small villages, there are huge, perfectly proportioned piazzas…and of course a bar.

 

Ostiglia, the breakfast room in a fifteenth century palace

The river rolls along like molten sticky toffee. There’s not much activity. Few boats or landing stages. The countryside sweats under a hot sun and villages and towns are linked by some shocking roads and, sometimes, bike routes which are surprisingly smooth. 

 

Cremona is the home of the violin makers

The Po Bike trail, part of Eurovelo 8 crossing Europe from Spain to Greece, is a work in progress. Signage is sometimes good but often patchy, the trail is sometimes hard to lose and at others hard to find. Ride the Po? Yes, you won’t gather many altitude meters but you will have a cultural feast.

Casale Monferrato, narrow lanes, warm colours, bumpy cobbles