The best traffic-free bike rides around Pontenure

Nice place for a stop

Central hub of the Piacenza mid-mountain, between the Nure and Arda valleys. From Prato Barbieri you can go down to Bettola, Morfasso and Gropparello. You can then go up to Passo Santa Franca, and from there reach Farini passing through Groppallo. Beautiful views guaranteed.

Castello di Paderna, which has existed since the 11th century, was ceded in 1453 by the monks of the monastery of San Savino in Piacenza to the Marazzani family, whose descendants owned it. The complex has a trapezoidal structure surrounded by a moat that preserves the presence of water. Inside the moat, but isolated from the other buildings, is the keep, which has an independent entrance and was originally equipped with its own drawbridge.

A very pleasant cycle path/footpath to reach Pontenure.

Nice panoramic pass

The castle was born as a medieval fortification in the Vezzeno Valley. The manor, surrounded by Guelph battlements, is defended by towers, the entrance one with a drawbridge and the mighty central keep. The Castle of Gropparello, known in ancient times as "Rocca di Cagnano", is a characteristic example of a medieval fortification built to defend the access route to a valley, conceived as a true eagle's nest overlooking the cliff, and therefore absolutely unassailable .. The oldest document known so far about Gropparello dates back to the year 810, and is the deed with which the emperor Charlemagne granted the place as a fief to the then bishop of Piacenza Giuliano II.

The Riva castle is a fortified complex located in Ponte dell'Olio, in the province of Piacenza. It is so called as it is located in the district of the same name in the town, whose name derives, in all probability, from its proximity to the Nure stream; the castle was, in fact, built on the right bank of the stream to control the passage along the Nure valley. Its location, near the point where the Nure begins to flow into the Po Valley, was strategic as it allowed control of the passage towards the sea: via the Aveto valley towards Liguria and via the Taro valley towards Lunigiana.

The Chiesa di San Michele Arcangelo is located in Montanaro, a hamlet of Carpaneto Piacentino. The building probably dates from before the year 1000 and has a special significance for the Lombards, who had a special veneration for the figure of the archangel. The church has undergone several renovations over the centuries, with the Baroque renovations from the 18th century determining its current appearance. The interior of the church consists of a single nave with two side chapels that are connected to each other. The internal decoration is partly the work of Alberto Aspetti, one of the most important experts in mural painting in Piacenza in the first half of the 20th century. In the apsidal area, the patron saint is depicted in a sculptural group: Saint Michael fighting the devil. The bell tower, which began in the Renaissance, was completed at the end of the 18th century.