mastro Orso

Sotto •
una delle
numerose
cascine lungo
la ciclabile
del Po
Below: •
one of the
many several
farm buildings
along the cycle
track of the
Po River
You will be led by the Italian
longest river, with its calm
flow, towards the southern Lombard
territory that borders on
Emilia Romagna. You will travel
on the river’s banks, exploring
a peaceful rural scenery
among sanctuaries and historic
monuments.
The Po River between
Lodi and Cremona
The Po River, after leaving the
Lodi area, seems to indulge
among the “golene”, i.e. the strips
of ground between the shores and
the banks, snaking and overflowing
from its main course. The river
skims Piacenza and arrives in
Cremona, zigzagging naughtily
along the regional border. From
afar, you may see the austere architecture
of the Palazzo Farnese
in Piacenza as you rides past the
city to arrive on the river’s left
bank, after having crossed the
bridge. The village of Castelnuovo
Bocca d’Adda is at the farthest
southern Lombard border; it was
a medieval stronghold that hosts
the octagonal church, the Castello
Visconteo – transformed into a
major seventeenth century mansion
– and the Rocca di Maccastorna,
that retains its moat,
turrets, merlons and corbels.
After having passed through the
villages of Acquanegra and Spinadesco,
you will arrive in Cremona,
the city of “torrone”, famous
for the Piazza del Comune
towered by the 111 metre high
Torrazzo, the façade of the Dome,
the Romanesque Baptistery, and
the refined architecture of the
Loggia dei Militi.
The Golena of the Po River
Leaving Cremona behind, you
will glide among boulevards up
to the cycle track “Golena del
Po” that leads you inside the
Park of Po and Morbasco. After
Sommo con Porto and San Daniele
Po, you will continue up
to the village of Isola Pescaroli,
a small village nestled on the
massive embanking of the river.
Solarolo, Monasterolo and
Motta Baluffi are the villages
that appear before the more interesting
Scandolara Ravara and
Torricella del Pizzo, while, at the
junction with the “Argine
Maestro” (Main Embankment)
you will arrive in Gussola. The
late baroque villas enliven a landscape
that, up to now, has been
quite dull: soon you will see
the Sanctuary of Santa Maria
dell’Argine and, after a route lined
by elms, you will enter
Casalmaggiore.
Where the Oglio and Po
rivers meet
Situated on the Po River’s left
bank, Casalmaggiore is a big in-
dustrial and agricultural village.
The cycle track passes by
Fossacaprara and Cicognara
and shortly arrives in Viadana.
This village is embellished by
Piazza Gramsci, Parrocchiale
dell’Assunta, with its priceless
paintings, and Piazza Matteotti
towered by the seventeenth century
arcaded and turreted Palazzo
del Comune. You will then
pass through Pomponesco, Buzzoletto,
Dosolo, VIllastrada and
Cavallara, flanking the thick
wood of Ballotino, arriving in
Cizzolo, i.e. the southern border
of the Regional Natural Park
of Oglio sud. This is one of the
biggest wetland areas in Italy,
habitat of several species of fish,
amphibians, small mammalians
and birds. Finally, you continue
to southern Mantova up to Borgoforte.
There, a fort built by
the Austrians stands on the river’s
right bank.
The left cycle-road
of the Po River
Once you have left Borgoforte,
you will proceed eastward along
the Po River’s left bank, reaching
Boccadiganda, San Nicolò
and San Giacomo Po. The left
main embankment follows gently
the riverbed and several idyllic
landscapes await you here in
the Southern Mantova : from
the herons’ nests to the alluvial
woods, the oxbow lakes and the
River islands. Govérnolo is the
next relevant stage where the
Mincio and Po rivers meet. It is
the legendary place where, in
452, Pope Leone Magno stopped
Attila and the Huns preventing
them from invading the
rest of the peninsula. The church
rises near the bank. The route
slowly gets closer to the Po River
again, leading to Sustinente,
which is embellished by the unusual
mirror-like building of Villa
Guerrieri-Gonzaga. Other palaces
await you at the final stage
of this route, in the historic
Ostiglia.
The Po River
in the Matilde’s lands
You are in the lands owned by
the noble Matilde di Canossa,
one of the main figures in the
Italian Middle Ages. She restored
several ancient monasteries
and churches. The Mantuan
Oltrepò is actually characterized
by many churches and abbeys,
especially between Ostiglia and
Bondeno, which is beyond the
regional border, in northern
Ferrara. Follow the signs and
you will arrive in Révere, a village
that dates back to the
Etruscan period with a strategic
location on the Po River. Take
a break to see the splendid
Mantuan Renaissance masterpiece,
Palazzo Ducale. Borgofranco
sul Po is the only Lombard
“truffle town” but the main
sight in the area is the wooded
Isola Boscone surrounded by
farming terrain. The local natural
sanctuary bears the same
name. The hamlet of Santa Croce
is very nearby with its church
of Assunta di Felònica, one of
the best examples of the sacred
building of the Matilde period.
The route ends with Bondeno,
where people exploit the abundance
of water thanks to some
attentive land reclamation.
96 The River flows in the very middle • The Po River
97