Fairy castles

1st day:

Arrival in Ovada. Cycling throughout the town centre, leave Ovada riding towards Alessandria, cross the river Orba and ride along the asphalted road to the village of Rocca Grimalda: the first kilometres are flat, but soon you will have to face wide bends as far as this characteristic village develpos around the Malaspina's and Grimaldi's castle, with a round tower, an Italian garden and some ...ghosts. Run the ridge along the hills in the neighbourhoods of Ovada, covered by Dolcetto vineyards, arrive to another medieval village near an old castle with a square tower and defensive walls: Carpeneto.
Some ups and downs bring you to Trisobbio, with its stone castle; here you can visit the high tower and have lunch at the restaurant inside the castle.
In the afternoon, many other hard ups and downs and you arrive to Cremolino, an old village on the top of a hill, with an ancient castle.
Go down the valley, cycling along the road to Ovada, pass the castle of Molare restored by Alfredo D'Andrade and arrive to Ovada, for dinner and overnight stay.

2nd day:

Leave Ovada towards Novi Ligure but turn right after few minutes going to Tagliolo Monferrato, a small village with the headsman house, the prison and the Pinelli-Gentile family's castle. Go on along the ridge of the hills towards Lerma, then go up the hard bends that lead to the Spinola castle in the medieval centre of Lerma.
Go along winding roads amongst woods: you are riding along the Apennine and soon will arrive to Casaleggio Boiro and Mornese, two villages among the hills with very old and beautiful castles.
From Mornese cycle on a ridge towards Montaldeo, another village with stone houses and an elegant castle dating back the XVth century and famous for the ghost of a sad young lady of the manor. A long descent brings you to Castelletto d'Orba with its twelfth century castle, then take a long slope with bends among the vineyards towards San Cristoforo, with a beautiful castle and a high tower. Lunch time.
Go along a steep descent with bends, cross the river Lemme, which here goes very deep among the rocks, go up the next hill and reach Gavi, a medieval village with an old fortress of the sixteenth century; a nice narrow road climbing over the village, brings you up to the fortress.
Leave Gavi and ride towards Francavilla - Basaluzzo, cycling on a flat road running along the river Lemme; arrive to Francavilla Bisio, pass the old castle along a slope towards Tassarolo, with its castle and its golf club. Few kilometres of ups and downs and you will get to Novi Ligure. Accommodation, dinner and overnight stay.

3rd day:

The way starts from Novi Ligure, where you visit the tower of the castle, climbing up the castle hill by bike.
Leave Novi on the San Marziano road, a flat road among the fields far from traffic and noise: with no effort and in a little time you will arrive to Pozzolo Formigaro, where there is a nice castle dating back to the XIVth century.
Leave Pozzolo following the road signals to Villalvernia: countryside roads, far from traffic and rich in characteristic farmhouses; cross the river Scrivia and go towards Tortona; the way goes up to Spineto Scrivia as far as Carbonara Scrivia, with its old square tower full of awesomeness. The way among the hills of Tortona, go as far as Certosa dei Calderai, a nice village, and reach Tortona; cross the town centre as far as the castle hill where the tower rises.
Lunchtime
Leave Tortona towards the plain of the river Scrivia and cycle towards Castelnuovo Scrivia where you will find a medieval castle with a high tower.
The way back to Tortona, along asphalted flat road, is the same.
Accommodation, dinner and overnight stay.

Tourist offices:

Iat di Novi Ligure
Viale dei Campionissimi, 2
15067 Novi Ligure
Tel. +39 0143 72585
Fax +39 0143 767657
Email: clicca qui >>
Web: www.comune.noviligure.al.it

Il Cuore di Novi
Corso Marengo, 103
15067 Novi Ligure (AL)
Tel. +39 0143 322118
Email: info@ilcuoredinovi.it

Iat di Tortona
corso Alessandria n. 62

presso il Palazzo Municipale

Settore Sviluppo Economico - Ufficio Turismo e Manifestazioni
15057 Tortona (AL)
Tel. 0131 864297
Fax 0131 864276

E-mail: affarigenerali@comune.tortona.al.it

Web: www.vivitortona.it

Iat di Ovada
Via Cairoli, 103
15076 Ovada
Tel. +39 0143 821043
Fax +39 0143 821043
Email:iat@comune.ovada.al.it
Web: www.ovadese.it