'4 Colli Monferrato' ('4 Monferrato Hills') is a very unusual running race, held every year since 2015. The starting point always changes but the route stays the same. The race unfolds over hill roads with beautiful views, through the valleys and over the ridges of four municipalities: Camagna Monferrato, Conzano, Lu and Cuccaro Monferrato. 
Every 2 June Italy celebrates Republic Day, but also this, one of the most hotly-anticipated races in all Monferrato. Every year one of the four villages takes its turn to host the starting point.  The choice to rotate the starting point means the race changes completely every time from a technical and tactical point of view. However, the beautiful views of the Monferrato landscape, enjoyed by the runners from the ridges of the four hills, stay the same.
Not only the starting point, but also the direction of the race, can change every year. Done backwards, the usual route becomes a real challenge!
The race also has a charitable angle. Every year, some of the profits from the race's registration fees are donated to international aid projects or other needy causes. Gruppo Fotografi Monferrini helps promote 4 Colli Monferrato by taking beautiful photographs of the race.
At the 2019 edition, there were twice as many sporting events as usual: besides the running race, a non-competitive mountain bike rally was also held over the roads and paths of the 4 Colli Monferrato.
The first of its kind, it began in Conzano, and involved a large group of cyclists, led by a local who's been pedalling through this beautiful region for years.
The track here enclosed starts in the village square, Piazza Australia, whose name refers to the mass emigration of locals to that country, most of them to northern Queensland, in the early 20th century. Since 1992 Conzano has been twinned with the Australian town of Ingham. The direction of the route, over tarmac roads, is towards Camagna, but when you get to the foot of the hill on which that village sits, turn left down a track. The descent is a little bumpy, so take care. Once you get to the bottom of the valley, keep left and continue until you come to look down on Cuccaro Monferrato, another village perched on a hill. Carry on over easy tracks to the bottom of another valley, in the direction of Lu Monferrato, but turn left before going into that village and go uphill again. There's a short uphill struggle, but afterwards it's all downhill. Pass Cascina Bersano and you'll come to a gravel road. Once you're under the church of San Giovanni in Mediliano, turn left just before it onto a slightly downhill track, leading to a parallel one. When you get to the tarmac, go right in the direction of Occimiano, then left at the first crossroads.  At the end of the tarmac, turn right onto a brief uphill track to San Maurizio di Conzano. Join the road leading to the hamlet, then go straight along Via Fondighera and all the way along the first road on your right, Via Colma, before turning left when the tarmac runs out, into a pretty farmyard. It's a private place, so please be respectful, and go under the arcade into open countryside, on a downhill track. At the bottom of the valley, just before some tarmac, turn left and go around a small artificial pond onto a farm track. Once you're on the tarmac, cross the street and get back onto the track. You’re now in the valley of the stream Rotaldo. At the next junction, go straight ahead, over tracks and then left at a fork in the road. Here, the road begins to go uphill. Go right at the junction and on up, over some tricky stretches. You're on Strada della Rosetta, that climbs a beautiful green valley.  At the junction at the top of the hill, go left on a slightly uphill road towards the highest point on the route, at 262 m, back in the village you started in, Conzano.
Of course, just as the starting point for runners changes every year, so do the route, length and elevation for cyclists. This route is easy going and worth doing if you want to see the best of the gentle hills of Monferrato Casalese without wearing yourself out. And once seen, you're bound to be back every 2 June.