The Ciclovia del Po (Po cycle route) starts from the source of Italy’s longest river, on Monviso, and stretches over the whole Po valley until the river debouches into the Adriatic.
Since 2010, a pool of experts from Milan Polytechnic have been designing the Ciclovia VenTo, a cycling tour route from VENezia (Venice) to TOrino (Turin) along the river Po.
The feasibility project for Italy’s longest cycling tour route was presented to the Italian government in 2012. Since then, there have been years of economic and technical planning, studies and agreements between the Italian government, regional governments, Milan Polytechnic and the design group.
All 679 km of the Po VenTo cycle route can be walked in complete safety. Work in still ongoing at the time of announcement, albeit at a rapid pace.
Some figures should help explain the current situation. 102 km – i.e. 15% of the total route – can be travelled both on foot and by bike and meets all safety requirements. 284 km – i.e. 42% of the total route – can be cycled but hasn’t yet been made safe. Finally, 293 km (43% of the total route) requires intervention in order to be made safe.
The plan of the 632 km cycle route from Turin to Venice also involves a 47 km connection from Pavia to Milan along the navigli canal tow paths.  The challenge is to provide a new, cultural interpretation of cycle tourism which attributes a broader role to it, one more rich in meaning. This should breathe new life into local areas. Light infrastructure can be an invaluable tool for cycle tourists to get in touch with the land, its natural beauty and the wealth of traditional food and wine in the locations covered.
The Po VenTo cycle route is also the Italian section of EuroVelo8, the 5,900 km-long Mediterranean route linking the cities of Cadiz in Spain and Limassol on the isle of Cyprus. The Eurovelo project is in the hands of the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF), in collaboration with national partners. In Italy, that means the Federazione Italiana Ambiente e Bicicletta (FIAB) with the Bicitalia network. Eurovelo integrates existing and planned national and regional cycle paths in a single European network. It currently consists of more than 45,000 km of cycle routes, with thousands more kilometres in the pipeline – a total of more than 70,000 km when it’s finished.                                                                                                                                                                                               
In this guide, we present the whole Po river cycle path, from its source on Monviso (2,020 m.a.s.l.) in the Cottian Alps in Piedmont as far as the regional border with Lombardy, in the city of Pavia. The plan of the VenTo cycle route on the other hand starts from the centre of Turin, which comes after 115 km on the route illustrated here.
The cycle path officially begins at 1,973 m.a.s.l. from Pian del Re. A stone’s throw away from this plateau on Monviso is a large stone stating ‘Qui nasce il Po’ (‘here the Po is born’), at the point where it starts to trickle out. It should go without saying that those who want to go over the whole route from the peak at which the Po has its source need to get there first. They can cycle the long climb or take advantage of the Monviso Bike Shuttle service, which provides transport (bike included) from Paesana to the starting point (to be booked on +39 380 3168966). You can take the train from Saluzzo to Paesana, which is otherwise a 25 km bike ride. Alternatively – again by booking the service – you can arrange for transport by Monviso Bike Shuttle from the railway station itself.
You then come down to the bottom of the valley, following the GPX track, and after a nice long descent you pass the Pian della Regina then the villages of Crissolo, Paesana and Sanfront, where the valley opens out, coming to the 395 m altitude of Saluzzo, after no fewer than 40 effortless kilometres. Carry on to Racconigi. Here, take the road that runs alongside the castle’s large park, arriving at Motta on pleasant little roads, then San Bernardo, an area of Carmagnola. From the area of the river and little artificial lakes in Carignano and La Loggia, come to Moncalieri and its graceful royal castle. The route continues on the Po park cycle paths, first past the green lawns of Moncalieri golf club then the Vallere park, where following the cycle path takes you across the cyclable footbridge over the river Sangone, bringing you officially into the city of Turin. The capital of Piedmont has a wealth of cycle paths near the river Po, making them the natural focus of the route. The VenTo cycle route starts here. Travel the cycle paths on the left side of the river to the medieval village and shortly afterwards to the Valentino park and castle, which you cross, continuing as far as Ponte Umberto I, the bridge leading to Corso Moncalieri. Turn left towards the church of the Gran Madre di Dio, opposite Piazza Vittorio Veneto. Continue along Via Po to Piazza Castello, in the heart of the city. Staying on the right-hand side of the river, continue along the cycle paths to the next bridge to be crossed, Ponte Regina Margherita. When you get to the left-hand side of the river, stay on the cycle path to Ponte Amedeo VIII to cross the river Stura di Lanzo. Next, follow the cycle paths to San Mauro Torinese, coming to Settimo Torinese in the Po park area, then to Brandizzo. Head off the cycle paths on a route made up of urban roads, but far from traffic, until you get to Chivasso, then Borgo Revel on the bridge over the Dora Baltea, a short but very high-traffic stretch where areas for bikes are set to be created in the future. Immediately after the bridge, come off the SP 31 bis, following gravel roads as far as Crescentino and then Palazzolo Vercellese, until the left turn towards Lago Bianco. Go onto the SP 31 bis, turn right and continue for about 800 m before exiting on the right in the Trino area. Having overcome the obstacle of business on the river, continue on the gravel roads of VenTo towards the charming Pobietto grange, which deserves a stop for its Museo delle Mondine (museum of female rice workers), also the headquarters of the Po park. Come, through rice fields and patches of poplar, to Morano sul Po. Follow the long, straight bank leading to Casale Monferrato. We suggest you stop to visit the historic centre of this beautiful town and its wealth of major monuments, including the cathedral of Sant’Evasio, the Paleologi castle and the synagogue. From here, head along the right side of the river as far as Frassineto Po. In Palazzo Mossi in the middle of the village, you can visit the Po landscape interpretation centre, created and managed by the Po park authority. The route continues through the Casalese plain as far as Torre d’Isola, in Valmacca, where the river swells after the Sesia has fed into it as well. You can take great photos here. Continue along the banks, coming to Rivalba, another village in Valmacca, then coming up to the village of Bozzole. After following the bank for about 3 km, you have to turn right and join the SP 55 and after a few metres, turn left towards Monte Valenza. Having covered a distance of about 230 km from the peaks of Monviso, we find the first climb, this route’s highest point (provided you haven’t climbed Monviso of course). 1 km, for just 72 m of altitude gained, on seven rough-surfaced hairpin bends. When you reach the top, turn right towards Valenza, where you come back to following the river as far as Mugarone, Bassignana, Alluvioni Cambiò and Molino dei Torti, the latter bordering Lombardy. The next series of villages to be crossed is as follows: Cornale, Corana, Cervesina, Pancarana and Bottarone. At the last, cross the river and continue on its left side to the hamlet of Boschi, near Trovacò Siccomario. Heading alongside the river Ticino, come to Borgo Ticino and cross the river to enter the city of Pavia. This is the final stop on our route, concluding a 315 km ride along the whole Piedmont part of the VenTo stretch of the river Po cycle path.