The Emilia of the Great River is revealed through eclectic itineraries that flow through the stories of the inhabitants of the Po, immersing themselves in culture, typical cuisine, and precious nature reserves, to be experienced on foot, by bicycle and by boat, from ever different points of view.
Routes to be created to measure thanks to the proposals of Visit Emilia, the Land of the Slow Mix, which embraces tourism in the territory of Parma, Piacenza and Reggio Emilia among nature, culture and food and wine.
ITINERARIES:
-Bicycling along the Great River, at Polesine Parmense, where the river caresses and enriches the Antica Corte Pallavicina with flavours, you can pedal along the banks and cross the Po Forest, a 2 km route that reveals the diverse vegetation and aquatic fauna made up of birds such as kingfishers and stilt-birds, and the river forest.
-Food Valley Bike, a cycle route linking Parma to Busseto following the cycle paths and tracks parallel to the Great River for 80 km of nature, flavours and culture.
- "Discovery Water" has seen the mapping of key points from which to start navigating, hire bicycles, and visit museums in which to learn more about the history of the river. Among the most significant centres in the vast plain of Reggio Emilia close to the Po are Gualtieri and Brescello.
-Slow itinerary in Giovannino Guareschi's Food Valley, which starts in Piacenza "where the Po begins ... and does very well', amidst typical flavours and centuries-old castles, such as the Castle of San Pietro in Cerro, with the MiM (Museum in Motion) housed inside, the Ethnographic Museum and Aquarium of the Po in the Pallavicino Casali Castle in Monticelli d'Ongina, and continues along the Po and Lower Piacenza Food Trail, which crosses the municipalities along the banks of the Po River with the traditions and cultures of which the territory is permeated, and allows you to discover the gastronomic excellence typical of the area such as Cacio del Po, PDO cheeses and the fantastic Salumi Piacentini PDO. And again, passing through villages, museums and tastings in wine cellars, vinegar cellars and dairies consecrated to cult products such as the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Reggio Emilia and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, we follow the mid-Po Valley stretch of the river that has been declared a UNESCO Po Grande Mab Biosphere Reserve. Stops include Roncole Verdi, birthplace of Maestro Giuseppe Verdi and home to the Giovannino Guareschi Archive House; Fontanelle, Guareschi's birthplace and home to the Il Mondo Piccolo Museum dedicated to him; and Brescello with its Don Camillo and Peppone Museum.
-The Guado di Sigerico - among the FAI places of the heart - a few kilometres from Piacenza, bathed by the waters of the Po River, is the first stop on the Emilian territory of the Via Francigena. It is a special stage of the walk because here is the only river crossing of the entire route (of two thousand kilometres to reach Rome). The crossing from the Lombard bank to the Emilian bank and vice versa is guaranteed by the presence of the river taxi service.
-The Via Matildica del Volto Santo (Matilda's Way of the Holy Face), an opportunity to relive the atmosphere of Matilde di Canossa's feud, from Mantua to Lucca, i.e. from the blood of Christ in the Church of Sant'Andrea to the Volto Santo, passing through San Benedetto Po, Luzzara, Guastalla.
-Another itinerary explores the Val d'Arda, from the vineyards to the Po. A wine tour that touches on the lands of the Great River, starting from Castell'Arquato and continuing to the Giarola Island Park, a natural area shaped by the course of the river with a lake located on the right bank, in the floodplain area bordered by the Arda, Ongina and Cavo Fontana streams. Another stop is Vigoleno and its characteristic Vinsanto.
-Itinerary that starts from Lido di Boretto with the Regional Fluvial Tourist Port, located in the central stretch of the Great River, which crosses the entire region, to reach Brescello, Polesine Parmense from where a 15 km itinerary along the river starts, and then the Giarola Island Park (PC) and Serafini Island (PC) the only inhabited one of the Great River, the most important hydraulic engineering work ever carried out in Italy, allows boats to continue their navigation to the delta. Don't miss the opportunity to visit the fish lift (the largest and most complex successive fish passage ever built in Italy).
-immersion in the river landscape is possible through excursions, not only by bicycle, but also on foot and by boat, and through other activities organised in collaboration with the Adda Sud Park. These locations can be reached by following the Via Po, a 110 km-long cycling itinerary in the Piacenza area that follows the river's right bank, skirting the city of Piacenza.
