The best gravel rides around Alfianello

Pontevico is an Italian municipality of about 7,150 inhabitants located at the southern end of the province of Brescia, in Lombardy. The village stands in a historically strategic position along the Oglio river, which marks the natural border with the province of Cremona. The name derives from the Latin Pons Vici, which literally means "bridge of the village". The municipal territory is predominantly flat and includes the hamlets of Bettegno, Campazzo, Chiesuola and Toro. Local economy is historically divided between a strong agricultural vocation and an industrial textile development linked to the Bassa Bresciana district. The center is about 32 kilometers from the provincial capital Brescia and is easily reachable by car via the A21 motorway or by the Brescia-Cremona railway line.

Pure Gravel ride. With mixed stretches on asphalt to relax a bit. Alternating shade and sun, but I think mid-season is preferable. The stretch of Verolavecchia and Verolanuova is beautiful, with its architectural features. There are fun climbs and descents, for which, however, it's better to have good brakes (as always).

The Naviglio Civico di Cremona is a historic artificial canal of about 57 km (reaching over 75 km considering the underground section "Cremonella" and the final stretch into the Po River), built in 1337 for irrigation purposes and still fundamental for agriculture today. It crosses the province from north to south, connecting the Oglio river to the city, characterized by a landscape rich in biodiversity, ancient farmhouses, and a cycle path.

The trail, which runs alongside the Canale Civico Cremonese, is straight and uneven, running through fields and rows of vines on a dirt surface. Stable and even, it's a perfect stretch for gravel and touring bikes.

Very beautiful, almost entirely shaded and cool. In some places, the vegetation is very lush, but there are alternative routes. As always, there are the inevitable fallen tree trunks along the way. One in particular is 15 cm in diameter, but you can climb over it. Have a good trip!

Used for food preservation, in the winter it was filled with snow and straw: the straw had an insulating function, while the snow, with its weight, became ice compacting inside the structure. This allowed the preservation of food in the summer. We are in "Scorzarolo", an old abandoned village near Verolavecchia (BS), here the icehouse most likely served two dairies for the processing of dairy products. The icehouse or "neviera" is made in a truncated cone shape with a circular plan and walls, usually in brick masonry or, like the one in Scorzarolo, in bricks, the ceiling is made in a dome. There are small windows and an entrance, the structure is about 4m deep.

The Scorzarolo Ice House: Ingenuity and Tradition This circular brick structure, with an ogival roof and about four meters deep, was filled with snow in the winter to preserve food during the summer. It may also have had a public-health service function, making it a key element of rural life at the time.

Next to the silent ruins of a large farmhouse in Verolavecchia, the ancient icehouse resists time, guardian of an agricultural past that tells of ingenuity and tradition. A precious testimony, immersed in the placid simplicity of the plain, where every brick speaks of toil and life lived. Discover it with a slow cycle tourism: pedal among memories of times gone by and let yourself be enveloped by the hidden details of a territory that knows how to excite with its authenticity. Here, in the heart of Bassa Bresciana, even the past continues to breathe.