Castelli da Fiaba You can go all over this route wholly or run only parts of the way from Ovada as far as Castelnuovo Scrivia, always among ancient castles and fortresses. Duration of the stay : 4 days and 3 nights Difficulty: medium Distance : about 100 Km Daily average distance: 30 Km about Recommended bike: city bike and mountain bike Kind of ground: asphalt, dirt road, hills (with important drops), somewhere flat Accommodation : hotel, farmhouse, B&B Recommended period: September, first half October; from April till July Starting point: Ovada Arriving point : Castelnuovo Scrivia ITINERARY: 1st day: Arrival in Ovada in the late afternoon. Accomodation, dinner and overnight stay. 2nd day: Cycling throughout the town centre, leave Ovada towards Alessandria, cross over the river Orba and go along the asphalted road to the village of Rocca Grimalda: the first km are flat, but soon the way gets up by wide bends as far as this characteristic village risen around the Malaspina’s and Grimaldi’s castle, with a round tower, an Italian garden and some …ghosts. Run the ridge of the hills in the neighbourhoods of Ovada, covered by Dolcetto vineyards, arrive at another medieval village tight to 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 get up the high tower and have lunch in the restaurant inside the castle. In the afternoon, many other hard ups and downs and you arrive at Cremolino, an old village on the top of a hill, with an ancient castle. Go down in the valley, cycling along the road to Ovada, pass the castle of Molare restored by Alfredo D’Andrade and arrive at Ovada, for dinner and overnight stay. 3rd 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’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 among woods: you are among the Appennine and arrive at Casaleggio Boiro and Mornese, two villages among the hills with very old and beautiful castles. From Mornese cycle a ridge as far as Montaldeo, another village with houses made of stone and an elegant castle dating back the XVth century and famous for the ghost of a young sad lady of the manor. A long descent brings to Castelletto d’Orba with its twelth century castle, then take a long slope with bends among the vineyards towards San Cristoforo, with a beautiful castle with a high tower. Lunch time. Go along a steep descent with bends, cross the river Lemme, here 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 up to the fortress. Leave Gavi towards Francavilla – Basaluzzo, cycling a flat road running along the river Lemme; arrive at 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 arrive at Novi Ligure. Accomodation, dinner and overnight stay. 4th day: The way starts from Novi Ligure, where you visit the tower of the castle, climbing up the castle hill by bike. Leave Novi by 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 at Pozzolo Formigaro, where there is a nice castle dating back to the XIV th century. Leave Pozzolo following road markings to Villalvernia: countryside roads, far from traffic and rich in characteristic farmhouses; cross the river Scrivia and go towards Tortona; the way gets 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 as far as Castelnuovo Scrivia where you will find a medieval castle with a high tower. The way back, along asphalted flat road, is the same towards Tortona. Accomodation, dinner and overnight stay. SOME USEFUL INFORMATION Hotels 4 stars • Villa Giulia Hotel S.S. per Alessandria, 7/A 15057 Tortona (AL) Tel. 0131 862 396 Fax: 0131 868 561 Email: [email protected] Web: www.villagiulia-hotel.com • * L’Ostelliere Frazione Monterotondo, 56 15066 Gavi (AL) Tel. E Fax 0143 607801 Email: [email protected] Web: www.ostelliere.it Hotels 3 stars • Hotel Ristorante Italia Via S. Paolo 54 15076 Ovada (AL) Tel. 0143 86502 Fax 0143 86503 Web: www.albergoitaliaovada.it • Hotel Vittoria Via Voltri, 27D 15076 Ovada (AL) Tel. 0143 80331 Fax 0143 80196 Email: [email protected] Web: www.vittorialbergo.it • * Hotel Al Castello Piazza Dante Alighieri, 9 15066 Gavi (AL) Tel. 0143 642794 Fax 0143 643974 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.hotelalcastello.net • Albergo Ristorante Viaggiatori Corso Marenco Romualdo, 83 15067 Novi Ligure (AL) Tel. 0143 322800 Fax 0143 322993 • Albergo Ristorante Da Noi Via Belvedere, 35 15068 Pozzolo Formigaro (AL) Tel. 0143 417194/5 Fax 0143 418862 Web: www.hoteldanoi.it • Albergo Ristorante La Fenice S.s. Dei Giovi, 52 Carbonara Scrivia (AL) Tel. 0131 870000 Fax 0131 889935 Email: [email protected] Web: www.lafenicehotel.net • Novi Motel Strada Statale 35 Bs Dei Giovi,1 15067 Novi Ligure (AL) Tel. E Fax 0143 322290 • Albergo Ristorante Villa Viola Strada Viola, 44/e 15057 Tortona (AL) Tel. 0131 811462 Fax 0131 813642 Email: [email protected] Web: www.albergovillaviola.com • Hotel Ristorante Cavallino S. Marziano Corso Giuseppe Romita, 83 15057 Tortona (AL) Tel. 0131 862308 Fax 0131 895286 Email: [email protected] Web: www.cavallinotortona.it • * Albergo della Corona Corso Romualdo Marengo, 11 15067Novi Ligure (AL) Tel. 0143 322364 Fax 0143 767935 Email: [email protected] Web: www.albergodellacorona.it Historical Mansions or villas • * Relais Villa Pomela Via Serravalle, 69 15057 Novi Ligure (AL) Tel. 0143 329910 Fax 0143 329912 Email: [email protected] Web: www.pomela.it • * La Marcona Locanda Inn Strada Marcona Nuova 15068 Pozzolo Formigaro (AL) Tel. 0143 417146 Web: www.lamarcona.it Farmhouses • Azienda Agrituristica La Brenta Di Canepa Simona Località Madonna della Villa, 253 15071 Carpeneto (AL) Tel: 0143 876079 • Agriturismo La Selva Di Oddone Stefano Regione Baretta Selvaggia, 66 15010 Montaldo Bormida (AL) Tel. 0143 876069 • Agriturismo Ferrando Marosa Cascina Navri, 115 15070 Trisobbio (AL) Tel. 0143 879009 • Agriturismo Il Mulino Di Lerma Eisa Sas Via Calderoni, 39 15070 Lerma (AL) Tel. E Fax 0143 877140 Email: [email protected] Web: www.ilmulinodilerma.it • Agriturismo De Maria Natalizia Via Roma, 46 15070 Casaleggio Boiro Tel. 0143 877198 • Azienda Agrituristica Le Miniere Regione Masino,16 15070 Lerma (AL) Tel. E Fax 0143 877801 • Agriturismo Il Burlino Cascina Burlino, 14 15070 Lerma (AL) Tel. E Fax 0143 877491 Email: [email protected] Web: www.agriturismoilburlino.it • * Agriturismo La Federica via Villalvernia, 80 15067 Novi Ligure(AL) T.el E Fax 0143 329533 Email: [email protected] Web: www.lafederica.it ● * Tenuta La Marchesa Strada di Gavi, 87 15067 Novi Ligure (AL) Tel. 0143 743362 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.tenutalamarchesa.it • Agriturismo Montegualdone Cascina Montegualdone 15050 Sarezzano (AL) Tel. E Fax 0131 884173 Cell. 334 9426494 Web: www.agriturismomontegualdone.com Bed and Breakfast • * Cascina Il Folletto Strada Veneziana, 9 15057 Tortona (Al) Tel. E Fax 0143 417224 Email: [email protected] Web: www.cascinafolletto.com Restaurants • Ristorante La Trapesa Corso Saracco, 74 15076 Ovada Tel. 0143 824826 • Il Castello di Trisobbio Via Cavour , 1 15070 Trisobbio (AL) Tel. 0143 831108 Fax 0143.831742 Email: [email protected] Web: www.ilcastelloditrisobbio.it • Ristorante Bel Soggiorno via Umberto I, 69 15010 Cremolino (AL) Tel. 0143 879012 Fax: 0143 879921 Email: [email protected] Web: www.ristorantebelsoggiorno.it • Ristorante "Da Pietro" Piazza Mazzini 13 15076 Ovada (AL) Tel. 0143 80457 • Ristorante "Giulio" Via Gramsci 111 15076 Ovada (AL) Tel. 0143 86329 • Trattoria Gino Via Roma 41/A 15070 Tagliolo Monferrato (AL) Tel. 0143 89483 • Ristorante Bar Italia Di Lerma Via Martiri Benedicta,4 15070 Lerma (AL) Tel. 0143 877110 • Ristorante Bar Italia Via Roma, 38 15075 Mornese (AL) Tel. 0143 887947 • Bar Ristorante Jolly Piazza Guglielmo Marconi, 2 15075 Mornese (AL) Tel. 0143 887946 • Ristorante Al Ghiottone Localita' Cadegualchi, 1 15060 Parodi Ligure (AL) Tel. 0143 681213 • Cascina Carrata Via Carrata, 23 15060 Montaldeo (AL) Tel. 0143 849270 • Ristorante della Pace Via Irmo Ferrari, 57 San Cristoforo (AL) Tel. 0143 682123 Web: www.valdorba.info/ristorantelapace.htm • Cantine del Gavi Via Goffredo Mameli, 69 15066 Gavi (AL) Tel. E Fax 0143 642458 • Trattoria Pessenti Fraz. Rovereto Loc. Pessenti 15066 Gavi (AL) Tel. 0143 682147 • Località San Rocco Via dei martiri 1 15060 Tassarolo (AL) Tel. 0143 342418 Fax 0143 342921 • Bünet Via Marconi Guglielmo, 83 15067 Novi Ligure (AL) Tel. 0143 79314 • Excelsior Corso Piave, 6 15067 Novi Ligure (AL) Tel. 0143 321713 • Emmalù di Bava Emma Viale Dei Campionissimi, 4 15067 Novi Ligure (AL) Tel. E Fax 0143 746231 Email: [email protected] Web: www.emmalu.eu • Le Petit Chateau Via Mazzini Giuseppe, 90 15067 Novi Ligure (AL) Tel. 0143 2997 • Villa Roma Via Novi, 20 15068 Pozzolo Formigaro (AL) Tel. 0143 419204 • Ristorante Romano Via D. Carbone, 1 15050 Villalvernia (AL) Tel.