La Rizza, a splendid natural oasis
Leave the town of Zocca and head towards Pescara and Francolino, through cultivated fields and dirt roads. About twenty kilometres and you are in Ferrara, the first stop on your route and not nicknamed the 'City of Bicycles' by chance. The city of the Este family has a rich history behind it, as evidenced by the many monuments scattered around the centre, the Castle first and foremost.
Continuing past Ferrara, fields and dirt roads await you, leading you to an area of real delight. Through Gallo Ferrarese and Malalbergo, you reach the former rice fields of Bentivoglio, now converted into a protected area: the La Rizza nature reserve. Originally the junction of the canal along which goods travelled by boat from Bologna to Ferrara, then a rice field it is now home to diverse birdlife. With 34 hectares of vegetation, the site is a refuge for numerous birds, from white and grey herons to wild geese, cormorants, marsh harriers and kingfishers. A spectacle to be observed while riding your bicycle, before stopping for the night.
Pian del Voglio, on the Tuscan border
After a night's rest, you set off once more, refreshed, for Bologna. You have about fifty kilometres to go before you reach the entrance that turns the scenery you have seen so far on its head. Enter 'La Dotta' and you are immediately immersed in a mix of art and bustling life, especially in the porticoes area, the beating heart of the city. Admire the majestic sanctuary of San Luca and then take your time, and above all a deep breath, because a heavy climb awaits you, the scene of many stages of the Giro d'Italia and of the Giro dell'Emilia each year. Just under two kilometres, but with a difference in altitude of 199 metres, an average gradient of 10.5% with peaks, halfway up the ascent, of up to 18%. The challenge should not discourage you, in view of your final destination and arrival in Tuscany: you have already ridden 78 kilometres and you are exactly halfway there.
Starting the ascent and cycling on asphalted roads, from Mount Sabbiuno, 300 metres above sea level, you see the woods of San Luca on the right bank of the Reno. Continue your immersion into the greenery and prepare yourself for the next climb, that of Mount Samorè, then down to the Pianoro and back up again, between Old Pianoro, Mount Rosso, Mount Vaiolo, Anconella, Sabbioni and Bibulano di Sopra, until you reach an altitude of more than 700 metres. Then it's downhill to the Reno and uphill again, along shady areas, first to Monzuno, over 600 metres, then to the left of Monte Venere, at 900 metres, amidst gradients approaching 15% and stretches with a paved road surface. What makes the effort lighter is the extraordinary panorama that accompanies you: you are in the Valley of the Gods, the route linking Bologna with Florence and, therefore, close to the finish line.
Once past Monte Galletto it's then downhill for 10 kilometres through Madonna dei Fornelli, Qualto, Montefredente until you reach Pian del Voglio. You have cycled 146 kilometres. There are only 2,000 metres to cover and a further 100 metres of climbing to the finishing point, between Castiglione Dei Pepoli, Roncobilaccio and Bruscoli, a district of Firenzuola. It's an area of borders and ancient crafts, all waiting to be discovered.
