Cycle routes
1 - Valtenesi cycle routes : Lonato - Salò
44 km - Time required: circa 4h - Dislivello : 440 mt
A marvellous tour of the hills of Valtenesi and incredible views of lower Lake Garda, enjoying the flavour of the vineyards and the lake’s mild climate. Among the not-to-miss attractions are Padenghe Castle, Polpenazze old centre, and Salò lakefront.
2 - Lonato centre - Roman kilns museum - Lonato centre
16 km - Time required: about 2 h - Altitude difference 190 mt
Map and GPS --> www.gardalombardia.it
3 - Lonato - Padenghe - Lonato
13 km - Time required: about 2 h - Altitude difference 260 mt
Map and GPS --> www.gardalombardia.it
4 - Bedizzole- Lonato - Valtenesi
30 km - Time required: about 2.5 h
A varied route through the inland Valtènesi. The cycle path winds through a gentle hilly landscape around the village of Bedizzole. Absolute calm dominates here, far from the big tourist movements.
Map and GPS -->www.stradadeivini.it
5 - From Lake Garda to Montichiari
53.8 km - Time required: about 4 h
Touring the hills and rural plains close to Lake Garda, this route begins at the Desenzano del Garda lakefront, at the old harbour, and continues in a northerly direction up to the roundabout, to climb along via Gramsci and via San Benedetto until it crosses the cycle route to Brescia along via Reciago (2.5 km).
Cycle to Maguzzano with its beautiful Benedictine abbey (4.4 km) and immediately afterwards tackle the short and only steep section of the entire itinerary, leading to Barcuzzi, the highest point of the hike (6.2 km, 212 m asl). Continue on a slight and pleasant descent, following the signs for the cycle route to Brescia, through pleasant cultivated fields until you pass Sedena (7.6 km) and reach Salaghetto (13 km) on the outskirts of Bedizzole. Turn south along the cycle route to Montichiari via Campagnola and reach the banks of the River Chiese until you reach and cross Ponte San Marco (16.6 km) followed by the railway line and finally the motorway.
At Calcinato (19.0 km), continue following the signs for the cycle route to Montichiari, amidst beautiful views of the surrounding countryside, which you will come to after faithfully following the course of the River Chiese. Head for the San Pancrazio pass (29.6 km, 129 m asl), where there is a parish church of the same name and a war memorial. Join via Trieste and head east to via Mantova until you turn left onto via Boschetti Sopra. At the roundabout, at the velodrome, turn right onto the long, straight dirt road that will take you via delle Cocche to Esenta (38.7 km).
Go through the small village to take the beautiful dirt road of via Vallone that skirts the foot of the green hill until it meets and follows via Brodena, which will take you to Lonato del Garda (45 km). It is worth taking a short diversion to visit the castle. Otherwise, follow the signs for Barcuzzi, where you can make your way back to Desenzano del Garda along the same route, or take a different route along via Breda and via Santa Giulia to Lido di Lonato del Garda (50.7 km) and then along the lakeshore to the Desenzano del Garda lakeside port.
Map and GPS --> www.gardalombardia.it
6 - Brescia - Lonato - Desenzano - Pozzolengo
33 km - Time required: about 3 h
Further information : www.provinciadibrescia.it
7 - Between Lonato, Bedizzole and Montichiari
45 km - Time required: 4 h - Altitude difference: 410 mt
This itinerary departs from Lonato and follows along the lower part of Lake Garda, a landscape characterised by the gentle morainic hills.
Further information: www.inlombardia.it
8 - From Napoleone Bonaparte to Napoleon III
39 km - Time required: 4 h- Altitude difference: 544 m
The path begins and ends at Piazza Castello in Solferino, the point where the battle concluded, that would then begin the unification of Italy.
Further information: www.inlombardia.it
To Polecra Pond
Esenta - San Polo - Esenta
Esenta - San Polo - Esenta
7, 7 km - Height difference: 215 m
From the sports field parking of Esenta (125 m asl) you continue along Via San Marco to the north until you cross and follow Via Vallone. The road, paved until now, becomes a dirt road and you have to follow it for more than a kilometer when, out of the woods and passing a farm on the right at a junction with a large tree, you have to turn left.
The road rises with a large bend surrounding a private park when, just before the villa, you turn left into a wooded area. After about 200 meters, you come to a crossroads, take the right by climbing a narrow path that becomes more and more scenic and that runs along the ridge of the monte Nuvolo, isolated hill in the middle of the plain.
After passing some hunting lodges, you will come across a large lawn with in the center the Polecra pond (215 m asl), with adjoining a small rural construction. Here the view extends from Lake Garda to the Apennines, from Mount Baldo to the city of Brescia and its highest mountains and it is very charming to wait for the sunset with the sun going down over the distant mountains of Piedmont, when visibility permits.
After a break, continue downhill along the path, now wider, holding the right at a bar and then between cultivated fields, reaches the asphalt road of Via San Tommaso, in the homonymous location, where there is also a parking lot. Here we turn left walking on the paved road, and reached a hill with a crossroads, keeping still the left path down along the dirt road Via dei Ronchi to the hamlet of San Polo. At the first houses you turn left again in the South direction and continue for about a kilometer, ignoring the many crossroads that you meet.
The environment is characterized first by the cultivated fields and then by the shade of the forest until, at a clear crossroads, turn left and continue the path to reach the villa encountered on the way before and retracing the route back to the starting point.
Warning: do not go during the hunting season, generally from mid-September to mid-December, for the presence of many regular hunting lodges.
