Short Panoramic Bike Ride on Berici Hills From Vicenza
Details
When I need to take a break and I have nothing planned, I go out and I start riding through the hills looking for silence, nature and evocative views.
This is the route I hit more often because it is close to the center and it is also very scenographic.
Along these roads with little traffic I can enjoy spectacular views of the city of Vicenza, the Vicentine Alps on its background and the Po Valley towards Padua. It can happen that I see roe deer if I am lucky and there is no traffic at all.
The route is hilly. It starts in Vicenza in the Gogna area, it ascends to Mount Berico, it continues on the crest along the Dorsale dei Colli Berici passing through Arcugnano and Perarolo, it descends to St. Agostino and it ends crossing the Ferrovieri neighborhood.
Route Description
This route consists only of paved roads. It is suited to road bikes, mountain bikes and gravel bikes.
Almost all of these roads are well-preserved. At St. Agostino and along the Ferrovieri neighborhood, however, the road surface is ruined by many pits and cracks.
Route Progress
We immediately face the most challenging part of this route ascending towards Mount Berico. It is a very steep climb, but luckily it is also short.
At Mount Berico we find the Church of St. Mary of Mount Berico, which was built after the Marian apparitions of 1426 AD and 1428 AD.
I dare say it is mandatory to look down from the terrace of Piazzale della Vittoria: we will enjoy Vicenza from above and, with clear weather, we will be amazed by the wonderful landscape that shows us the north-eastern part of the Province with its mountains.
We pass by the Museum of Risorgimento and Resistance at Villa Guiccioli, which hosts a park as well, and we continue with gentle ups and downs.
After the locality of Villa Margherita we descend abruptly for about 1 km.
The next climb, steep but also short, takes us to Arcugnano. This is the second challenge of this ride.
We continue winding on a flat road for some kilometers.
After the locality of Spianzana we face the last of the three challenging climbs of this ride that, still winding, takes us to the hamlet of Perarolo.
At Perarolo we can freshen from the drinking water next to the war memorial. This is a perfect place to take a break before descending from the hills.
We change direction after a few dozen meters following directions for Brendola, taking the Strada di Perarolo SP-129. We continue for only a few hundreds meters before turning right into Via Paolini, following directions for Vicenza and St. Agostino.
We descend rapidly towards the hamlet of St. Agostino. The descent is very steep, so we need to stay extremely alert because the curves are very sharp.
We continue on a flat road without more challenges for the last few kilometers, passing through the Ferrovieri neighborhood. This is the only part of the route where we must deal with the traffic.
Major Challenges
- climb towards Mount Berico
- climb towards Arcugnano
- climb towards Perarolo
- sharp curves descending towards St. Agostino
- traffic during the rush hour along the last part of the route
Starting Point
The square in front of the Church of St. Giorgio in the Gogna area, in Vicenza, is very convenient because cars can park for free. Cars can park for free also along the road.
In the Ferrovieri neighborhood the parking spaces are free of charge.
Piazzale della Vittoria has a big parking area free of charge, but it can be very busy during the celebrations of the Holy Masses. If we start here, we will need to face the climb towards Mount Berico at the end of the route.
Places of Interest
- Church of St. Mary of Mount Berico
- Piazzale della Vittoria
- Museum of Risorgimento and Resistance at Villa Guiccioli
- park of Villa Guiccioli
Useful Stops
- public toilets of Piazzale della Vittoria at Mount Berico
- a couple of bars at Mount Berico
- a few restaurants and pizzerias between Arcugnano and Perarolo
- drinking water next to the war memorial at Perarolo