Casale Monferrato→Grazzano Badoglio

Description of the route

The six half-stage version begins at Casale Monferrato with a day short in distance but intense in meaning. From the Paleologi Castle you leave the city to reach Grazzano Badoglio in 23.9 kilometres, facing 410 meters of climb. The more relaxed pace allows you to read the landscape and gradually enter into the history of the Strade di Aleramo, without compressing the visits that make this first stretch recognizable into a few hours.

Casale represents the great urban entrance of the journey: the castle, the Paleologi tradition and the relationship with the historical Monferrato immediately set the tone of the itinerary. Just outside the centre, the roads rise between fields and vineyards. The slopes distributed over the hills require regular pedaling, but the limited distance leaves room for panoramic stops and allows you to face the day without the urgency of the three-stage sports variant.

The approach to Grazzano Badoglio leads to the place most directly linked to the figure of Aleramo. Tradition identifies the tomb of the marquis, founder of the Aleramic dynasty, in the church of Santi Vittore e Corona. Legend has it that Emperor Otto I granted him the territory that he could cover on horseback in three days: the cycling trip takes up that founding gesture and transforms it into a contemporary crossing of the Monferrato.

Concluding the first half-stage here allows you to dedicate time to the village, the church and the surrounding landscape. This is the essential difference of the six-day formula: each arrival becomes a destination and not just a technical stop. The route is almost entirely road, but it is advisable to check the route, the weather and the services available. Grazzano is also the point from which the long but smoother second half-stage towards Sezzadio will start again.