Centro Route · Brescia Variant (Variante Bresciana)
Stage V1 · Rodengo Saiano → Cremona
- Distance
- 101 km
- Elevation gain
- 190 m D+
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Surface
- 82% asphalt, 18% gravel · 83% on cycle routes
- Terrain
- Brescia Plain, Oglio River
- Cycle path
- Oglio Cycle Path
- Hospitality
- Hotels
GPX 1.1 file with the track, elevation and the abbeys as waypoints. Tracks are calculated on real roads and cycle routes (OpenStreetMap): check them on the ground before you set off.
Stage map
Map of the stage Rodengo Saiano → Cremona: track, start, finish, places to stay and abbeys
Hover the profile to see the spot on the map
Tracks calculated on real roads and cycle paths (OpenStreetMap); elevations from SRTM data — to be checked on the ground
This stage on Komoot
The same track is on the project's Komoot profile: save it in the app and ride it with voice navigation.
Overview
First stage of the Variante Bresciana: from the Olivetan abbey of Rodengo Saiano, at the foot of Franciacorta, the route drops into the Brescia plain and follows the slow course of the Oglio to Cremona, world capital of violin-making.
Notes from the road
The Oglio Cycle Route runs straight through Franciacorta vineyards and plain farmland. Signage stays reliable along the whole stretch. Wind is the one real variable on these sun-baked embankments. Soncino deserves a stop among the houses of its old printers, and in Cremona it is worth climbing the Torrazzo. The view over the Po from up there repays all the flat-land effort.
What to see
Olivetan Abbey of San Nicola in Rodengo Saiano, Franciacorta vineyards, Oglio Cycle Route, Sforza fortress of Soncino with the printers' houses, Cremona with the Torrazzo, the cathedral and the luthiers' workshops
Where to sleep
Hotel in central Cremona (70-110€); B&Bs along the Oglio (55-80€); agriturismo of the Brescia plain (50-75€)
Where to eat
Casoncelli bresciani, Franciacorta DOCG sparkling wines, marubini in broth, Cremona torrone, Cremona mostarda, Salame Cremona IGP
Tips
Flat, fast stage: only the plain's wind to worry about. The Oglio Cycle Route is well signposted. Soncino deserves a stop. In Cremona, climb the Torrazzo for the view over the Po.
Water & supplies
Fountains and bars in Orzinuovi and Soncino, at mid-stage; a farming plain with regular villages and no isolated sections. The Oglio embankments are sunny with little shade. Cremona has every service on arrival.
Places to stay on this stage
- Camping Parco al Pocampsite
Cremona (via del Sale 60/A)- Price:
- €1/hour (pay only for the time you stay)
- Open:
- year-round, automated 24h access
- Facilities:
- 56 pitches with electricity and water, 24h toilets and showers, laundry, lit cycle/foot path to the centre (1 km)
- Source:
- campingcremona.it · informagiovani.comune.cremona.it
Automated site in the greenery of the Parco al Po: ideal on the Brescia variant (Rodengo Saiano→Cremona, Oglio cycle route).
Abbeys on this stage
- Start abbey: Abbazia di Rodengo Saiano
An amateur, non-profit project. The tracks are indicative: everyone rides independently, at their own risk.