Stage 5 · Praglia → Ferrara
- Distance
- 110 km
- Elevation gain
- 40 m D+
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Surface
- 88% asphalt, 12% gravel · 85% on cycle routes
- Terrain
- Venetian Plain, Adige River
- Cycle path
- Po 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 Praglia → Ferrara: 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
A long, almost entirely flat stage through the agricultural heartland between Padua and Ferrara, following ancient Roman roads and canal embankments, among walled towns and reclaimed countryside.
Notes from the road
The embankments of the Adige and Po rise like green ramparts over the plain. Monselice and Rovigo offer water at the midpoint, then long stretches open to the sun. Ferrara arrives flat, an ideal city to ride around even at day's end. Wind on the embankments can slow you more than fatigue.
What to see
Monastic complex of Praglia, Euganean Hills, Arquà Petrarca (the poet's village), walls and castle of Este, Montagnana, Renaissance Ferrara (UNESCO site) with the Este Castle
Where to sleep
B&Bs in the Este area (60-85€); hostel in Ferrara (30-50€); Ferrara religious guesthouses (50-70€); hotels in Ferrara (80-130€)
Where to eat
Ferrara pumpkin cappellacci, salama da sugo, coppia ferrarese bread, eel, Fortana del Bosco Eliceo
Tips
Long but flat: break it into mental segments. Use it to recover your legs before the mountains. Central Ferrara is wonderful by bike: it is Italy's city of bicycles.
Water & supplies
Bars and fountains in Monselice and Rovigo, at mid-stage. The Adige and Po embankments are open and exposed to sun and wind, with 15 km stretches without services. Plenty of mosquitoes along the canals in summer: fill your bottles before leaving town.
Places to stay on this stage
No places listed for this stage yet: the overnight network is a work in progress.
Abbeys on this stage
- Start abbey: Abbazia di Praglia
An amateur, non-profit project. The tracks are indicative: everyone rides independently, at their own risk.