Stage 3 · Vercelli → Staffarda
- Distance
- 183 km
- Elevation gain
- 260 m D+
- Suggested days
- 2
- Difficulty
- Challenging
- Surface
- 82% asphalt, 18% gravel · 52% on cycle routes
- Terrain
- Cuneo Plain, Monviso view
- Hospitality
- Hotels and B&Bs
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 Vercelli → Staffarda: 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 crossing of the Piedmont plain from Vercelli towards the Saluzzo area, with the profile of Monviso growing on the horizon with every kilometre. The route follows quiet farm roads between rice fields, orchards and farmsteads to the great Cistercian abbey of Staffarda.
Notes from the road
A long, flat stage, a headwind weighs more than the distance on the open plain, especially in the afternoon. Fountains exist between villages but need hunting for, better keep both bottles full. Splitting it at Racconigi makes sense: the town has a station and a castle. Near Staffarda a hostel gives cyclists a discount. Monviso sits on the horizon for hours, never drawing closer.
What to see
Basilica of Sant'Andrea in Vercelli, rice fields and farmsteads of the plain, orchards of the Saluzzese, views of Monviso, Abbazia di Staffarda with its cloister and medieval covered market
Where to sleep
Foresteria Abbazia di Staffarda (50-70€); B&B in Revello (60-80€); agriturismo of the Saluzzese (55-75€)
Where to eat
Tajarin (egg pasta), beef braised in red wine, Saluzzese cheeses, peaches and apricots from Lagnasco
Tips
A very long stage, 183 km, almost entirely flat but exposed to the wind. Few fountains between villages: carry water. Staffarda deserves at least an hour's visit. On the real track it is 183 km and 260 m of climbing: better over two days, stopping at Torino (around km 90).
Water & supplies
Full services at Vercelli at the start, then farms and villages with fountains at regular intervals; bars in the towns halfway through. Long straight roads exposed to sun and wind, with little shade: two bottles in summer. Almost no climbing, but a headwind can still wear you down.
Places to stay on this stage
- Ostello del Pohostel
Località Paracollo 29, Saluzzo (CN)- Price:
- n/a
- Open:
- year-round, booking required (tel. 0175 291225)
- Facilities:
- 25 beds, suited to cyclists and trekkers
- Source:
- parks.it (Parco del Monviso)
Monviso Park stage lodging on the Po, ~6 km from Staffarda Abbey.
Abbeys on this stage
- Finish abbey: Abbazia di Staffarda
An amateur, non-profit project. The tracks are indicative: everyone rides independently, at their own risk.