In the small town of Calendasco you can see the place where the ancient European pilgrims crossed the river Po to continue their journey to Rome. This was the only river crossing on the medieval Via Francigena.

The ford is in the hamlet of Soprarivo. Once here, you can’t resist taking a selfie next to the stele (a small stone column) that commemorates the time when Sigerico, the Bishop of Canterbury, waded across the Po in 990.
Would you believe that you can still have the same experience today? In Soprarivo there is a ferry service from one side of the Po to the other.

→ 27 km from previous stage

Continue along the Piacenza bank of the river until you come to Isola de Pinedo.
It is a hidden place, like a jewel. To get there, you can start from the hamlet of Zerbio in the municipality of Caorso (13 km from Piacenza).
After a short drive, you will have to park your car, because the last stretch is only accessible on foot.
This is how you get to this quiet, protected area. The Isola de Pinedo is located in an abandoned arm of the river.
Over time, it has become a natural wetland, and today it is an absolutely enchanting sight: willows, reeds, ancient oaks, freshwater mirrors, herons and gulls. The realm of bird watching.

→ 18 km from previous stage

Everyone has probably heard of Busseto because it is the birthplace of Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), the world’s most famous opera composer.
No wonder, then, that everything in the town is dedicated to the Maestro: from the bronze statue in the main square to the historic theatre and the Casa Barezzi museum.

The villa where little Giuseppe was born still exists and can be visited: it is in the hamlet of Roncole.
In any case, Busseto is a charming historical town well worth a visit.
Suffice it to say that it has been awarded the Orange Flag by the Italian Touring Club.
(The Orange Flag is a tourist quality mark awarded to small towns in the hinterland that stand out for the quality of their services and hospitality).

→ 6.3 km from previous stage

It’s not every day that you see a fortified castle (1320) between the water and the trees on the banks of the Po. For this reason, Polesine Parmense is worth a stop to enjoy a unique view of the river landscape.

This is the world of star chef Massimo Spigaroli and his Antica Corte Pallavicina restaurant (1 Michelin star). Here you can learn how to make pasta and salumi.
Take a guided tour of the castle and farm. Smell the aromas of salumi at the Culatello Museum.
Outside, peacocks roam the garden, while ancient breeds such as the black pigs graze nearby.

→ 11 km from previous stage

Your journey along the river will now take you to another castle: Roccabianca. And since, as you know, every castle has a romantic story to tell, Roccabianca has a special one.
The castle was built in the mid-1400s by the nobleman Pier Maria Rossi: it was a gift for his beautiful and beloved noblewoman Bianca Pellegrini. Hence the name Roccabianca.

Theirs was a truly passionate love that lasted a lifetime. The story of their love ran parallel to the official wedding (decreed for political reasons) between him and Antonia Torelli.
Loyalty, love, devotion, and patience are the virtues depicted in the cycles frescoed inside the building. Roccabianca was called the castle of lovers.

Rare liqueurs, spirits and balsamic vinegar are also produced here: they are on display in the Distillery Museum in the old cellars.
Just 10 kilometers inland, there is another manor owned by the same Rossi family: the Renaissance Castle of San Secondo.

→ 18 km from previous stage

There is a reason why the Royal Palace of Colorno (early eighteenth century) – just outside Parma – is called “The Little Versailles”. If you are wondering which one it is, just go there and you will understand in a second.

It was the magnificent palace of Maria Luigia of Austria (ex-wife of Napoleon), Duchess of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla.
Baroque style, over 400 rooms, frescoes, courtyards, staircases and fountains.
It is also home to the Alma school of haute cuisine.

→ 16 km from previous stage

The village of Brescello is the setting for the popular films Peppone and Don Camillo, the beloved characters of the Italian writer Giovannino Guareschi.
The story is about a pugnacious village priest whose confrontation with his adversary, the local communist mayor Peppone, creates humorous short stories.

The writer Giovannino Guareschi used to say that Brescello is a small world of warm people, good food and river landscapes.
The Don Camillo and Peppone Museum exhibits many curiosities.

→ 4.7 km from previous stage

A beautiful river port is the next stop on your tour. The village is Boretto: its port has been very important since Roman times. Cruises, boats and motorboats (such as Padus and Stradivari) leave from here.

You can take your bike on board, get off at the village of Guastalla and return to Boretto along the cycle path that runs along the river, surrounded by water, woods and reeds (11 km long). Bikes and MTBs can be hired in Boretto.

→ 7.1 km from previous stage

Gualtieri is another noble village on the coast. You can walk among rows of poplar trees and smell the aroma of fried dumplings and soft salami.
The most amazing sight is Piazza Bentivoglio, surrounded by a series of porticoes.

Visit the Museum dedicated to the naive painter Antonio Ligabue, with his colorful paintings populated by fantastic animals.

About 5 km away, in the hamlet of Santa Vittoria, there is a curious building: the XVII century Palazzo Greppi. It has a façade 145 metres long that runs along the road.

→ 3.5 km from previous stage

The glorious past of the small town of Guastalla is still alive in its buildings, churches and porticoes.
Guastalla was the seat of the Gonzaga dynasty between 1575 and 1630.
The protagonists of the square are the statue of Ferrante Gonzaga and the sixteenth-century cathedral, recently illuminated by a new sophisticated lighting system.

In summer, the Lido Po, the beach by the river, is a popular destination.

From Guastalla you can easily reach Luzzara by bike (2 km flat), the town of the scenographer, writer, poet and painter Cesare Zavattini (1902-1989).
Here you will find the National Museum of the Naive Arts, housed in the 15th century convent of the Augustinian monks.