Detailed directions about the route can be obtained from the altimetry (last figure of the gallery), from the captions of the individual photos and from the "Google Map" at the bottom right, which can be enlarged as desired. Double clicking on the photos you can view them at the highest resolution.
Description of the route
The Ciclopista del Mincio [Mincio bicycle route], certainly one of the best of the Italian bike routes, offers several alternatives. This latest addition, which takes you to Volta Mantovana, was created in 2008 with the completion of a bike and pedestrian bridge over the Mincio near Pozzolo, a bridge that finally allows one to reach this village perched high on a hill over 100 meters/330 feet above sea level (asl).
The starting point and the first part of this route coincide with the main Mantova-Peschiera route.
Shortly after Pozzolo, on the left, you will find a bike and pedestrian bridge with directional signage for Volta Mantovana and traveler information about the town.
Taking the bridge, you continue with some uphill climbs to a series of unpaved ramps that lead to a small road between farm fields; you continue on this small road until you reach the piazza in the village of Volta (95 meters/312 feet asl). It is worth the extra climb up to the Piazzale della Chiesa Madre (115 meters/377 feet asl) from where there is a nice view over the surrounding plain.
Near the main piazza is the bell tower, which is the most visible monument of the village. In Volta there is also a (*)Gonzaga palazzo with a beautiful Italian garden.
To return to the Ciclopista del Mincio, there are two possibilities: a) turn around and go back the way you came and go over the bike and pedestrian bridge at Pozzolo; b) or, from the center of Volta take Viale del Risorgimento that quickly becomes Strada Volta Valeggio; this is a conventional road, not a bike path, but the traffic is very low and this route shortens the travel distance and passes through a scenic area; the road is almost all downhill and finally merges with Strada Viscontea, which you follow for about two kilometers, after which you will find, on the right, a spur to Borghetto sul Mincio, where you can reconnect with the main bike route.
After Borghetto the route coincides, again, with the main route to Peschiera del Garda.
Less famous, perhaps, than their Shakespearean counterparts – the Montagues and the Capulets – during the middle ages, the Scaligeri family ruled Verona and Vicenza while the rival Gonzaga family ruled Mantua.
