Accessible trail: Riding the Ciclovia del Navile on a tandem

A description will be presented here of the tandem-accessible version of the Ciclovia del Navile, a cycle path along the Navile Canal, the ancient waterway that connected the city of Bologna with the surrounding countryside.

The route for cyclists and tandem bikers sets off from the free car park inside the Park of Villa Angeletti in Bologna; on a dedicated path, you will cross the grounds and enter (watch out for road crossings) the actual Navile cycle path.
We will be pedalling on asphalt stretches, cycle paths, dirt and beaten earth tracks, so we recommend proceeding with caution, respecting other travellers on the cycle path.
We keep cycling alongside the Navile Canal on dirt and beaten-earth stretches as far as the locality of Castello, near the remains of the ancient Sostegno di Castagnolo Maggiore, built by Ercole Bentivoglio in 1497. Starting in the 19th century, the village developed into an important centre of manufacturing activities under the initiative of the Pizzardi family. The hamlet of Molini Novi, now ‘Castello’, has indeed undergone considerable transformations over the last three centuries: from former agricultural land dotted with mills, it changed into a major industrial centre in the early 19th century.

The route then runs along cemented or asphalted stretches as far as the traffic light crossing of Via Saliceto. Shortly afterwards a brief detour on asphalt and dirt road will lead through the hamlet of San Marino di Bentivoglio, home to Villa Smeraldi and Cooperativa Anima (which runs a restaurant that employs people with cognitive disabilities) and the Museum of Rural Life. Afterwards, you will again have to cross Via Saliceto (another set of traffic lights makes the operation safe) to get onto some stretches of dirt road towards Bentivoglio.

The tour ends at Oasi la Rizza, a protected natural area within the former rice-fields of Bentivoglio, located in the northern part of Bentivoglio’s municipal territory and set in that portion of the lowlands recently affected by rice cultivation. Leading to the Oasis is a stretch of embankment bordering the Navile Canal ( sometimes with tall grass) and some dirt roads.

The journey back to Bologna will follow the same route as the outward leg, with the exception of a stretch of dirt road that allows you to avoid the grassy embankment travelled earlier on the way back.

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