Accesssible trail: Riding the Sun Route on a tandem

Below is a description of one of the accessible versions of the Sun Route.

The route starts in Piazza Maggiore in Bologna before leading out of the city into the territory of Anzola dell’Emilia, where the provisional section of the Sun Route begins. From Lavino di Mezzo a section of the actual cycle route begins, covering the first kilometres along roads with a low vehicular impact and a few short stretches of dedicated cycle track, passing through the small hamlet of Sacerno – near the Cippo del Triumvirato (the Triumvirate memorial stone) – and then the hamlet of Tavernelle. At this town, some safe cycle paths extend to the station of Osteria Nuova and the junction with a segment of the proper Sun Route.

The landscape surrounding the cycle route is typical of the Emilian flatlands, where fields planted with cereal crops are interspersed with the mighty banks of streams that protect the countryside from flooding during the wettest periods. The route along the section of the former railway is enjoyable, completely accessible, and fun as it alternates a few short climbs with descents that restore your breath (any physical effort only involves climbing up and down the embankments, so the gradients are modest and suitable for everyone).

A few kilometres ahead of San Giovanni in Persiceto, we leave the path of the old railway and enter quiet country roads to the Ecological Rebalancing Area ‘La Bora’, established by the municipality of San Giovanni in Persiceto in 1990 and characterised by a water reservoir of about 8 hectares deriving from the excavation of clay up to the end of the 1970s. This large quarry basin is up to ten metres deep, fed by rainwater and the water table intercepted during excavation. The main attraction of the Bora is represented by birdlife, indisputably one of the most easily observed animals in the area. Indeed, throughout the seasons it is possible to witness different species visiting the protected area: some to breed, some to rest during their migratory passes, and others to feed.

From here, we continue along dedicated cycle paths to the historic centre of San Giovanni in Persiceto, where we briefly leave the Sun Route and take a few special segments to Piazza del Popolo (watch out for road crossings). Half a circuit of the city centre ring road will take us back to the Sun Route in a few hundred metres, which we retrace back to the starting point of the itinerary.

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