BETWEEN THE ADIGE AND THE HILLS IN ST. ANTHONY'S FOOTSTEPS

STAGE 1

(Rovigo - Padua – 58 km)

This first leg of our itinerary "From the Adige to the foothills" starts in Rovigo and follows the Adige river eastwards until San Martino di Venezze, where it crosses it and starts following the pleasant, clearly sign-posted cycle touring route “From the Euganean Hills to the river Adige” from Anguillara Veneta to Monselice on paved minor roads. From there, you follow “Cammino di Sant’Antonio” along the Battaglia canal, on the eastern edge of the Euganean Hills, through Battaglia Terme and past Montegrotto Terme and Abano, and finally reach Padua. The route can be tackled by all as it is on compact gravel on the bank of the Adige, then wholly paved, with a few unpaved stretches in the last part on entering St. Anthony's city.

From the heart of Rovigo, piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, you pedal along corso del Popolo to piazzale Di Vittorio (km 0.4). Here you take the cycle path, ride under the west ring road and across the station square (km 1.3), then continue north along the tracks until you come to the path on the right bank of the river at the hamlet of Granzette (km 3.9). After crossing the SS16 state road (km 5.2), you continue on the cycle path past the villages of San Martino di Venezze (km 13.5), and cross the bridge on the Adige shortly after (km 14.5). Once on the other side, if you turn right you will quickly get to the village of Anguillara Veneta. However, our itinerary goes down the embankment and on via Roma (km 15.0) heading north-west. At the roundabout (km 15.7), you carry on until the bridge on the Gorzone (km 16.1). On the other side you can see the signs for the cycle touring path “From the Euganean Hills to the river Adige” that tell you to turn left. So you turn into via Nuova (km 16.3), which turns into via Marconi in the municipality of Tribano, and go past the parish church of San Luca Evangelista (km 20.0). At km 20.9 you turn left into via Talpe, then turn right at the intersection (km 21.6). At km 22.1 turn left then right immediately after onto via Argine, which follows a canal for quite a while. Turn right off via Argine at km 25.3, and you soon come to the village of Pozzonovo. At km 27.0, a short distance from the Monumental Well that is the village's main feature, you turn right into via Solco, then (km 27.2) left into via Favaro. At km 28.2 take a right into via Marconi, then right again (km 28.6) into via Marconi and via Deson. You can now start looking at the outline of the Euganean Hills on the horizon, but pay attention when crossing regional road SR304. At the next intersection (km 29.7), take a left and go over motorway A-13, turn right after the flyover (km 30.9), then at the cemetery intersection (km 33.0) carry on in via Costa Calcinara, then left and right into via Ponticello, until you get to the ring road of Monselice (km 34.0), where you carefully take a right, then turn left into via Galilei shortly after. At the next intersection (km 34.6), take a left into via Castello, then, after the roundabout, to via Argine Destro, then turn right and cross the Battaglia canal (km 35.0), then turn immediately left along it, then left again into via Dante (km 35.3), which leads to piazza Mazzini, the small town's very centre. After that, take a left onto via 28 Aprile 1945, and after the roundabout (km 35.7) into viale della Repubblica. At km 36.3 you then cross the Battaglia canal over on its right bank (west side, obviously). You then start pedalling northbound, going through the village of Battaglia Terme (km 41.2) and a little later, past the imposing Catajo castle (km 42.2), after which you will find on the left possible detours for Montegrotto Terme (km 45.5) and Abano Terme, where there is a convenient railway station (km 48.6). Finally you arrive at the south gate of Padua in Bassanello (km 53.8): at the Battaglia canal offtake from the Bacchiglione river, you cross the canal on a cycle and foot bridge, then cross over to the left immediately after onto the right bank of the Bacchiglione, going under a road bridge (km 54.1). Shortly after that you cross the river on a fine blue cycle and foot bridge (km 54.3), after which you turn right and ride along the left bank, popular with the Paduans for a stroll or a jog, and ride along until the junction for the centre of town (km 55.4). Use the cycle and foot underpass onto via d’Acquapendente. After the roundabout with via Manzoni, you go through the ramparts, then at the next junction (km 56.4), you take a right in via Sanmicheli until the junction with via Cavazzana (km 56.8), where you turn left and come out on the beautiful Prato della Valle (km 57.1) then, after turning right at the end of via Belludi (km 57.5), you arrive at the Basilica of Sant'Antonio, centre of worldwide worship, which we may well consider the heart of the city of Padua.

Possible detours

• From Rovigo you can get to the Po at Guarda Veneta in about 15 km along regional itinerary I-3 “Via del Mare”, leaving town on the delightful Adigetto cycle path.

• The stretch between Monselice and Abano is also shared by the Euganean Hills Loop, described here as itinerary RV10.

• As you enter Padua, you will cross stage 3 of the AIDA cycle path (RV2) from Vicenza.

• The end part of the route leading into the centre of Padua belongs to the city's enchanting pedestrian and cycle circuit on river and canal banks, called “Anello Fluviale”, the River Loop.