THE CYCLE ROUTE FROM NORTHERN EUROPE TO THE ADRIATIC SEA

STAGE 4

(Rovigo - River mouth in Rosolina Mare, 57 km)

The fourth and last part of the Adige cycle path in the Veneto, all in the Polesine area except a short section in the province of Venice, starts in Rovigo and crosses over again to the right river bank, and follows it until its mouth in Rosolina Mare. The surface is mostly compact gravel, although improvement works are scheduled to begin soon here as well. By now, the Adige flows languidly, and the cycle path continues following it until its mouth, as the proximity of the sea gets more and more apparent in the landscape. The most significant town you go past on the route is Venetian Cavarzere, whose history dates back to before the Roman period. Just before the river mouth, you cross the main Green Tour loop (stage GT3 Chioggia-Adria) and you can easily reach Chioggia and Venice in one direction, the Rosolina Valli (fish reserves) and the Po Delta in the other.

From the heart of Rovigo, piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, you head towards the right bank of the Adige again, along corso del Popolo and 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, from which you can glimpse Anguillara Veneta on the opposite bank) and Pettorazza Grimani (km 23.3), which are just below the embankment. Shortly after that, take a cycle path that takes you into Cavarzere (served by the Adria-Mestre railway line) and to the town centre and Town hall (km 32.9), next to which is a tall pillar topped by the Lion of Saint Mark. Continue along the embankment, and the cycle path soon turns into a straight provincial thoroughfare, then into a municipal street at the junction to Loreo (km 43.9), going under the SS 509 Romea state road (km 48.1). The next section is shared with stage GT3 of the main Green Tour loop until the junction to via delle Valli (km 51.0), where you continue on your way along the Adige. The river is now very close to its mouth, and the landscape starts looking different as we come close to the coast, with more and more reed beds. At km 54.0 you leave the segregated unsurfaced path and start riding on a paved road, and at the next junction (km 54.8), instead of turning right to the centre of Rosolina Mare, you turn left towards the river mouth. After the last pleasant stretch shaded by a thick pine forest, almost foreshadowing the grand finale, you come to a parking lot (km 56.7). Here starts a dirt track, just few hundred metres long, that finally leads to the mouth of the Adige (km 57.3), where you can climb the spiral staircase of a spectacular metal tower to fully take in the view. Our long journey along the river Adige has ended.

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.

• Just after Pettorazza Grimani (km 27.5) you can leave the embankment path of the Adige and get to Adria in about 12 km on minor roads through Fasana Polesine and Orticelli.

• The section between the junction with the bridge of SS 509 Romea state road and the crossing with via delle Valli (km 51.0) is shared with stage GT3 Chioggia-Adria of the main Green Tour loop, and as we said before you can easily reach Chioggia and Venice in one direction, the Rosolina Valli (fish reserves) and the Po Delta in the other.