The best traffic-free bike rides around Casalbuttano Ed Uniti

Pure Gravel ride. With mixed stretches on asphalt to relax a bit. Alternating shade and sun, but I think mid-season is preferable. The stretch of Verolavecchia and Verolanuova is beautiful, with its architectural features. There are fun climbs and descents, for which, however, it's better to have good brakes (as always).

The Naviglio Civico di Cremona is a historic artificial canal of about 57 km (reaching over 75 km considering the underground section "Cremonella" and the final stretch into the Po River), built in 1337 for irrigation purposes and still fundamental for agriculture today. It crosses the province from north to south, connecting the Oglio river to the city, characterized by a landscape rich in biodiversity, ancient farmhouses, and a cycle path.

Cremona's "Annicco Boat": The Annichetta. This imposing 37-meter-long reinforced concrete structure, shaped like a ship, has served as the symbol and calling card of the municipality of Annicco (Cremona) for over 60 years. Originally built in 1962 as a cattle stable by Milanese industrialist Osvaldo Bottini, who wanted to create a unique and recognizable building for his farmhouse, it is now a local icon.

This brick tower, approximately 40 meters tall, is the bell tower of the ancient Romanesque church of Santa Maria della Neve, now lost. It is known as the Torre della Norma and is the historical symbol of Casalbuttano. Dating back to the 12th century, it retains the sober and massive appearance typical of medieval Lombard architecture. As you climb into the village, you immediately notice its imposing presence: a visual landmark that tells the story of the long history of this agricultural village in the Cremona plain.

The trail, which runs alongside the Canale Civico Cremonese, is straight and uneven, running through fields and rows of vines on a dirt surface. Stable and even, it's a perfect stretch for gravel and touring bikes.

Very beautiful, almost entirely shaded and cool. In some places, the vegetation is very lush, but there are alternative routes. As always, there are the inevitable fallen tree trunks along the way. One in particular is 15 cm in diameter, but you can climb over it. Have a good trip!

The hydraulic junction of the Tombe Morte-Tredici Ponti constitutes the most important concentration of artificial waterways in the province of Cremona, irrigating approximately 85,000 hectares of countryside. Here the Naviglio Civico di Cremona, the Naviglio Grande Pallavicino and the Canale Vacchelli intersect, the latter pouring almost all of its flow into the Naviglio Pallavicino, the Naviglio Civico and a dozen irrigation ditches through an impressive system of locks. Finally, a spillway, built between 1968 and 1981, detaches from the junction, which discharges any excess flow from the Naviglio Civico, the Naviglio Pallavicino and the Vacchelli into the Oglio river. Two different hypotheses have been made regarding the origin of the name, the first would originate from the term tomba which is synonymous with siphon, a hydraulic element that connects two conduits. Probably some of these artifacts would have fallen into disuse, hence the adjective death. Another hypothesis is linked to the discovery of several dozen burials dating back to the late Roman era.

The intersection of these channels is very suggestive