A Full Day Across Monferrato
Bric del Vento
The ridge start. An early departure is essential — ideally before 8 am in summer. The opening kilometres sweep south-west towards Cortanze, giving you a fast, confidence-building start on good tarmac. Take in the panorama before you drop — the Alps are clearest in early morning light.
Cortanze
The first proper stop and a familiar face if you have ridden Route 1. Cortanze's medieval castle is the ideal first break — bar, belvedere, castle walls. Enjoy the cafe here because the next convenient stop for coffee is Frinco, nearly 30 km away.
Montechiaro d'Asti
The largest town on the route. Here you stock up — alimentari, a bakery and a small pharmacy in the town centre. The route departs southward on a quiet provincial road; within 3 km you will see the unmistakable red shape of Big Bench #69 appearing on the hillside to your left.
Big Bench #69
One of the most celebrated Big Bench installations in Monferrato. The bench — painted in classic Big Bench red — is 2 metres high and 5 metres wide, positioned on a south-facing vineyard slope. Sitting on it at human scale you feel briefly like a child in an oversized world. Allow at least 20-30 minutes here.
Villa San Secondo
A wine village with a large medieval church and an outsized reputation for its Freisa d'Asti — a sparkling, lightly tannic red that tastes like raspberry and earth. The church of San Secondo contains a remarkable carved wooden choir. The terrain drops through tight vineyard switchbacks before levelling onto the valley floor.
Corsione
A hamlet of barely a few hundred people in a quiet cleft between vine-covered ridges. The riding through Corsione is some of the most pleasant of the day — a narrow lane flanked by old stone walls, hazel and wild rose. Use this stretch to eat, drink and recover before the long climb to Frinco.
Frinco
Frinco is the biggest village on the southern arc and home to one of the most spectacular panoramic positions in the entire Asti province. The hilltop town looks north across an almost unbroken carpet of vineyard to the Alps. A bar, small trattoria and a public fountain — everything you need before the final push to Big Bench #359.
Big Bench #359 — Frinco
The second and final Big Bench. #359 at Frinco faces directly towards the Alps. On a clear day you can pick out Monte Rosa (4,634 m), the Matterhorn, and on exceptional days Mont Blanc. A different colour from #69, this is the natural high point — emotionally if not geographically — of the entire ride.
Return to Bric del Vento
The return leg from Frinco sweeps north through quieter backroads and gentle ridge paths, gradually climbing back towards the main Monferrato crest. Old farmsteads, hazel woods, a few short steep ramps. When the familiar silhouette of the Bric del Vento ridge appears, you have completed one of the finest cycling loops in the Asti province.