Join me for an unforgettable summer ride as I leave the historic city of Piacenza, located in northern Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, and climb all the way up to the stunning Passo Santa Franca (1276m). This ride takes you through some of the most scenic and lesser-known cycling routes in the Apennine foothills, on a sunny and scorching June day.
📍 Route Overview:
✅ Departure from Piacenza
✅ Through Carpaneto Piacentino and the green hills of Val Chero
✅ Pass by the archaeological site of Veleia Romana – a once-thriving Roman settlement
✅ Up via Passo Guselli, and final push to Passo Santa Franca (1,270m elevation)
✅ Descent to Groppallo and Farini in Val Nure
✅ Return loop back to Piacenza
🌄 About the Region:
Piacenza is known for its Roman heritage, charming city center, and as a gateway to the Apennine valleys. Val Chero offers rolling hills and agricultural landscapes, perfect for a scenic warm-up. Veleia Romana, nestled among the hills, was a Roman municipium with baths, a basilica, and a forum — often called the “Pompeii of northern Italy.” Val Nure becomes increasingly wild and mountainous — ideal for cyclists looking for a long, rewarding climb with panoramic views.
👇 Let me know in the comments if you’ve ridden this route or plan to!
👍 Like & Subscribe for more European cycling adventures.
———————–
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/when_in_doubt_cycle/
Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/86551840
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PaoloTagliaferri
———————–
0:00 – Intro
4:31 – Ascent to Veleia Romana
14:18 – Passo Guselli
22:05 – Ascent to Passo Santa Franca
34:42 – Groppallo
48:46 – Farini
56:07 – Back in Piacenza
perfect departure before 8 from Piacenza we are going towards Val d’Arda and it’s already 25° [Applause] and you don’t joke with the sun in June we will definitely go here or from 30 188 kmh it seems not bad for this time in the morning let’s see if we can also get the green thanks to this supersonic speed the idea today would be to go towards Passo Guselli and in reality then I would like to go up to Paso Santa Franca where I have never been but we will also see my condition especially the fact that I am not acclimatized to this heat it has been a light week I also fell in England but fortunately it’s a small thing recently nothing happened because of the infamous potholes on English roads I ended up in the ferns and I was saved so let’s hope today to stay on my feet and nothing [Music] I decided to go up from the Veleie road let’s see a bit I have never done this up to Passo Buselli I did it mainly to go to the Provincial Park it is a beautiful area of the park Yes of the Piacenza province instead here all the fields are almost ready for the harvest a very beautiful area full of vineyards among other things they make excellent wine here even if I haven’t been drinking it lately I recommend it here is the road in short it could be better but mindful of the experience of a few days ago let’s be a little more careful it’s very hot let’s try to find a fountain otherwise there’s trouble here we are almost towards Veleia there’s still a bit of heat missing okay at least here there are some parts in the shade you can go a little better but yes it’s crazy muggy you ca n’t even see the mountains you can’t see them but we go anyway and nothing like that out of nowhere I found myself in front of a nice wall at 10% to go up to Veleia I absolutely didn’t remember this road I had done it when I was in elementary school and not on a bike famous trips to Roman Veleia to see the remains of the thermal baths thinking of going to the thermal baths now with this heat unless there is the famous frigidarium not even paying me here we are 400 m I have to get to about I think 1000 for the Guselli pass then there is also Passo Santa Franca which I have never been I think you can get up to 10000 maybe 100 before but you have to not melt here and above all I really hope to find a fountain because otherwise I will stop at a bar I still have water but I think this water bottle in the middle will finish quickly one of the positive things about this Valchero is that the traffic even if it is still early but compared to the other valleys here you can really enjoy the ride there are few cars roads with little traffic every time I come here it seems we are already in Velleia so then from here I should go up to Passo Cuselli the only one the only side that I had not done yet for this I passed here apparently there was also a nice little march a couple of days ago [Musica] it is not for me I do not think my knees would be able to cope with the bike instead for now touching wood it has not given me any problems here the entrance to the park here on the left I do not even know if you can see anything honestly at least there is a bit of shade that the sun will start to shine as we go forward in the morning hit more than anything the humidity there is really a haze not a little precisely because yes classic summer heat here we are practically under the provincial park June 22nd next week there is something eh this is the road does not want to give up I survived the Veleia wall that I didn’t even know existed but oh well eh nice heat but little traffic the legs are turning today so at least that is important here it is a bit of a rise in the shadow but at least now it is a regular pace for now I think that the tear was mainly there anyway I am already at 550 m there is still some to climb it is precisely this road I do not know the reason why I came here at least let’s see something new normally I passed on the other side of the Valchero namely Gropparello then Groppo Visdomo I mean I remember the names more here it opens up a bit let’s see if we can see something but I saw some cyclists not many one who was probably already returning intelligently he will have left at 5:00 in the morning with the cool and not like me after all last night with the delayed flight and everything I had dinner late went to bed late so this morning I couldn’t get up at 5 where I have to go I don’t know here in front is Monte Moria with the park you can see all that green forest up there okay let’s see what concert there should be the Guselli pass now I’m keeping a very slow pace because it’s really hot at least we don’t tire the heart ah here it’s flattening out it should also go up a little bit more but by now 830 m more or less there should be anyway nice area this very green in here it’s cool here is the Guselli pass this is the sign of the crossroads so it should be here in front uh what a sweat despite the light pace I really sweated a lot now let’s see if I can also do the Santa Franca pass then however I have to go down from Valnure eh I don’t know if we find a fountain bye [Music] well it was a nice climb I have to say the other one is nice too but they are all three nice I was passing by Morfasso for that fountain I definitely saw one while I was climbing but who knows what’s on top it’s a nice pasture of cows that pee in it and whatnot yes it’s a nice nice ride come here calm few cars in the middle of the woods above all few cars is the most important thing ah now here we arrive at Prato Barbieri and on the left there should be a road that takes me to the other pass I don’t know if there’s a fountain there’s a bar but at this point I’d go straight maybe I’ll see if I find it on the back of the head and see where that bike goes down bye bye yes this way 1322 bye and well let’s go this way too I have to stop to eat something okay let’s move on here look it’s stopped [Applause] tighten these shoes a bit maybe not uphill so from here it’s another 400 m and well let’s go back under this sun here a little bit of water here that went down my throat okay and I’ve never been here if it wasn’t so hot I’d also go to Bardi but then from Bardi I’d need a helicopter to go back now I’ll be back with the midday sun it’s also past time to eat something well let’s go slowly eh this one is up the Passo Santa Franca let’s discover new places my legs are turning the bike go let’s see a bit there were some nurseries yes there’s a crazy haze of sultry weather but I haven’t been much this week so my legs can handle it for now [Applause] [Applause] [Music] eh that there’s a little bit of haze because at least it takes away a bit of rays but on this side the sign said over there but on that side it seemed a bit Now I have to look let’s try a bit over here let’s see where it goes eh I’m not the only crazy one who challenges the heat it should be about 1 km long road really in the middle of nowhere a fountain there hi if there are mushrooms here I’m sure not now but further on anyway these pieces go beyond 10% the rest should still be about 150 m more or less of uphill eh I’d say we’re at the pass if it’s not here hello you can see that I’ve already passed it but there wasn’t even a strange sign here we’re going down unless there’s a little surprise with another uphill it seems to me that we’re going down and no more downhill than this here I should get to grare groppallo hello eh yes I’d say I did it seemed hello less I dry myself a bit apparently there’s a nice hairpin bend here I’ve never done this road in my life so I have to go slowly because I have no idea what’s there stondol never heard of it ah I only hope to find a fountain because a water bottle is gone but I could have also drunk the other one I saw that I only have that one I should have put a third one in the backpack which I will have to do for a couple of weeks also 1 kg more of water that I have lost a few kilos so it will compensate if I take off the backpack I become little oh dogata that pogata where the hell are we going now I imagine we are going down eh yes valnure you can’t see anything full of fog still there foski at this point look at the brakes they will be cooking now if I don’t know the road there is not good visibility and I also see a lot of gravel on the shoulder so I hope that these brakes don’t explode this heat however eh that is that do it in front yes the main road yes here now we go to Gropallo eh nice climb also this we also did it in Santa Franca here now it’s all quite flat up to Gropallo then there is another nice descent with the Groppallo with the church and the antennas here I passed the December 31, 2024 when I went to Bardi with a splendid day colder than today there was ice now we are dying of heat anyway let’s move on guys we found the fountain here with the ball here now at least I’m full of water I have all the time to go back and not die dehydrated this was done by the Alpine troops apparently 1982 a year younger than me well we start again well now there is a nice descent I only did this uphill with ice let’s hope it is more aggreable there are some nice hairpin bends on this one too you have to be careful I don’t lean because I have already ended up on the asphalt a couple of times and I would like to avoid repeating the experience there is a lot I see a lot of gravel even if I have to say that these tires especially with this heat should be quite glued you see full of gravel look at that stuff this is exactly what makes you fall a lot of gravel I don’t know why eh yes more or less 6 months ago I did this climb in a landscape there must have been minus 3° it was all in the shade it was early it must have been in the morning not even to go in Bardi now then when I get down from Farini there is still a good stretch to go back to Piacenza I would be undecided whether to do another one Hi do another climb and that is very long then I get home plus and then I would like to avoid Valtrebbia because one is Saturday and already Valnure will be clogged with people let’s not talk about Val Trebbia lately then it is full of traffic lights so I will probably go down into Vallure headed to Piacenza let’s see for sure on foot I could do it again but also for the heat I wouldn’t want to I am not yet acclimatized some good ugly stretches on this road here they are all hairpin bends one after the other in fact this is a road by car if one suffers the mountain yes there are these parts with gravel that I don’t like so I don’t want to bend them at least I have time to let the brakes cool I hope here there is a landslide among other things in front of me another slope also quite big maybe here you can see better I can’t see it there anymore oh well let’s look which road goes hi ah that here there is a fara They are gradients of temperature it seems like diving into a bathtub going down from there to the top now I’m going back to the heat and the mugginess it was hot there too let alone in the valley yes the temperature is definitely increasing every curve I make wow it will be fun to go back to Piacenza at least I filled the water bottles with fresh water hoping it’s good but it’s a village fountain damn all like this this road one curve after another there it is the landslide here in front now you could see it better [Music] hello even with the bosses it was going up he must have done the shopping I must say I’m getting quite hungry even more reason why it’s better not to do another climb apart from the fact that there are already a few small hills even just to go back to Bettola it’s nothing special though hi you can clearly see the landslide that came down half a mountain there ah ah these little holes yes I’m really getting hungry stop a briוש problems with the motorbike here a race again and here Valnure road now we’re arriving at Farini almost almost hello yes it’s really hot here [Music] here on the left there would be another climb quite interesting done as a descent but I repeat let’s do something with the motorbikes you can see here now unfortunately go back to the traffic here you can see the whole valley very beautiful this piece of Valnure here you can’t see it with the trees but here there are all the steep mountains here on the right the very impervious area here I know this road by heart I know how many times I’ve done it not so much by bike by bike a couple of times I’d say I’ve learned to drive on this road yes it’s very hot now down here it’s no joke hi you arrive at Ponte dell’olio hot oil constantly increasing I did well not to go any further because I would have done a climb under the sun more then I’ll go back at least this way I should arrive before 1 I hope it’s 4 almost hours there will be about twenty kilometers from here yes I would say that as a first ride in the AFA it’s not bad ah more than anything my ass ah I should put a saddle like the one I have in England with the hole and make a nice upgrade this bike would need perhaps the saddle and surely if I put a nice pair of carbon rims instead of these it would help me a bit now there will be the probably warmest part from here to Piacenza at least I don’t lack water probably the last shade that I will find from here to Piacenza it will probably be all in the sun I must say that today I kept a fairly gentle pace I hope I haven’t tired myself too much I would like to go tomorrow too end probably I will do a 110 km to see so I’m at 901 now there are 18 more or less here good in the meantime greetings Ponte dell’olio and we’ll move on giga heat increases continuously really I did the right thing not to continue because I would have had to stop under a tree luckily I found water let’s see what this thermometer shows -60 okay more or less a few degrees more a few degrees less [Applause] eh this is the industrial area so I’ll spare you the crazy thing but at least I’ve arrived that’s the last climb [Applause] overpass that I normally sprint but this time it’s too hot so let’s go up a little slowly and the devil of sprint because my legs are really cooked for some reason I’m not used to this temperature ah here’s the end of the climbs now I just have to coast to home it’s not that far now I’ll arrive even at a decent time for lunch without making people wait ah that’s Yes It was already clear that he wasn’t capable of driving that he turned off the car ah because there’s Osso cursed ah let’s take advantage of it to drink a bit but now the temperature is really hot eh ah no if it had been cooler I would have stayed out longer let’s see what the Piacenza traffic has in store for me let’s hope it’s nothing major this is hot my feet are also swollen and the stairs are a bit too narrow mum mum what a heat I don’t know how many 32° minimum [Music] 110 km not bad 1300 m of climbing ah this road passed through the scooter not on the bike many years ago and to the Galleana stage ah ah this is my driving school and nothing I came back crazy hot today but I discovered a new step so see you next time and thanks for looking