Some itineraries are remembered for the views. Others for the silence that accompanies them. The route through the Prunetto Castle area manages to combine both, following secondary roads, dirt tracks, and trails that weave through woods, small villages, and ridges overlooking the Bormida Valley.
It's a route that lends itself to different ways of experiencing cycling. MTB enthusiasts will find trails immersed in nature and more dynamic sections; gravel bikers can alternate between dirt roads and less-trafficked asphalt; with an eBike, however, even the elevation gains become an opportunity to explore at your own pace, dedicating more time to stops and discovering the area.
The landscape always remains the protagonist.
Prunetto Castle accompanies the route like a landmark, rising above the trees and recalling the long history of these hills. All around, the forest changes with the seasons, hazelnut groves line the slopes, and traffic-free roads follow one another, inviting a natural pedaling experience.
The itinerary can be tackled in a few hours or become the unifying theme of an entire day. A stop in a village, lunch in a trattoria, a visit to a historic building, or simply the time needed to admire the landscape transform each outing into something different. There's no right pace. Everyone creates their own.
Cycling in the Prunetto area, you discover a Bormida Valley made up of details: a road disappearing into the woods, a chapel along the way, the outline of the hills that opens up after a climb, the silence that accompanies every descent. Small moments that, one after the other, build the memory of the trip.
Here, the bicycle isn't there to get there faster. It's there to stop when the scenery warrants it.
