Once, the areas dedicated to vineyards in Lombardia were larger than today, but the region still plays an important role in the world of wine. Wine tourism is especially present in the Franciacorta territory, where high quality sparklers are produced and five new Wine and Bike itineraries have been created, winding for about 80 km, among wineries, vineyards and villages. From Lake Iseo to the outskirts of Brescia, bikers can enjoy beautiful landscapes and local specialty foods, admire an abbey or a castle, visit a wine cellar or a producer of extra-virgin olive oil. One of the many interesting historical sites in the Franciacorta area, is Erbusco, with its Celtic, Etruscan, Roman, Frankish archeological findings, now kept in the Civic Museums of Brescia. The Franciacorta Docg wine, an elegant sparkler, is the symbol of the territory. Other wines are the white and red Curtefranca Doc and the Sebino Igt. The Valtellina wine zone, in the province of Sondrio, is a territory defined by terraced vineyards, on steep, high-altitude slopes stretching, for about forty km, along the Adda River.
A spectacular landscape of terraced vineyards of the Valtellina, in the province of Sondrio
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Here the star vine variety is nebbiolo (locally called chiavennasca), from which great red wines are obtained, such as the Valtellina Superiore and the mythical Sforzato di Valtellina, or Sfurzat, a dry, red passito, from semidried grapes. A totally different landscape can be admired on the Brescia side of Lake Garda, the production area of white Lugana and of Garda Classico, in the Chiaretto, Rosso and Groppello types. In summer days, tourists can relax on the lake shores, sample rosé wines, visit Sirmione, a small jewel with Roman and medieval ruins, and taste grilled eel or fried carp for dinner. German, Austrian, Dutch wine tourists are discovering the Lombard wineries, where high quality wines can be had with good value for money. The Oltrepò Pavese, a wedge of Apennine foothills between Emilia and Piedmont, is another important wine zone in Lombardia. Divided by the river Po from the rest of the province of Pavia, the Oltrepò territory is an ideal destination for tourists who love food, hilly landscapes and wines, produced mainly from barbera, bonarda pavese (called croatina) and pinot nero grapes. Other wine zones are in the Brianza and Valcalepio territories and in the province of Mantova.
Cyclists on the Wine Route in Franciacorta
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The Wine Route of the Franciacorta is one of the best organized Italian Wine Routes, offering many activities and itineraries. Personalized formulas are offered: day trips, weekend packages and bike tours. Three different routes are proposed, to enjoy wine, history, art and culture: from Gussago to Cazzago San Martino, from Rovato to Corte Franca and from Adro to Lake Iseo. Markets, fairs and festivals in the area are scheduled throughout the year. Among the most interesting events are: the Carnival of Erbusco with the election of the “Re del Gnoc”; the Week of Baked Tench, at Clusale d’Iseo in summer; the Festival of the Franciacorta in September. GPS itineraries can be downloaded from the web site: www.stradadelfranciacorta.it
Vineyards in Valtenesi, an area of the Consorzio del Garda Classico
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One of the most important Italian classic method sparkling is the Franciacorta, produced in the province of Brescia. In the photo bottles on “pupitres” (Berlucchi winery)
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