CNA - Stork day cycling, discovering the Baraggia , last sav

Spend a day full of natural emotions in the Baraggia Vercellese, the last savannah of Europe, a nature reserve within the Ticino Park and Lake Maggiore area, surrounded by ancient villages, castles, and the rice-growing culture of Vercelli.

You will be accompanied by a certified cycle tourism guide along easy, flat, and accessible routes, admiring the rice paddies and various species of birdlife. We will welcome you at the meeting point in the Corte, where you will prepare your water bottles, enjoy a breakfast of rice biscuits, and, if needed, rent an MTB bicycle.

We will provide you with a Lunch Biker Box for your picnic lunch, to be enjoyed along the route, immersed in nature.

You will be amazed by the history of the Castello Consortile di Buronzo, donated by Frederick Barbarossa to the Casalvolone Family of Novara. The village will surprise you with its seven noble residences. From here, you will set off on a route through the Baraggia, observing the hydraulic dynamics of the rice paddy irrigation canals, and reach Rovasenda, another ancient village with two castles.

Along the way, you will see stork families nesting on nine platforms installed by LIPU to encourage breeding. The chicks peek out from the nest in their youthful splendor.

Over the 30 km of this easy ride, you will discover the cultivation and growth of rice at various stages — the only PDO rice in Italy.

Upon your return, you will be welcomed with an apericena featuring local products, wines from Alto Piemonte, and a risotto made with a PDO variety, reminding you that the Baraggia is the northernmost place in the world where rice is grown.