Tipologia
Track features.
Easy mid length track with only some road stretches.
Length: km. 32.
Travelling time: 6 hours (including stops and a boat excursion along Mincio river).
The itinerary.
Start: The itinerary starts in Porta Mulina square, at the parking beside the railway.
Go down along the tarred path, turn left, then right just after passing under the bridge. Follow the footbridge along Lago Superiore as far as Canottieri Mincio rowing club (km. 1,5). Keep on along the wetdock and turn left at the end of via Santa Maria; enter a small gate and take right along a narrow path running through the fields till you get to Mantua-Peschiera cycle track. Cross the road and follow the dirt cart road running along Parcarello canal. You get to Diversivo canal tarred bank (km. 5); follow it and cross to the other side of the canal when you see directions to Bosco della Fontana, if you wish to visit it (km. 4 round trip).
Once you are back to the side where you were coming from, proceed towards Soave (km. 7), then to Maglio (km. 11,5); at the bridge, keep on along the gravelled towpath as far as Casale di Goito, where the canal floods into Mincio river (km. 13,5). Cross the river and follow a path running left through the fields; after a while you see a tall century-old oak. Keep on through Sacca di Goito (km. 16) and stay on your left side along Mincio river.
After Bellacqua farm, you enter Mincio river nature reserve, which is rich of canals, cane thickets, marsh plants and several kinds of birds.
Enter Rivalta (km.20); at the parish church, go down to the river port and Mincio river natural park museum. After this visit, go back to the main road and get to the provincial crossroads, then turn left on the cycle track to Grazie (km. 23).
Once there, turn left towards the shrine, which was built as an ex-voto on the orders of Francesco I Gonzaga; inside, you can admire several ex-voto statues made of papier-mâché, wood and wax. Go down to the river to enjoy a short excursion by boat.
After the stop, go back to the national road (route 10) and proceed to Curtatone and Mantua (Km. 32); beware of the traffic in the first stretch.