Stage 13
Alessandria > Verbania
A fully Piedmontese stage, without major difficulties until the finale.
Alessandria
A fully Piedmontese stage, without major difficulties until the finale, touching three provincial capitals. Places worth discovering, though certainly not the only ones deserving a stop while waiting for the riders. Alessandria is a city deeply connected to bicycles and cycling, a bond clearly told by the AcdB Museum (Alessandria Città delle Biciclette). After the visit, exploration begins from Piazza della Libertà, surrounded by important historic buildings such as Palazzo Rosso, also known as Palazzo degli Orologi, the baroque Palazzo Ghilini, and the 19th-century Palazzo Cuttica. The Museo Borsalino is also of great interest, retracing the history of the famous hat manufacturer through an exhibition of 2,000 pieces. On the outskirts of the city stands the Cittadella, built in 1728 and considered one of the most important military structures in Europe.
In Casale Monferrato, the imposing Castello dei Paleologi (14th century) demands a stop with its asymmetrical hexagonal shape and four large circular towers.
The day continues through endless expanses of rice fields, which have made this part of Piedmont Europe’s leading hub for rice cultivation in both quantity and quality. This tradition finds its heart in Vercelli, where it is pleasant to pause in its elegant squares, especially Piazza Cavour and the one at the foot of the Broletto.
Verbania
The second part of the stage unfolds along the Piedmontese shore of Lake Maggiore, reached at Arona. A walk along the lakeside feels almost obligatory, but one should also climb the hill behind the town to visit the Sancarlone, the statue dedicated to San Carlo Borromeo, which at 35 meters tall is the second-largest bronze statue in the world after the Statue of Liberty in New York.
In Stresa, attention turns to the harbor, where ferries depart for the Borromean Islands. Visiting the sumptuous palaces and gardens of Isola Madre and Isola Bella is a memorable experience. Back on the mainland, Parco Pallavicino, a valuable faunal and botanical oasis, invites another stop - especially in May, when the rose gardens are in full bloom.
The grand finale takes place in Verbania, also overlooking Lake Maggiore. Here, a visit to the Botanical Gardens of Villa Taranto is almost inevitable: one of the most important complexes of its kind in Europe, with thousands of species and spectacular blooms. Colors and fragrances continue at Villa Maioni, home to the so-called “Library of Camellias”, a botanical park with hundreds of varieties. In the heart of the city, the Museo del Paesaggio, housed in Palazzo Viani Dugnani, preserves important works connected to the region from the 19th and 20th centuries. A destination worth exploring, because this city has deep roots
