Parco del Ticino & the Rice Paddies Circuit
Step ten minutes outside Vigevano's historic centre and you enter one of Italy's most atmospheric agricultural landscapes: the Lomellina plain, where Carnaroli and Arborio rice paddies stretch to the horizon, flooded from May to July into vast shallow mirrors that reflect the sky. The Parco Naturale della Valle del Ticino protects the riverine forest along the eastern edge, and a flat cycling circ
The paddy field route
The most rewarding loop starts at Vigevano's Porta Sforzesca, the southern city gate, and follows the Via Francigena cycling path south toward Mortara before looping back along the canal roads through the villages of Parona and Garlasco. The total distance is about 28 km with virtually no elevation gain — manageable for any reasonably fit cyclist in two to three hours.
In late May and June the paddies are flooded and the reflections on clear mornings are extraordinary: you cycle along narrow raised causeways with water on both sides, herons standing motionless in the shallows, and the Apennines visible on the southern horizon on clear days. Bring a telephoto lens.
The Ticino riverbank forest
The eastern section of the route drops into the Parco del Ticino, where the river runs fast and clear through a gallery forest of poplars, willows and black alders. Kingfishers are common along the banks, and in spring the forest floor is carpeted with wild garlic and wood anemones. The beach at Zelata di Bereguardo, 12 km north of Vigevano along the river path, is a popular local swimming spot in summer.
The park also protects one of the last populations of European pond turtles in northern Italy; look for them basking on logs in the quieter backwater channels in the late morning.
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