Bric del Vento
The ridge start. For this ambitious route, an early departure is essential — ideally before 8 am in summer. The opening kilometres sweep south-west from the crest towards Cortanze, giving you a fast, confidence-building start on good tarmac. Take in the panorama before you drop — the Alps are clearest in early morning light, and you will be too tired to enjoy the view properly when you return.
Cortanze
The first proper stop and a familiar face if you have ridden Route 1. Cortanze's medieval castle is the ideal first break — bar, belvedere, castle walls — before the route pushes south towards Montechiaro d'Asti and the first Big Bench. On this longer loop the village feels like a gentle warm-up; the real climbing begins after Montechiaro. Enjoy the café here because the next convenient stop for coffee is Frinco, nearly 30 km away.
Montechiaro d'Asti
The largest town on the route sits proudly on its hilltop with castle ruins, medieval walls and a beautiful Baroque main square. On this longer loop, Montechiaro is where you stock up for the section ahead — alimentari, a bakery and a small pharmacy are all in the town centre. The route departs southward from Montechiaro on a quiet provincial road through dense vineyard country; within 3 km you will see the unmistakable red shape of Big Bench #69 appearing on the hillside to your left.
Big Bench #69
One of the most celebrated Big Bench installations in the Monferrato area, Bench #69 sits on a south-facing vineyard slope with a panorama that sweeps across the low Asti hills towards the Apennines. The bench — painted in the classic Big Bench red — is 2 metres high and 5 metres wide, built in timber, and positioned to frame a view of the surrounding vines and the distant ridgeline. Sitting on it at human scale you feel briefly like a child in an oversized world; the perspective shift is genuinely disorienting and joyful. Allow at least 20–30 minutes here for photos and a proper rest.
Villa San Secondo
A wine village with a surprisingly large medieval church and an outsized reputation for its Freisa d'Asti — a sparkling, lightly tannic red that tastes like raspberry and earth and is best drunk young and chilled. The village is named after Saint Secundus, the patron of the Asti diocese, and the church dedicated to him contains a remarkable carved wooden choir. The terrain from Big Bench #69 to Villa San Secondo drops through tight vineyard switchbacks before levelling onto the valley floor.
Corsione
A hamlet of barely a few hundred people, Corsione sits in a quiet cleft between two vine-covered ridges and is the kind of place that feels untouched by the 21st century. The route passes through without a specific monument to stop at, but the riding through Corsione is some of the most pleasant of the day — a narrow lane flanked by old stone walls, hazel and wild rose, with the occasional farmhouse cat watching from a gatepost. Use this stretch to recover before the long climb to Frinco.
Frinco
Frinco is the biggest village on the southern arc of the route and home to one of the most spectacular panoramic positions in the entire Asti province. The hilltop town looks north across an almost unbroken carpet of vineyard to the Alps; on a clear autumn day the view from the church terrace is extraordinary. Frinco has a bar, a small trattoria (check opening days) and a public fountain — everything you need before the final push to Big Bench #359 and the long return north. The climb into Frinco from the valley is the hardest sustained effort of the day.
Big Bench #359 — Frinco
The second and final Big Bench of the route, #359 at Frinco is positioned on the northern slope of the Frinco ridge, facing directly towards the Alps. Its orientation means it catches the full drama of the mountain panorama — on a clear day you can pick out specific summits from Monte Rosa (4,634 m) in the west to the Matterhorn and, on exceptional days, the distant bulk of Mont Blanc. The bench is a different colour from #69, making for a striking visual contrast. This is the natural high point — emotionally if not geographically — of the entire ride. After here, the route heads north and gradually finds its way back to Bric del Vento.
Return to Bric del Vento
The return leg from Frinco sweeps north through a series of quieter backroads and gentle ridge paths, gradually climbing back towards the main Monferrato crest. The riding here is less dramatic than the outward journey but peaceful — old farmsteads, hazel woods, a few short steep ramps. When the familiar silhouette of the Bric del Vento ridge appears ahead, you will know you have completed one of the finest cycling loops in the Asti province. The final kilometre is a gentle climb back to the panoramic crest — save just enough for it.
