Trail Name(s): Itinerario 1/Percorso Giallo (yellow)/Franciacorta Saten
Trail Type: Mid-distance circuit; mostly hard-packed gravel or paved in built up areas, well maintained and marked.
Length: total: 30 km/18.25 miles
Convenient to: Lake Iseo, Italy, Brescia, Italy, and about 75 minutes from Milan.
Marking: Brown rectangular sign with white and yellow writing (“Itinerario 1”, “Percorso Giallo” “Saten”)
Trail Description: A delightful ride through villages, fields, vineyards, and some wooded areas (especially along the bogs) as well as past multiple wineries, following along a combination of pedestrian/cycle paths, paved or hard-packed surface, and roads, lightly-travelled in most cases although some of the larger village streets are more busy. Some easy gradients, mostly long and very gradual.
Trailhead:
Iseo: Traffic circle where Via Colombera, Via per Rovato and SP Nord XI intersect (official)
Clusane: Strada Provinciale (SP) 12 (mine)
Parking Possibilities:
Iseo: Lot off the traffic circle where Via Colombera, Via per Rovato and SP Nord XI intersect
Clusane: Parking along the main Iseo/Paratico road in places
Nigoline: Near cemetery on via Santa Eufemia
Provaglio D’Iseo: Large lot near San Pietro in Lamosa, stretching along SP XI/SP 71
Public Transportation Options:
Rail: To Iseo from Brescia, stops at Provaglio D’Iseo
Ferries: The Navigazione Lago d’Iseo line regularly serves Iseo and Clusane from many other lake-side towns.
Suggested Stages: This circuit practically forms a figure-8 at Nigoline (Via Albertano da Brescia). Hence time-constrained cyclists could do either the northern or southern half of the circuit.
Trail Itinerary-Reference Points:
Iseo: Via Colombera-Strada Provinciale (SP) 12 (along a busy road, but separated by a raised sidewalk); Clusane: SP 12-Via Luigi di Bernardo; Colombaro: Via Alessandro Manzoni-Via Nazaro Sauro; Nigoline: Via Leonardo da Vinci-Via Mons G. Bonomelli-Via A. Di Gasperi-Via Villa; Ferghettina Winery; Adro: ViaTorbiato-Via Bellavista; skirt Torbiato past Ca del Bosco winery on Via Bellavista-Via Lovera; Outskirts of Erbusco: Cantine di Franciacorta, Via Iseo-Via Sala; Calino: pass Memorial to the Fallen (Ai Caduti) then left on Via Torre, through countryside; Via Independenza; Bettolino; Along SP 71/Via Luigi Cadorna toward Provaglio; at the “Steak House” head toward Borgonato on Via Cimitero (past the enclosed cemetery), and from there past the Berlucchi Wineries on Via Cavour-Via Dosso; Nigoline: SP 49/Via Tito Speri-Via Albertano da Brescia-Via Grumi; fields and vineyards; Timolino: Via Via Sant’Afra-Via Seradina-Via A. Roveglia, pass Vignenote and Bersi Serlini Wineries; Provaglio: turn into Torbiere del Serbino nature area immediately before the train station on Via Stazione Nuova, follow nature path; Via Segaboli, pass behind a shopping mall (look for “Euronics” sign, and listen for generators); Cremignane: Via Vecchia to SP 12, to start point.
Representative Trail Photos:
Restrooms: One public facility observed at San Pietro in Lamosa (about 1 kilometer off the circuit), otherwise plenty of bars (which cost a purchase).
Attractions on or near Trail:
Lago D’Iseo: one of Italy’s most beautiful Alpine lakes
Clusane: Historic town center, lake-front park and walkway, excellent local fish.
Provaglio D’Iseo: Monastery of San Pietro in Lamosa, Romanesque and picturesque; Torbiere del Sebino (peat bogs) used advantageously by monks, now a nature preserve with lovely, albeit fairly short, trails.
Tasting along the Trail: This circuit passes by or near Barboglio di Gaioncelli, La Fioca, Ferghettina, Vigne Note, Ca Del Bosco, Bersi Serlini, Bella Vista, and Berlucchi wineries, but most houses often require advance reservations to visit.
Alternative Options:
Running: This entire trail is suitable for running.
Bike: Any of the other Franciacorta bicycle itineraries. See the link below for all trails. (See my 2014 post for Itinerario 2/Percorso Verde (green)/Brut circuit.)
Car: Strada del Vino Franciacorta
Additional Information:
Regional: http://www.agenzialagoiseofranciacorta.it/franciacorta2.htm
Trail (segment) specific: http://www.franciacorta.net/it/enoturismo/itinerari-sport/
Comments:
This is one of a series of five wine-themed circuits, each approximately 30 kilometers long. They can be combined to make a longer ride, as they either overlap, or come close to overlapping, at several places.
The Yellow/Saten/1 circuit: shared segments of the Verde/Brut/3 circuit (from Nigoline to Clusane); came near the Blu/Pas Dose/2 circuit, not too far from the train station in Provaglio; and came close to the Rosso (Red)/Rose/4 circuit in Calino.
Being a circuit, it is possible to begin anywhere. Parking areas identified above are suitable for alternative start points.
Of all the circuits, this one seemed to pass directly by the most wineries; the list above is only partial.