Ricetto di Magnano – Lake Bertignano loop from Sandigliano

Ricetto di Magnano – Lake Bertignano loop from Sandigliano

Hard

riders

Ricetto di Magnano – Lake Bertignano loop from Sandigliano

07:03

105km

1,100m

Gravel riding

Hard gravel ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: September 25, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through protected areas

Please check local regulations for:

Riserva naturale della Bessa

Lago di Bertignano (Viverone) e stagno presso la strada per Roppolo

Lago di Viverone

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

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4.79 km

Footbridge over the Elvo River, Borriana

Highlight • Bridge

The footbridge crosses the Elvo stream and from Borriana connects the "bessa". At the exit of the path, turn left towards Vermogno and right towards Mongrando. Easy route.

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6.88 km

Bessa Gold Mining Archaeological Site

Highlight • Natural Monument

The area of the Bessa Nature Reserve is approximately 8 kilometers long, with an average width of one kilometre.
It is located between Biella and Ivrea, included in the municipalities of Borriana, Cerrione, Mongrando and Zubiena, on the orographic right of the Elvo stream. It is part of the Serra moraine, considered the largest in Europe.

A lunar appearance, with large mounds placed together like desert dunes, made up of stones of various sizes. Between one pile and another, curtains of often impenetrable plants and bushes. This is the aspect that one perceives when entering the Bessa Nature Reserve for the first time, established in 1985. But the charm of Bessa also lies in its history.
One thing is now certain. This entire large territory, almost ten square kilometers, has been entirely modified in its appearance by the work of thousands of men.
These were the Ictimuli - or Vittimuli - who inhabited a large part of the Biella area over two thousand years ago. Led and exploited by the Romans between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC. they transformed the Bessa into one of the largest open-pit gold mines in the world.
Traces of this immense work remain in the mounds, erected by piling up the stones discarded during the excavation.

Source: atl.biella.it/localita-dettaglio/-/d/riserva-speciale-della-bes-1

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13.3 km

Ricetto di Magnano

Highlight • Historical Site

This village has a charm of yesteryear. In the Middle Ages it was a refuge, a fortified place. There are still some details of that time.

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19.4 km

Lake Bertignano

Highlight • Lake

Lake Bertignano and its Special Conservation Area are located not far from the larger Lake Viverone and from Zimone. The lake was formed following the retreat of the Balteo glacier, which originated all the lakes in the area and the Serra di Ivrea.

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20.0 km

Lago di Bertignano (Viverone) e stagno presso la strada per Roppolo

Nature Reserve

31.0 km

Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Cella

Highlight • Religious Site

The church of S. Maria di Meoglio, today known as the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Cella, is located in the middle of the woods and is the center of the ancient settlement of Meoglio.
Next to the church, rebuilt in 1848, the ruins of the old monastery can still be seen, documentary sources attest to the presence of the Cella di Meoglio among the possessions of the Monastery of Lucedio and here, according to tradition, in 1001 San Bononio worked a miracle there .

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38.9 km

Lago di Maglione

Nature Reserve

61.4 km

Pile-dwelling Village at Lake Viverone

Highlight • Historical Site

A few meters below the water level, the remains of approximately 5000 poles stuck in the ground have been preserved, evidence of an ancient pile-dwelling village dating back to the Bronze Age.
The settlement is one of the 111 "Prehistoric Pile-dwelling Sites of the Alpine Arc" protected by UNESCO. The place is definitely enchanting: water lilies, poplars, aquatic birds...

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