The best MTB trails around Russi

In the 19th century, owned by the Baldi counts along with enormous areas from Casalborsetti to Savio, it was leased to fishermen attracted by the pristine environment and the canals rich in mullet, eels, shrimp and water; subsequently it passed into the ownership of the Delta Padano body and then to the Municipality; at the end of the 50s, with the design of the industrial port in the San Vitale area, the slow environmental destruction began with a partial natural recovery of the fish and bird fauna: in 2011 the final blow with the construction of a circular earth dam that separates the polluted port area from the marshland, drastically reducing the connection with the Candidano, insufficient for water exchange; always fascinating to traverse it, especially at sunset, but heartbreaking to think of not being able to do it when it was pristine............😢

Before and after the necessary shearing 🫣

Severely damaged by the 2024 flood due to the accumulation of woody debris; the bridge should be rebuilt and raised; the off-road path that ran along the embankment towards Boncellino was completely erased

The one-way bridge

Back in 1986, vegetation along the banks of the Lamine was very limited due to the presence of vegetable gardens managed by pensioners; it was then that the Municipality studied the possibility of transforming the course of the river from the mouths of the canals to beyond the railway bridge into an urban park with paths, lighting and small woods: unfortunately, however, the project remained only on paper.

It's not a bike path; the path is mixed, and pedestrians are unwelcoming to cyclists; arguments are frequent. It's very nice to do, but only during off-peak periods. Between the Ruvido and Tamerici bathing areas, it connects to an existing path, which is very narrow and pedestrian-only. It's more pedestrian-friendly than cyclist-friendly, and in this case, more suited to families than those with a faster pace. WARNING: Just past the intersection with the small road leading to the Punta Marina spa, heading north, the walkway is VERY SLIPPERY for about twenty meters. I recommend pushing your bike. I fell and dislocated a finger. While talking about it, I learned that many people have fallen on it, both on bikes and on foot.

In the summer of 1999, during the land reclamation operations for the reinforcement of the pylons and for preparing the structures intended to house the bridge for the cycle/pedestrian path, about forty devices came to light, including TNT bombs and projectiles, which were detonated in a hole dug at the foot of the embankment after having evacuated almost 3000 people from Faenza.

It was a small, wild, silent, hidden corner of absolute tranquility. The photos will never be able to make it seem as lucky as bikers like me and Alessandro who traveled it............