Stage 4
Acqui Terme > Andora
La Bollente
Today the Giro reaches the sea, travelling along roads where important pages of cycling history have been written. The road to the Ligurian coast is long and, above all, full of interesting sights.
Before leaving Acqui Terme, take a selfie in front of the La Bollente fountain, the town's symbolic monument from where the beneficial saline-bromine-iodine-sulphurous thermal waters gush forth at a temperature of 74.5° C, protected by an eclectic-style temple-hedicycle built in 1897. Also worth a visit are the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and Borgo Pisterna, the ancient heart of the town full of buildings of great artistic value dating from the 15th to 18th centuries. Also deserving of a stop is the photographic exhibition set up on the occasion by the Libreria Terme Piero Spotti near the Portici of Corso Bagni. Each panel, bearing a picture, is dedicated to a team and depicts its most iconic riders. The exhibition emphasises the positive values transmitted by the riders and their sport.
The Val Bormida
The gentle ascent through the Val Bormida allows us to cross towns and villages of great charm. In Millesimo - one of the most beautiful villages in Italy - visitors must stop to admire the 14th-century Castello del Carretto and the almost adjacent Villa Scarzella, which houses the Bric Tana Natural Park Museum. We can then climb up to the Melogno Pass where we can observe the Fortresses of the Melogno Military Square, built at the end of the 19th century by the Royal Army to defend Lower Piedmont. The long descent towards the sea stops in Altare, where the Museum of the Art of Glassmaking recounts the handicraft tradition of this village with a collection of objects of undeniable beauty.
Once in Savona, we finally reach the sea and enter the route of the Milano-Sanremo, which we will follow until today's arrival. To admire a complete panorama of the city and a long stretch of coastline, climb up to the Priamar Castle; if your priority is simply to stretch your legs, the Vecchia Darsena area is exactly what you are looking for.
The western Liguria
The long sprint to the finish line begins here. But first, let's pay a visit to the most beautiful seaside resorts of western Liguria: Noli, Varigotti, Finale Ligure, Albenga, Alassio, Laigueglia. The short climb to Capo Mele is a prelude to the final sprint. A 9-metre-high statue depicting the Trofeo Senza Fine will welcome fans and racers at the entrance to Andora, a place that has definitely embraced the sport of cycling by launching the Andora Bike Theatre, a sports tourism project that offers enthusiasts 150 kilometres of scenic trails, including 54 kilometres of paths, divided into 4 ring routes of varying difficulty for hiking or mountain biking.
