A mini tour of Italy with an exceptional detour to Milan's Expo, to showcase the potential of cycle tourism and what could become the North's light cycling infrastructure. This is the spirit of the third edition of the VenTo Bici Tour, an event taking place from 30 May to 7 June.

Nine stages following the course of the River Po, covering a total of 680 km of stretches far from the chaos of motor traffic. A long cycling adventure starting from Venice and ending in Turin, passing through the cities of Cremona, Ferrara, Pavia and Piacenza. Already 100 km run along safe, well-used cycle paths, while another 40 per cent of the route could be opened to the public, were it not for the fact that it passes along the Po's embankments and there is currently no agreement between the regions and the river authorities.

Each stage is paired with one or more public and recreational events, fifteen in total. The idea for this light infrastructure was born from a working group at the Politecnico di Milan, with the aim of making VenTo an alternative model for rediscovering territories by bicycle, breathing new vitality into them and generating jobs and new economies.

VenTo has the backing of more than 200 institutions and associations, and passes through places of interest offering over 1,300 cultural opportunities. An investment of 80 million would guarantee 400,000 visitors a year. This prospect has attracted the interest of banking foundations, with a call for proposals ready to promote the development of cycling infrastructure along the Po's tributaries.

The 2015 edition has the official backing of the Piedmont Region as well as the Emilia-Romagna Region, along with the patronage of the Ministries of the Environment and Cultural Heritage and the Corpo Forestale dello Stato. For the final stage, the Politecnico di Milan group reaches Turin accompanied by cyclist Domenico Pozzovivo and sports journalist and former cyclist Davide Cassani.