Walking

The Greenway Voghera–Varzi is ideal for anyone looking to enjoy a relaxing and healthy walk in nature. The path features gentle slopes and offers both flat and hilly sections, making it accessible and enjoyable for all fitness levels.

The Greenway is also a perfect starting point for numerous hiking routes: from peaceful walks through fields and vineyards to more demanding mountain trails. You can even create your own itinerary to discover the many villages, cultural landmarks, and historical sites along the way.

Just outside Voghera, you can branch off onto scenic country roads like Strada Cà Bianca and Strà ad l’om mort (“road of the dead man”), which crosses the former Statale dei Giovi before the turnoff to Torrazza Coste. From Codevilla, it’s possible to climb the hills of Mondondone through beautiful vineyards, while in Retorbido, a walk along the Rile stream valley takes you to the first Big Bench (giant bench) ever installed in the Oltrepò Pavese area.

At Rivanazzano Terme, you can leave the Greenway to visit the charming hamlet of Nazzano — home to a castle, ancient church, and Villa Sanpietro — and continue toward Buscofà, both stunning panoramic points overlooking the Po Valley. From Salice Terme, a short walk beneath the Rocca di Montalfeo leads you to Alta Collina, through lavender fields in bloom during June and July.

This spa town also marks the start of the steepest segment of the Greenway and the entrance to the Comunità Montana dell’Oltrepò Pavese, a mountain area crisscrossed with dozens of well-marked and mapped trails. These offer various hiking options (never too extreme) through pristine Apennine landscapes. For full trail details, maps, GPS tracks, average walking times, and useful tips, visit the official website www.sentierioltrepopavese.it or download the “I Sentieri dell’Oltrepò Pavese” app.

More experienced hikers can take on the climb to Monte Lesima (1,724 m), the highest peak in the province of Pavia and one of the tallest in the Ligurian Apennines. Other recommended peaks for trekking include Monte Boglelio, Monte Chiappo — with connections to Monte Antola and its park — and Cima Colletta.

Among the most fascinating historical routes accessible from the Greenway, two stand out:

• The Lombard Salt Route, a medieval trade path used by merchants to transport salt from Genoa to Pavia and Milan, and to bring goods from the plains and hills to the Ligurian market. The mountain section begins in Varzi, while the lower part overlaps with the Greenway itself. Today, it traverses the ridges of the Apennines and crosses Lombardy, Liguria, Piedmont, and Emilia-Romagna.
• The San Colombano Path, one of Europe’s oldest pilgrimage routes, once ran from Switzerland to Bobbio. From Varzi, you can hike up to Monte Alpe in the Menconico area, then descend to Romagnese and rejoin the trail heading over Monte Penice toward the ancient abbey of Bobbio.

Finally, the province of Pavia is at the crossroads of several major European routes, including the Via Francigena, the Via Francisca del Lucomagno, and the Via delle Gallie, all located just north of the Po River.