Systemic Cycles down the Po River bioregion - from the Alpine source to its delta at the Adriatic Sea
Cycle across Italy’s most iconic river — from alpine springs to the Adriatic Sea — while immersing yourself in a week of systems exploration and cultural discovery. The Systemic Cycles Tour blends the thrill of cycling and adventure with hands-on methods for sensing complexity, mapping living systems, and engaging with local communities. It’s a learning journey, a vacation, and a playful deep dive into the landscapes and stories that shape a whole bioregion.
Tour facts
This multi-day bicycle tour is a journey through the Po River bioregion from its source at Monte Viso (~2,020 m a.s.l.) to the Po Delta and the southern Venice Lagoon. We ride the main Po corridor with optional train/ferry transfers to keep days humane. The total distance is ~600 km, with 60–80 km per day and frequent short stops for sensing, dialogue, and mapping—so days are rich and full, not raced.
Dates
16-24 November 2025
Plus, there will be a virtual preparatory meeting about two weeks before. (We recommend arriving the evening of 16 Nov for the welcome circle; the group closes and departs on 24 Nov midday.)
Start and Finish
Start from MonViso Institute campus, Serre Lamboi, Ostana village, Valle Po, Italy.
Finish at Experience LAB, Venice Lagoon, Italy.
Tour highlights
- Cycle from the source of the Po River to the Adriatic Sea, combining outdoor adventure with cultural immersion.
- Discover the alpine landscapes of Monte Viso, the urban dynamics of Turin, and the ecological richness of the Po Delta and Venice Lagoon.
- Learn about water governance, flood management, and the history of land reclamation.
- Engage in systems thinking activities, including mapping, sketching, and reflective dialogue.
- Taste local food specialties and connect with communities that live along the river.
- Conclude with a collaborative workshop to synthesize learnings and explore regenerative practices.
The tour in a nutshell
The Systemic Cycles Tour is a week-long journey along the Italian Po River Watershed, tracing the river from its alpine spring at Monte Viso all the way to the Adriatic Sea.
Participants will explore the landscapes, hydrogeography, cultural diversity, and bio-regional systems of this unique watershed through a mix of cycling, observing, dialoguing, and systems mapping. Time for off-track activities adds flexibility and variety to the experience.
Key stops include the mountain headwaters at Monviso, the vibrant city of Turin, and the vast Po Delta before reaching the Adriatic. Along the way, the tour highlights themes of resilience, regeneration, and local governance, while connecting participants with regional cultures, food traditions, and ecological practices.
The journey culminates in a workshop at the Experience LAB in Ca'Savio, followed by a return to Venice and an online post-tour gathering to reflect on insights and experiences.
What you learn
The tour is a learning experience for every participant and also part of the training program to become a Systemic Cycles guide in bioregional sensing and weaving toward regeneration. You’ll practice:
- Slow-moving exploration of a major European watershed
- Scale-linking design Insights into bioregional activities and networks active for more than 50 years
- Field observation & warm-data interviewing,
- Systems sensing techniques (e.g., water temp/EC/turbidity),
- Visual dialogue & mapping across the 8-scale governance spiral,
- Weaving relations of people, places, projects,
- Complexity didactics,
- Connecting with the DRRS/MVI/SC networks of communities.
Structure
We cycle through the day with continuous stops, explorations, inputs, reflections, short conversations with people we meet, mapping, sensing, and documenting. One pre-planned visit (park, lab, museum, association) anchors each day; the rest emerges organically. Evening visual dialogue sessions synthesize a visual representation of relational thinking.
Daily Journey (flexible, adaptable to group interests):
- Day 1: Alpine headwaters – visit Monviso Park and explore the living systems of the mountain spring.
- Day 2: Turin – discover water utilities, governance, and the balance of urban development with river ecology.
- Day 3: Industrial legacy and regeneration – from former asbestos factories to rice farming.
- Day 4: Po River confluence – ecology, heritage, and potential meetings with local researchers.
- Day 5: Lower Po plain and Cremona – cultural heritage, river traditions, and the Po Museum.
- Day 6: Emilia Romagna – flood management, renaturation, and infrastructure.
- Day 7: Po Delta and Venice Lagoon – land reclamation history and shared resources.
- Day 8: Bike and boat journey through the Po Delta, ending at Camping Ca'Savio with reflection, mapping, and a dip in the Adriatic Sea.
- Day 9: Return to Venice with optional boat ride and city stroll. Beyond the Tour After returning home, participants reconnect online to share reflections, review collected maps
Beyond the Tour
After returning home, participants reconnect online to share reflections, review collected maps and data, and explore contributions to community science and regenerative practice. Options include co-creating articles or a short film to carry forward the tour’s insights.
For whom?
Sportive cyclists who wish to learn about the Po River bioregion, about designing resilient regenerative systems, and the practice of planning and guiding Systemic Cycles tours. Anyone keen to read a landscape systemically while riding.
DRRS elective?
This course may count for 2 ECTS in the ETH Zurich/MVI DRRS program if accompanied by a written-graphical report including a personal learning reflection, submitted after the course.
Preconditions
Sufficient fitness for cycling up to 80km/day.
Proof of accident insurance.
For participants on the Systemic Cycles guide training track and for DRRS electives: DRRS MOOC#1 Worldviews - From sustainability to regeneration completed (enroll here).
Costs
Course fee: standard participation: €800
SC guide training participation: €1200
A reduced, subsidized fee is available for DRRS CAS alumni, students, and participants with financial needs.
Included:
MVI campus tour, tour planning and guiding (2 SC guides), training activities on the way, evening mapping dialogues, ferries, final Experience LAB workshop, shared field equipment, access to Living Systems Labs tools, functional SC gift package.
Additional costs to be covered individually:
travel to Ostana and from Venice; optional train shortcuts; accommodation (hostels/agriturismi), food (breakfast/lunch/dinner; day snacks); total additional cost estimate is about 900€. Travel Train to Torino or Pinerolo; taxi transfer (or cycling) to Ostana (MVI). Return from Venice by train. Bring your own bike. E-bike participation is possible. Bio-bike rentals of light gravel-bikepacking bikes can be organised.
Travel
Train to Torino or Pinerolo; taxi transfer (or cycling) to Ostana (MVI). Return from Venice by train. Bring your own bike. E-bike participation is possible. Bio-bike rentals of light gravel-bikepacking bikes can be organised.
Application to participate
Please apply by email to apply@monviso-institute.org by 15 October 2025 (extended) with:
- short motivation statement with your age and expectations for the course
- brief CV (education/work + bicycle experience)
- MOOC confirmation (if applicable)
