Before starting the day, I would like to reflect on what cycle paths can make economically. At 9 I go down to leave after a good breakfast, complete with freshly squeezed orange juice which is not always available in many 4-star hotels. In the garage of the Everest hotel (good 3 stars) I count 30 bicycles, all electric apart from mine and it must be said that many cyclists had already left. A garage full of bikes and only 3 cars. The merit goes to the various cycle paths that descend from the valleys to rejoin and join the main artery which is the Adige path, or rather the cycle path of the sun, or if you want also part of the Eurovelo7.
Photo 2: The castle of Beseno is the largest in Trentino
Yes, because I didn’t tell you so, but I will try to follow this ideal itinerary that exists only on paper, hoping that the ever-shrewd Italian politicians will understand once and for all the importance of having a route that goes from the Brenner Pass to Capo Passero, I speak for the economy, not for sports. Enough talk, out of the hotel first roundabout, down to the left and along the Adige. The first stage is Rovereto which, however, requires a detour from the main route that runs along the Adige to be reached. As mentioned yesterday, the cycle path is a motorway for bicycles and with this characteristic it always goes straight without passing through villages and if you want to enter any of them, large or small, you have to exit at the junctions. Obviously I chose today to see Rovereto as an intermediate stage after about 30 km of pedaling.
Photo 3: Rovereto. The Neptune Fountain Photo 4: Rovereto. Palazzo del Ben from the 15th century Photo 5: Rovereto. Fountain with Palazzo del Ben in the background
I reach the center of Rovereto, take some photos and then the need arises for a sandwich and a drink. I try in the center of the village, where a fountain is proudly displayed. Despite the waitress telling me: “the first table that becomes free is for you”, when one becomes free everyone dives to conquer the table and I stay there with the bike in my hand. So I try to reach some bars that are a bit out of the way. I see one and sit down, but to my surprise I realize I’ve stumbled across a Chinese cafe. I admit it, even if it shouldn’t be like this, it always has a certain effect on me, also because the patrons were all foreigners, in the sense of foreign workers, not foreign tourists. I order the sandwich and coke. I am convinced that when it arrives it will be with warm bread and well cooked ham, but to my great surprise and enjoyment for the palate, the sandwich was perfect, warm and crusty bread, fresh and fragrant ham, I realize that prejudices must be fought !
Let’s get back on track, always a bit boring except for some detours that take away the monotony with the fact that you have to find the right path to take. Some locals pick elderflowers from the hedges along the riverbank to make the famous syrup. I have traveled more than 50km and my stomach is starting to complain. I pass a bike grill completely overrun with bicycles and cyclists. I decide to continue seeing the sign indicating Borghetto at km 5.6 in the hope that there is a restaurant there. I need to stop, not only because I’m hungry, but above all because I feel the saddle cloth completely parched, I feel every little fold of skin pressed under my weight resulting in tingling and soreness in the part, i.e. my butt hurts! I arrive at the detour to Borghetto and I am completely enchanted by this small village of Avio. A square completely invaded by children playing football and who absolutely don’t have to worry about the transit of cars. There is a party organized by the Pro loco complete with a band, which has already played, and the musicians are already having lunch with the villagers on the lawns surrounding the square with a pasta offered by the parish priest and the Pro loco. What can I say, I like this flavor of community and being together from other times, things that can no longer be thought of or imagined in our cities.
I find a restaurant with no one inside except the owners who are eating. I ask if I can sit down and they welcome me as one of them. I order a pasta with meat sauce which I am happy to eat. Shortly after the bar and restaurant fill up for the end of the community lunch, everyone wants a coffee. Evidently the perpetual didn’t have a mocha of adequate size for the purpose. A two-year-old girl surprises me and makes me jump, shoving me on her arm that holds the fork, screaming and laughing with happiness at the combined joke. I too drink coffee and as I go out I am stopped by the parish priest who wants all the relevant information. Hearing that I’m from Vicenza, he tells me that he is a friend of a cyclist, he is a colleague of his who served in the parish of San Francesco (mine), Don Lorenzo Campagnolo, what luck!
Photo 6: Interesting stretch on the rock of the Adige river Photo 7: Avio Castle Photo 8: Borghetto on the border between Veneto and Trentino. Children can play on the street Photo 9: Borghetto
I resume my journey, I still have more than 40 km to go. Here the route changes significantly due to the narrowing of the valley and also because I leave the main route for a while. I saw the vines in the fields a bit back from the cycle path, while here I practically pass through them and when cornering I risk hitting my helmet on the curved wooden support pole of a vineyard. Now comes the fun part, heralded by a not bad snatch, a big climb that I identified on the route’s altimetry. The track goes straight without gradients up to 23 km from the finish, after having already covered 80. We are in Rivoli Veronese, I know it is there waiting for me. Tremendous, less than two km with the sign indicating 10%, but I’m not convinced it’s only 10%, or maybe I have to convince myself that I’m a year older. I do everything without stopping, the willpower is intact, thank goodness, I stop at the panoramic point, let’s say to take some pictures… I dripping sweat!
Photo 10: The viewpoint over the Adige valley in Rivoli at the end of the first real climb Photo 11: The wind turbines towards Rivoli, the storm is felt
Two German cyclists who I had met a little earlier also stopped, also on muscle bikes. Fatality wants them to go to Rome too, so we exchange information on the routes we will follow. I set off again following the edge of the hill with the wind turbines that can be seen passing through the A22 and descending towards Lake Garda along its very busy Sunday roads. The only detour is a track that runs along a concrete canal that diverts part of the waters of the Adige river. I pass by Movieland and Gardaland and with extreme caution I reach Peschiera del Garda and the hotel. Today 103 km and dodged rain. Tomorrow towards Mantua and further down!
Photo 12: The entrance to Gardaland Photo 13: The sunset on Lake Gardą in Peschiera with the storm in the background Photo 14: I’ve done so many kilometres, we need a prize!
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And riding from the north to the south through the whole of Italy is a dream!!
Am schlimmsten ist der Hintern.
maybe it’s due to the type of saddle. I have a very hard saddle which is not easy to get used to but then, when you get used to it, you pedal like a marvel. Of course, after 70/80 km there are some creases on the leather of the bottom :):)