Trentino: Northern Italy's Cycling Paradise
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Loading... - Leticia Campana
- 23 Sep 2022
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Dominated by the red rock spires of the Dolomites, Trentino is a land of high altitude pastures, deep alpine lakes, and secluded forest walks. But there’s more to this northern Italian province than just the mountains.
Its fine wines, incredible food, and unique and fascinating history are all equally worth exploring, and with an extensive network of quiet, winding roads, strade bianche (dirt tracks) and well-signed mountain bike trails, there’s no better way to get around than by bike.
Riding the new DOGA route
Launched last summer, the new DOGA cycle path links two of Trentino’s crown jewels—the Brenta Dolomites (DO), a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the northern shores of Lake Garda (GA). The route includes sections that regularly feature as stages of the Giro d’Italia, but thankfully, it doesn’t require legs like Chris Froome’s to complete.
It mixes up the tarmac with dirt tracks through the forest and flatter cycle paths along river banks, making it perfect for gravel bikes, eBikes, or hardtail mountain bikes. Which is just as well, because when Active Traveller rode it recently, we had neither the Pinarello road bikes, nor the Froome-like level of fitness required for a full-blown Giro stage.
Our journey begins at the station in Malè, where a tiny train runs regular shuttle services up and down the Val di Sole, or valley of the sun, from Trento, the regional capital. Here, we meet our guide Bruno Ferrari, whose nature, it becomes quickly apparent as we set off pedalling, matches his name. A relatively flat first section along the Noce river quickly turns into a steep climb as we reach the town of Dimaro.
Thankfully Ferrari takes it easy on us, and we scale the switchbacks at a relatively mellow pace until we reach the 1,682m Campo Carlo Magno pass, in the ski resort of Madonna di Campiglio.
Here, we stop for a quick coffee. If we were racing, Giro style, we’d be grabbing water on the go. But one of the great pleasures of cycling in this part of Italy is the chance to explore the plethora of tiny roadside cafés, ordering an espresso—or in my case, un doppio, ‘a double’—in each. Our chosen stopping point offers a particularly spectacular view, over the verdant green beginner slopes of Madonna di Campiglio to the sheer rock spines of the Brenta Dolomites above them. Read More...
