GIVI Magazine - Giugno 2021

After Salò, the villages on the lake follow one another at close range, let’s say from 5 to 10 km. Of these, we would draw your attention particularly to Gardone Riviera , famous all over the world for the Vittoriale degli Italiani estate where Gabriele D’Annunzio once lived; Toscolano-Maderno , a famous and highly popular tourist destination; and Tignale , which requires a slight detour: a panoramic road leads uphill to the Alto Garda Bresciano area, as far as the Madonna di Montecastello Sanctuary. Along this road, suspended above the water, you can stop for a coffee and admire the lake in all its glory. You can find your way back down to the Gardesana road by taking the spectacular Strada della Forra, or Ravine Road, from Tremosine sul Garda . Limone del Garda is experiencing a surge of popularity among bicycle-lovers at the moment, thanks to the new cycle path overlooking the lake, which offers the best views of any such path in the area. The bike path goes all the way to the outskirts of Riva del Garda , where travellers leave Lombardy behind and enter Trentino-Alto Adige. In total, we drove a few meters from the lake for almost 45 km. We recommend tackling this part in the morning, to avoid the traffic caused by the large numbers of tourists present in summertime. Although we were impatient to unleash our motorcycles on the passes of the Dolomites, we made the most of the remaining stretch with a stop at Arco , a town dominated by its castle. Here, the view overlooks the Alto Garda area and the Sarca River. The Sarca Valley, with its steep rock walls, is a climbers’ paradise and one of the best-known destinations for the sport in Europe. Every year the Rock Master Festival, an important sport-climbing competition that attracts professionals from all over the world, is held here. If you have more than a weekend for your motorcycle or scooter trip, make sure to leave time for a stay in this lovely village. From here you can easily reach the nearby settlement of Dro , where the road loops through gigantic boulders called Marocche, remnants of the greatest glacial landslide in the entire Alpine arc. And while you’re here, why not take a break from the saddle and stretch your legs? You can walk to the stunning Castel Drena from the protected area of the Marocche along the Antica Via (a 4.4 km round trip). THE MOUNTAIN PASSES Once past Trento, we continued along provincial roads across the Val Sugana before climbing towards the Brocon Pass . We were glad of the ascent, with higher altitudes allowing us to ride in comfort again away from the sweltering heat. The descent towards the village of San Martino di Castrozza winds its way down in a series of tight curves, and the heat soon returned to keep us company. The thought that we would soon be travelling through the peaks of the Dolomites gave us the extra motivation we needed, and before we entered the inhabited area the spectacle of the Pale di San Martino Nature Park revealed itself to us in all its beauty. We began climbing towards the Rolle Pass, at an altitude of 1,984 m, towered over by the jaw-dropping Cimon della Pala peak. Here, we found hordes of motorcyclists and their motorcycles parked all around: a true feast for the eyes after the difficulties of the COVID period and the restrictions that it imposed. After a well-earned break, we set off again in the direction of Predazzo . While the road itself is pleasant, the landscape bears sad reminders of the passage of Storm Vaia in 2018, which left its unmistakeable marks even here. The route carries on towards Moena , where glimpses of the Dolomites begin to appear. To the left, the landscape opens onto a glimpse of the Catinaccio Group, just a taste of the Fassa Dolomites offered by the 18 km that led us to Canazei . This town marked the beginning of the loop route that would take us through all the mountain passes of the Dolomites, amid majestic mountains and breath-taking views. From this point on, it became impossible to set a steady pace as the landscapes around us made frequent stops irresistible, whether to snap photos or just to admire the majesty of our natural surroundings. The next stop was the Fedaia Pass , where the road rises rapidly amid a landscape like no other. It is impossible not to stop here and admire the Marmolada Group , with the highest peak of the Dolomites, at a maximum altitude of 3,343 m. Although the Marmolada is not formed from dolomite rock (like the true Dolomites), consisting mostly of limestone with some volcanic material, it is nonetheless known as the Regina, or Queen of the Dolomites. It is also home to the largest glacier found in the Dolomites, which we were able to admire during our obligatory stop at the Fedaia dam (57 m high and 622 m long) as well as from Fedai Lake, at the pass of the same name. With our eyes (and hearts) filled to bursting with all this beauty, we set off once more, skirting the lake in the direction of the Malga Ciapela lodge, leaving Trentino-Alto Adige behind and entering the province of Belluno in the Veneto region. In the municipality of Rocca Pietore , we passed through a short tunnel at the end Givi Magazine June 2021