back to Merano and up again, towards Mount Giovo pass. This is one of the lesser known passes in the Alps but is definitely a beautiful one, with its switchbacks that cut into the side of the mountain, overlooking the majestic green meadows several hundred meters below. After a quick coffee at the summit, the Explorers headed towards the town of Vipiteno and finally Bressanone, at the entrance of Pusteria valley. After another few kilometers, it was time for lunch break, that was scheduled on the shores of the magical lake of Braies. This is such an incredible and unique place that the local authorities in the last few years had to introduce a ticketed access system, to protect the ecosystem from the almost insane influx of tourists.In the afternoon the riders headed to Dobbiaco and checked out the Lavaredo Peaks, a designated UNESCO world’s heritage site. They are so majestic and “perfectly imperfect” that they don’t even look real, so impressive.After another quick stop on the shores of the Misurina lake, it was finally time to hit Tre Croci pass and eventually the last stop for the day, the posh town of Cortina d’Ampezzo - jewel of the Cadore region. This is the ultimate VIP destination, as many celebrities, actors and politicians love to come here for their winter vacations. The vibe of the traditional alpine town is still there, but the old fashioned stores and taverns has been long replaced by a slew of fashion stores, jewelries and fancy restaurants. DAY 3 GIAU PASS - VALPAROLA PASS GARDENA PASS - SELLA PASS - PORDOI PASS - FEDAIA PASS - CANAZEI The keyword was “switchbacks”. The itinerary of the third day was the perfect combination of weather, scenery and technical riding, the “trifecta” that every rider dreams of. Out of the 9 hours the Explorers were in the saddle - from Cortina to Canazei - at least five were spent on the tight twistiest of 9 different mountain passes: Cibiana, Duran, Giau, Falzarego, Valparola, Gardena, Sella, Pordoi and Fedaia. The few riders that were still struggling with the challenge posed by the notorious alpine roads, by the end of the day were all proficient and perfectly in tune with the ever changing radius, pavement conditions and incline of the Italian switchbacks. The Dolomites are just wonderful, and their relatively young and rugged peaks offered the perfect background for yet another epic day of this year’s GIVI Explorer Adventure. Some of the iconic spots touched by the itinerary: the village of Agordo, the lake and the little village of Alleghe, mount Col di Lana, Corvara, Val Gardena valley and the “Saslong Classic” - the slope that has been hosting a round of the FIS Ski World Cup Downhill almost every year since 1960, the Piz Boe peak, visible from the terrace at Pordoi pass, and finally mount Marmolada and its glacier. Tomorrow is rest day to recharge the battery before more kilometers, more views and more switchbacks, but today’s experience will be very hard to match or even come close to. DAY 4 CANAZEI - ROLLE PASS Day 4 was rest day for the group… but not really. Actually just a few of the travelers decided to enjoy the services of the hotel spa in Canazei, while 14 of the Explorers went on a 200 km ride to Passo Rolle, one of the few passes not included in the original itinerary of this 2023 Dolomites & Stelvio Adventure. The rest of the group enjoyed a nice hike in the mountains and some amazing traditional food in altitude, in one of the many “refuges” that are everywhere around the Italian Alps. Originally these were high altitude refueling and resting stations for mountaineers, established well before WW1. Now most of them still offer night shelter for hikers and climbers but during the day they become bars and restaurants, mainly for skiers in the winter season. DAY 5 LAKE CAREZZA - LAVAZÉ PASS MANGHEN PASS - LAKE CALDONAZZO - MONTE BONDONE - BRENTONICO Day 5 started with a light drizzle and lower temperatures. After hitting Costa Lunga and Lavaze pass, the Explorers descended into Val di Fiemme and eventually headed up to what it was the highlight of the day and so far the most challenging pass of them all, the Manghen. This is still the same as it was 50 years ago, with extremely narrow and steep switchbacks, made even harder to negotiate by today’s rain, fog and a lot of manure left by the many free ranging cows. Even the “refuge” at the summit is so small that there wasn’t enough parking for the 26 motorcycles of the Givi Explorer’s convoy. The rain finally let go as the riders reached the beautiful lake of Caldonazzo, where lunch was served. After that, it was another technical but really enjoyable ride up mount Bondone - the most famous uphill race in Italy is held here every year - and then down into the city of Rovereto and up again to the final destination for the night, Brentonico, which sits on the mountains overlooking the north shore of the Garda Lake. DAY 6 FORRA ROAD - LAKE TENNO - LAKE MOLVENO - GAVIA PASS - LIVIGNO Early than usual start on the sixth day, because the Explorers needed to cover more than 300 km and hit two of the most iconic spots of this Dolomites & Stelvio Adventure: the “strada della Forra” (road of the Forra) and the notorious Gavia pass. Forra is a fantastic ride, basically a full loop from the shores of Western Garda lake, near the village of Termosine. It is made by tunnels, gorges and switchbacks carved back in 1889 into the solid rock, a must see. The location is so unique that Winston Churchill called it the “eight wonder of the World”, and it was recently featured in the James Bond movie “Quantum of Solace”. After the short ride (9 km), the group tracked 23 Givi Magazine December 2023
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