The Tremola is the old road up the south side of the Gotthard, and its lower hairpins are where the cobbles begin. Built between 1827 and 1832, when the Gotthard became a proper carriage route, it climbs out of the Ticino valley above Airolo in a staircase of twenty-four tight bends, laid with granite setts and held up by dry-stone walls. The setts are rounded and worn, and in the morning dew or after rain they are slippery in a way that tarmac riders forget until the front wheel reminds them.
The name is usually explained as the Italian for trembling, and people argue about whether it refers to the shaking of the coaches, the fear of the passengers or the tremor of an avalanche. Whatever the truth, the road was dangerous in its day. Mail coaches crossed here with horses, and in winter the snow fell so heavily that parties were trapped for days. A new road was later built on the other side of the valley, and the Tremola was left as a relic, then restored and reopened as a heritage route, now popular with riders, cyclists and people who want to feel what a crossing felt like in the nineteenth century.
The riding is different from anything else in the region. The bends are very tight, the radius is small, and the gradient steepens on the corners, so first and second gear are your friends, and a light touch on the brakes matters more than speed. The cobbles are bumpy enough to make the handlebars twitch, and there is often fine gravel on the apex. Traffic is usually light but slow, with cars and cyclists, and meeting a coach on a hairpin takes patience. In summer, the road is dry and warm, with the sun on the south-facing slope, and the views back down to Airolo grow with each turn.
The road is closed in winter, normally from about October to June, and its opening depends on snow and rockfall, so check before you go. In early summer there may still be snowbanks beside the road, and the temperature falls as you climb. Mist often gathers by afternoon, so a morning ride has better light and views.
Airolo, a small town at the foot of the climb, has fuel, a few restaurants and a fort that once protected the southern entrance to the tunnel. It lies about two and a half kilometres below. Biasca is the larger town, further down the valley. Top up the tank here, because you will not find anything at the pass itself.