Bolzano afternoon · Marmolada

206 km from Bolzano

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Why this ride

A 206 km round trip from Bolzano - roughly 3 h 33 in the saddle. On the way it passes Rio delle Foglie, Sciliar-Catinaccio, Puez-Odle / Puez-Geisler / Pöz-Odles and Marmolada. The highest point is about 1,950 m.

Roadbook

1. Bolzano start

   Bolzano lives with two languages and does so with a certain comfortable pride. It lies in a wide valley at the meeting of three rivers in South Tyrol, surrounded by steep slopes of vines and apples, with the pink limestone peaks of the Dolomites rising to the east. Until 1919 it belonged to Austria, and German is still the first language of most people in the province, though Bolzano itself is mostly Italian-speaking. Signs are in both, the cooking mixes dumplings and strudel with pasta and espresso, and the city feels like a conversation between two cultures.

   The most famous resident is the oldest. Ötzi, the man in the ice, is a natural mummy about five thousand three hundred years old, found in 1991 by hikers in the glacier on the Italian-Austrian border. He lies in a cold, dim chamber in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, together with his clothing, copper axe and bow, and the museum does a marvellous job of explaining how he lived, and probably died, from an arrow wound. In the old town, arcaded streets and Gothic churches surround Walther Square, named after the medieval poet Walther von der Vogelweide.

   For riders, Bolzano is the start of the Great Dolomites Road, which runs about a hundred and ten kilometres east to Cortina d'Ampezzo. The route climbs first through the Val d'Ega past Lake Carezza, in front of the Latemar peaks, crosses the Karer Pass at about 1,750 metres, and continues to the Pordoi Pass, above 2,200 metres, and the Falzarego Pass, above 2,100. The road is smooth and engineered with a series of hairpins that make it popular with riders. At sunrise and sunset the rock faces glow with a deep pink called enrosadira, a sight that stays in memory for a long time. Summer weekends bring heavy traffic, so aim for weekdays and early starts.

   Fuel and repair shops are all easy to find, and the city has an excellent range of restaurants. Try speck, the smoked ham, and canederli dumplings, and cool down with a glass of local white wine. Summers in the valley are hot, but the mountains are fresh, and snow can close the highest passes from late autumn to spring.

2. Rio delle Foglie sight

   Rio delle Foglie is the Italian name for the Bletterbach, a gorge that cuts deep into the plateau above the Adige valley, south of Bolzano, near the villages of Aldino and Redagno. It is part of the Dolomites World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2009, and it is one of the best places in the Alps to read the history of the Earth in rock. The stream has carved down through hundreds of metres of layers, from volcanic porphyry at the bottom through red sandstones to the white dolomite of the Corno Bianco at the top, spanning tens of millions of years.

   Walking in the gorge is like walking through a geology textbook. The red sandstones contain fossilised footprints of reptiles that lived before the dinosaurs, plant fossils and ripple marks from ancient rivers. A visitor centre in Aldino explains it all, and trails lead down into the gorge and up to the top of the Corno Bianco. It is a fine walk in sturdy shoes, with waterfalls, rocky steps and a cool, damp atmosphere in summer.

   The riding around here is classic South Tyrol. From the Adige valley at Ora, a road climbs in hairpins up to Aldino and on to the plateau, with views back over the valley and vineyards. From there, roads lead to the Passo di Lavazè and the Passo degli Oclini, both relatively low and quiet passes through forests and meadows, and on to Nova Ponente and the Passo di Costalunga, with views of the Latemar and the Catinaccio. The asphalt is usually excellent, though cyclists and caravans are common in summer, and the curves can be tight.

   The plateau is a farming landscape of meadows, forest and scattered farms, with the Dolomites rising to the east. In spring the meadows are full of flowers, and in autumn the larches turn golden. Weather can change quickly, with afternoon thunderstorms in summer and snow at higher elevations from November to April.

   Fuel is available in the valley at Ora or Laives, ten kilometres away, and in some villages on the plateau. Food is a mix of Austrian and Italian: speck, dumplings, apple strudel and pasta. A stop at a mountain inn for a plate of knödel and a glass of local wine, with the peaks turning pink outside, rarely disappoints.

3. Sciliar-Catinaccio sight

   Watch the Rosengarten at sunset from the valley of Bolzano and you will understand the legend. As the sun goes down, the pale dolomite peaks glow pink, then red, then purple, a phenomenon the Ladin people call enrosadira. According to the old story, King Laurin of the dwarves had a magnificent rose garden here, and when he was captured by enemies who had spotted his roses, he cursed the garden so that no one would see it by day or by night. He forgot the twilight, and so, for a few minutes each evening, the roses bloom again on the rocks. Together with the Sciliar, or Schlern, the great flat-topped massif to the north, the Catinaccio forms one of the components of the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage site, listed in 2009.

   The Sciliar is a symbol of South Tyrol, its sheer walls and rounded summit visible from all over the region, and local legend held that witches gathered on its plateau. Below it spreads the Alpe di Siusi, the Seiser Alm, the largest high-altitude meadow in Europe, carpeted with flowers in early summer. Between the two massifs, the valleys of Tires and the Eggental lead into the heart of the mountains.

   The riding is world-class. From Nova Levante, Welschnofen in German, the road climbs past the Lago di Carezza, a small lake of extraordinary colours with the Latemar reflected in its water, to the Passo di Costalunga, the Karerpass, at 1,745 metres, before dropping into the Val di Fassa at Vigo. The Passo Nigra, a narrower road, links the Tires valley with the Costalunga, with tight bends and views of the Rosengarten walls. From the Fassa valley, the great Dolomite passes, Sella, Pordoi, Fedaia, are within easy reach. Surfaces are generally excellent, but traffic in summer can be heavy, with cars, buses, cyclists and other bikes, and speed limits and noise restrictions are strictly enforced.

   Nova Levante and Vigo di Fassa have fuel, shops, restaurants and plenty of accommodation. The local food is a blend of Tyrolean and Italian: canederli, speck, apple strudel, and polenta with mushrooms. The passes are usually open from late spring to autumn, but snow can fall at any time at altitude. Early morning and late afternoon offer the quietest roads and the best light.

4. Puez-Odle / Puez-Geisler / Pöz-Odles sight

   Above Selva in Val Gardena and the villages of Val Badia, the Puez-Odle massif shows the Dolomites at their most theatrical: the jagged spires of the Odle, or Geisler, piercing the sky like a row of broken teeth, and behind them the Puez plateau, a strange high desert of grey scree, layered rock and hidden lakes. The area is a nature park in South Tyrol and one of the nine components of the Dolomites World Heritage site, listed by UNESCO in 2009 for its exceptional landscapes and geology.

   The Dolomites are the remains of ancient coral reefs and tropical seas, lifted up by the collision of continents and carved by ice and water into towers, walls and plateaus. On the Puez plateau, you can see the layers of rock like the pages of a book, recording millions of years of the earth's history. The valleys below are home to the Ladin people, who speak their own Romance language, Ladin, and have kept their traditions, from wood carving in Val Gardena to distinctive costumes and festivals. In summer, the meadows are full of flowers and cows, and in winter, the area is one of the most famous ski regions in the world.

   For riders, the passes around the Puez-Odle massif are legendary. The Passo Gardena, at 2,121 metres, links Val Gardena with Val Badia, and the Passo Sella and Passo Campolongo complete the Sella Ronda, a loop around the Sella massif that is one of the classic motorcycle rides of the Alps. The roads are well maintained, with hairpins, steep climbs and spectacular views, but in summer, traffic can be heavy, with cars, buses, cyclists and other motorcyclists, and the authorities have discussed restrictions to reduce congestion and noise. Ride early in the morning or late in the afternoon for the best experience.

   Selva and the other villages have fuel, restaurants, cafés and hotels, though prices can be high. Ladin and Tyrolean cuisine is hearty: try canederli, bread dumplings with speck or cheese, or schlutzkrapfen, half-moon ravioli filled with spinach and cheese, and finish with apple strudel. Weather in the mountains can change quickly, with afternoon thunderstorms in summer, and the passes can be closed by snow from autumn to spring.

5. Marmolada turn

   The Queen of the Dolomites, they call her, and the Marmolada earns the title: at 3,343 metres, Punta Penia is the highest summit of the range, and its northern flank carries the largest glacier in the Dolomites, while the south face drops away as a sheer wall of pale limestone. That glacier is shrinking fast, and in July 2022 a large section of it collapsed, killing eleven climbers, a tragedy that brought the effects of climate change home to everyone who loves these mountains.

   The Marmolada saw some of the strangest fighting of the First World War. The front line between Italy and Austria-Hungary ran across the mountain, and Austrian troops dug a network of tunnels and shelters inside the glacier itself, the so-called City of Ice, where soldiers lived for months. Remains of the war still emerge from the melting ice. A museum at Punta Serauta, reached by the cable car from Malga Ciapela, tells the story.

   The Passo Fedaia, at 2,057 metres, crosses the northern foot of the mountain, linking Canazei in the Val di Fassa with Malga Ciapela and the Agordino. The western side is gentle, passing the turquoise Lago di Fedaia reservoir with the glacier above, while the eastern ramp is one of the steepest pass roads in the Alps, a long, straight climb at gradients well into double figures. It is a challenging ride in both directions. The Sottoguda gorge below was badly damaged by the Vaia storm in 2018. The pass can close in winter and after heavy snow, and summer weekends bring heavy traffic and many cyclists.

   Canazei, eight kilometres away, is a resort village with fuel, hotels and restaurants, and it makes a good base for exploring the Sella group and the passes around it, such as the Pordoi and the Sella. Malga Ciapela and Rocca Pietore on the east side have basic services. Ladin culture is strong in the valleys, with its own language and traditions, and the food mixes Italian and Tyrolean influences: canederli, dumplings, and polenta with venison. Early in the morning, the glacier catches the first light and the lake is still.

6. back through Puez-Odle / Puez-Geisler / Pöz-Odles stop

   back through Puez-Odle / Puez-Geisler / Pöz-Odles comes up 129 km in.

7. back through Sciliar-Catinaccio stop
8. back through Rio delle Foglie stop

   back through Rio delle Foglie, late in the day.

9. Bolzano finish

   The route ends here after 206 km.

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