Passo Rolle and Valles Loop from Siror

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. San Martino di Castrozza

   San Martino di Castrozza lies in a green basin in the Trentino Dolomites, at about 1,450 metres, with the Pale di San Martino rising behind it in a wall of pale, jagged rock. The Pale group is one of the most dramatic in the Dolomites, a high limestone plateau with towers and spires that glow pink at sunrise and sunset, the enrosadira that people travel far to see. The town grew up as a mountain resort in the nineteenth century, and today it is a base for walkers, climbers and skiers, with hotels, cafes and a small church dating from the earlier hospice that once stood here for pilgrims and travellers.

   Read the complete San Martino di Castrozza write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   San Martino di Castrozza is where the day begins. Next is Falcade.

2. 2. Falcade

   Falcade is a ski village at the head of the Biois valley, in the Veneto side of the Dolomites, and it has the slightly sleepy, practical feel of a place that is much busier in January than in June. The valley is narrow and green, with steep forested slopes and, rising behind, the pale walls of the Pale di San Martino and the Marmolada group beyond. Villages along it, such as Canale d'Agordo, a few kilometres down, are small and traditional, with wooden balconies, stone fountains and churches with onion-domed or pointed towers. Canale d'Agordo is also the birthplace of Albino Luciani, who became Pope John Paul I in 1978 and died after only thirty-three days.

   Read the complete Falcade write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Falcade comes up about 34 km into the recorded legs. Next is Passo Valles.

3. 3. Passo Valles

   Passo Valles is the quiet pass of the Dolomites, a ridge crossing at just over two thousand metres between Falcade and the high forests of Paneveggio, and it has none of the crowds of its famous neighbours. There are no cable cars, no big souvenir stalls and few buses, just a road that climbs steadily through spruce forest, emerges into open pasture and tops out in a landscape of grass and stone. A small refuge or bar is sometimes open near the top, but services are minimal, so bring what you need.

   Read the complete Passo Valles write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 48 km into the recorded legs you reach Passo Valles. Nothing on this route is higher. Next is Passo Rolle.

4. 4. Passo Rolle

   Passo Rolle is one of the great classics of the Dolomites, at 1,989 metres, and the reason is not just the road but what it looks at. As you reach the top, the Pale di San Martino rear up on the southern side in a wall of pale, jagged rock, with the Cimon della Pala and the rounded Cima Vezzana lighting up in the sun. The pass connects the Fiemme valley around Predazzo with the Primiero valley and San Martino di Castrozza, and has been a crossing for centuries, used by traders and shepherds long before the road was paved.

   Read the complete Passo Rolle write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Passo Rolle, late in the day at 1989 m. Next is Predazzo, mostly downhill.

5. 5. Predazzo

   Predazzo is the largest village in the Val di Fiemme, and it has a surprisingly special place in the world of geology. The valley lies in Trentino, between the pale limestone Dolomites and the darker volcanic rock of the Latemar and Monzoni areas, and Predazzo sits on the line where these meet. Geologists have studied the rocks here since the early nineteenth century, and there is a small museum, the Museo Geologico delle Dolomiti, that explains how ancient seas, volcanoes and later uplift built the mountains. With about four thousand people, the village is large enough for fuel, supermarkets and several hotels.

   Read the complete Predazzo write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Finish at Predazzo. That is the ride.