Today will be the day for one of those motorcycle trips I like to call ‘old-timey’ – the only aim is to be on the bike for as long as possible, from (way) before dawn until (way) after sunset.
Yesterday I prepared most of what I have to bring with me on this journey – tool kit and first aid along with food and a few extra layers of clothes, in the bag I’ll attach to the bike; camera and various lenses in the backpack. I’ll attach the GPS navigator, preloaded with a main route of about 780 km, to the handlebar.
Certainly, the furthest point to reach and return from remains, Triglav National Park, in Slovenia. Departure and arrival from Val di Non, Trentino-Alto Adige.
The first stretch awaiting me will be quite cold, which is why I dress in all possible layers of my Dainese Antartica. I set out at 5.30 AM sharp. The flickering starlight and an almost full moon keep me company. Trying to acquire the necessary familiarity with the winter gloves and layers of clothing, I stop in Bolzano to refuel for the first time and enter the Eisack Valley. I immediately notice the temperature difference compared to the city. The valley receives very little light during the day, and even the effect of the night alone plays its part. Despite an altitude of just 300/400 meters the temperatures is below zero at times.
In Val Gardena the temperature remains very low, but, due to the frequent temperature fluctuations that occur in this season, the temperature rises as I rise toward the Gardena Pass. At the top, I enjoy the spectacle of a star-flecked sky in the solitude of the Pass. It is 6.40 AM. Priceless.
In a flash, I’m on the Valparola Pass. The sky becomes clearer and clearer, turns pink and blue, while the clouds crown the highest peaks, already whitened with snow. Around me, only silence. At the top of the pass, the Museum of World War I. The Falzarego Pass follows and it’s already 8 AM – straight on toward Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Here, stopping by the Bettio Bakery is a ritual for me. I buy two slices of the usual, fabulous pizza, and also add two of delicious focaccia. In light of the long day today, a few more calories in reserve certainly can’t hurt. I head toward the Tre Croci Pass; at the junction for Lake Misurina I then take a right, along the SR48 that passes behind the Three Peaks of Lavaredo. Crossing these areas of the historical region of Cadore, the change in landscape is evident. The well-kept meadows and pastures of South Tyrol give way to a more forested and wild reality.
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After Auronzo di Cadore I turn off onto the SP169. Here, only the sight of the puffs of smoke from the fireplace of a few farmhouses betrays any human presence. I pass Sella Ciampigotto and stop at the top of the nearby Sella di Razzo to enjoy the silence. I officially enter Friuli-Venezia Giulia, in Carnia.
The first residential area I come across is Sauris. The village, nestled in a fairytale landscape, is very special because it’s an ‘island’ where German is also spoken, as demonstrated by the many multilingual signs. They make a prosciutto here, Prosciutto di Sauris PGI, which is very similar to South Tyrolean speck. From the dam that creates the lake, south of the village of Sauris, you take the winding Pura Pass. It’s a beautiful road to ride, from which you can enjoy a beautiful view of the Tagliamento’s valley as you head down toward Ampezzo.
I then head toward the Tagliamento river, among the locations with a special place in my heart. The Tagliamento is considered the last wild river in Europe. For vast stretches, its course is not channeled, and its bed is a huge expanse of gravel where ecological dynamics can play out naturally, in the generation and destruction of meanders for example. It’s a spectacle with no equal in Europe. Stopping to contemplate the river even for a few minutes gives the impression of observing a living being, perfectly sentient, capable of determining its own destiny.
I check the possibility of doing a little off-road on the GPS, and eat my lunch with the Tagliamento on one side and a captivating little waterfall on the other. What more could you want?
I’m about 250 km from where I started and it’s about 11.00 AM. I reluctantly leave the idyll where I savored my lunch and take the road that leads first to the Rest Pass and then to Val Tramontina. Through beautiful villages, I admire the colors of the water and unspoiled nature. From here, I take the SP57 toward Vito d’Asio. The road is really winding, literally dug out between rock canyons. I lose myself, metaphorically, in the road’s meanders.
I refuel in Cornino then skirt the Tagliamento again, on my right. The riverbed is huge, you struggle to make out the opposite bank and it’s not hard to imagine why several teams come right here to test their vehicles for the Dakar.
I head North, making up for time ‘lost’ in the required breaks thanks to the good traffic on the SS13. After taking the junction for Sella Nevea, in Chiusaforte, the road climbs toward the pass lined with emerald waterways, thunderous waterfalls and beech and larch trees with fall colors so intense they seem almost about to catch fire. I’m just coming to the Slovenian border, in the area of Lake Predil, I left about 7 and a half hours ago, it’s 1 PM and I’m 350 km from home.
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I start riding again with my heart full of this universal beauty and enter Slovenia through the Predil Pass. After a couple of kilometers I take the detour up the valley to Mount Mangart, in the heart of Triglav National Park. The road to the top of the mountain is normally tolled (12 km long, covering 980 meters of altitude difference), but in this season it’s freely accessible. The road is a must for any motorcycle rider. Narrow, winding, without guard-rails or parapets, at times it reminds me of the Gavia Pass road climbing from Ponte di Legno. You pass inside many tunnels dug into the rock, with water percolating from the upper walls. And when you come out of one of these tunnels and look at the valley below you, you see only the abyss and a myriad of colorful trees forming a magnificent “tunnel of foliage”.
I take the 203 southbound, following the course of the Kostnica River (Coritenza) first, and the Soča River (Isonzo) then, I pass Kobarid (Caporetto) and another few km south I take a detour to a secondary road in the direction of the area of Kolovrat and the Solarij Pass, which will take me back to Italy entering from Valle dell’Erbezzo.
From Cividale del Friuli I continue on the itinerary planned originally – 270 km more to ride with 5 hours on the bike. The Valcellina road lulls me while the sky starts turning pink above me: I pass Lake Barcis and stop to enjoy the colors of the sunset on the bank of the Cellina stream.
I say a final goodbye to the sun and cross the San Osvaldo Pass toward Longarone in an almost spectral atmosphere; I stop for a few minutes at the Vajont Dam. I take the road into Val di Zoldo and this is where it unfortunately starts to rain. Luckily, due to the Gore-Tex® suit, I don’t have to stop to add extra waterproof layers. After Forno di Zoldo I continue toward the Staulanza Pass.
Right near the top of the pass a beautiful deer, with its majestic horns, seems to be waiting for me to pass. Though thrilled by the encounter, I immediately lower my speed.
Having arrived in Selva di Cadore I take the very brief SP251, which reconnects with the Fedaia Pass road near Rocca Pietore. Arriving at the top of the pass I decide to stop, for the last time, and to savor the pleasure not only of the moment, but also of this whole incredible day. Here, at the foot of the Marmolada, thanks to the moonlight, I take an almost surreal photo, which confirms the ‘specialness’ of this day.
The last few kilometers fly by. The moonlight illuminates the road, I take the turn for the Costalunga Pass, I pass Bolzano and, going up the Mendola, I also have time to enjoy the partial eclipse of the moon.
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Eccomi in Val di Non, da dove sono partito: il contachilometri segna 773.7 km, e sono le 21.52. Si conclude una di quelle giornate che per me descrive l’essenza dell’andare in moto. Qualcuno dirà che il viaggio è altra cosa: io dico invece che cosa sia o non sia un viaggio è una questione così intima da non poter dare una definizione universale. Al punto che anche un solo giorno passato in moto, può acquistare le sembianze di uno dei più bei viaggi mai vissuti.
ITINERARY OF THE JOURNEY VIA DOLOMITE PASSES
