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Tips for DIY mechanics » Tour 4 - The southern Dolomites Tour length: 150km Travel time: ca. 2h 40min
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Touring tips They might not be quite so high or quite so spectacular, but they actually
Country tips » represent a bikers’ paradise that has been almost criminally neglected to date:
the southern Dolomites on the border between the provinces of Trentino-South
Tyrol and Veneto. Nevertheless, for those acquainted with the region around the
Passo di Rolle and the Passo di Valles they are a great alternative – especially
when the tourists and camper vans pile up in the northern Dolomites around the
Service-Box Sellajoch during the Italian vacation month of August. The region which hosts our
next round trip offers incredible variety combined with numerous curves and
Foreign customers hairpins. So let’s start in the sleepy mountain village of San Martino di C astrozza,
Gift vouchers situated at a therapeutic 1,500 metres (4,921 ft.) above sea level in the idyllic
C ompetition Primiero valley. Just a stone’s throw away from the southern edge of the village
C atalogue lies the already mentioned Passo di Rolle, which we will leave till the end of the
C ontact tour to top off the day’s proceedings.
LouisFunC ard
Louis MasterC ard Ready for take-off
Material lexicon
Newsletter Initially we head out of the village on the north side. Here the last few houses
Shipping costs belonging to San Martino di C astrozza may be found lining the first genuine
Payment options hairpins of the day’s tour. What more could you wish for! A total of thirty (!)
hairpins lie before us as we make our way through the Paneveggio Pale di San Martino National Park, finally ascending to the eastern
shore of the Lago di Paneveggio. C overing a total of 200 square kilometres (77 sq mi) the National Park incorporates three landscapes
No-risk shopping that typify the Dolomites: a major spruce forest, the Pale di San Martino massif, which stretches eastwards to the regional border with
Veneto, and the eastern end of the Lagorai range of peaks. The reservoir nestling half-hidden among forested hills to your left is a popular
Safe payment destination with picnickers and anglers – make sure you stop for a break and enjoy the view from its shores.
Right of Return
Return parts Touching the sky
The SP81 brings us eastwards via a flurry of gradients to Passo di Valles, a very
Secure data transmission respectable 2,030 m (6,660 ft.) above sea level. The park management has
ensured that the route is dotted with well-equipped picnic spots, the perfect
location for a leisurely pit stop immersed in the sublime natural surroundings of
the southern Dolomites. Shortly before the pass we reach the tree line where we
ride past a managed swathe of alpine meadow to complete the ascent to the Passo
di Valles summit, complete with chapel and mountain guesthouse, along a well-
made serpentine route. The real highlight, however, is the amazing view across to
the group of peaks around the Passo Rolle, not to mention Monte C ivetta. Take
time to stop, take off your helmet, take a few deep breaths and take a look
around you. It’s worth it.

Just like the nine tight hairpins which then lead us down into the mountain village
of Falcade. Oh yes: before we enter Falcade there’s a left turn leading to the day's
first detour.

We continue at a gentle curve racing pace, cruising

through thick forests to C encenighe Agordino, a
somewhat sleepy mountain village where the road
to the left forks off towards Alleghe. Do you
remember our extra tip from Tour 2?

This is the perfect chance to combine both. A colourful house » Detour no. 1:
façade, an impressive church, an imposing backdrop of rocky
peaks – the panorama offered by Agordo a few kilometres Passo di San Pellegrino at 1,920 m
further down the road is typical of a northern Italian Dolomite (6,299 ft.) above sea level. This is
hamlet where life simply never gets too loud. And maybe that’s said to be where the world-famous
what makes it so appealing. If required a further option for a mineral water comes from.
detour presents itself at this point – up to Passo Duran at 1,600
m (5,249 ft.) above sea level.

Today Agordo is the starting point for a series of bends which » Detour no. 2:
leads us in sweeping curves firstly into the vicinity of Belluno
then around above the picturesque Lago del Mis in the Belluno
Dolomite National Park, to return gradually to our point of Passo Duran, which – to be precise –
departure. In the hamlet Mas just outside Belluno, with its also includes another summit: the
panoramic view of the magnificent Piave valley, we now turn somewhat closer Forcella Franche at a
north in the direction of Mis and its beautiful lake of the same height of just over 1,000 m (3,280
name. From the road lining the shoreside the reservoir offers ft.).
stunning views of the Monti del Sole group of peaks, the
National Park’s wild untamed heart. Hiking routes lead up the
nearby hills, cataracts tumble into the lake, and pretty picnic areas are a welcome invitation to soak up as
much as of this idyll as possible. Or to capture the images on camera for posterity.

Time to discover unknown territory

And maybe to take a breather too, since the legendary series of bends that awaits us will demand our full
concentration. Passing through Tiser, Rivamonte and Frassene we reach the Forcella Aurine at over 1,300
m (4,265 ft.) above sea level, which together with the Passo di C ereda (1,370 m / 4,495 ft.) - yet to be
encountered - must be one of the least known of all the Dolomite passes. After all, have you ever heard of
either of them?
This lonely stretch of road, which at times becomes very narrow, ascends through tranquil hamlets and
tiny mountain villages, and although both passes aren’t especially spectacular, they both nestle in pristine
and unspoilt natural surroundings. Oh yes: there are of course a handful of options for those seeking
refreshment. And that’s the way it should be.
In Transacqua we are once more confronted with the brashness of the here and now: this popular tourist
village boasts good tourist infrastructure designed to cater to body and soul. After a pit stop or a short
 village boasts good tourist infrastructure designed to cater to body and soul. After a pit stop or a short
stroll we can then either continue on with Detour no. 3 or turn our visors to the last of today’s passes – the
Passo di Rolle.

A sundowner as aperitif » Detour no. 3:

As part of the main front of World War One, the Rolle pass at
Passo di Gobbera at 1,000 metres
good 2,000 metres (6,561 ft.) above sea level gained notoriety
(3,280 ft.) above sea level – not
years before curve-hungry Italian motorcyclists discovered its
demanding, not overpowering, simply
delights. But all that is long gone now: these days, the idea is
pure biking pleasure.
to enjoy the Passo di Rolle to the full. All the more so, as the
pass road – one of the oldest roads in the Dolomites, by the
way – leads us in sweeping curves through the heart of the stunningly beautiful Paneveggio Pale di San
Martino National Park. The pass itself may be insignificant, but refreshments can be picked up further on
down the road at the place where we set out from. But right now it’s a question of enjoying the view from
the Rolle pass at the end of a long day in the saddle. Maybe the sun will even be about to set, so why not
enjoy a real “sundowner” as your aperitif before treating yourself in an evening of culinary indulgence in
the homeland of pizza and pasta. Truly delicious…

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Tour in pdf format Further maps

»Map in pdf format (1xDIN A4)
»Map in pdf format (4xDIN A4 gekachelt)
»GPS data for Garmin (.zip)
»GPS data for TomTom (.zip)
»Download now (german version), 2.3 MB »GPS data in GPX format (.zip)

Touring set External links

»Touring set Tour 4 - The southern Dolomites (.zip), 9.4 MB »Tour on Google Maps
»Further information on Road C oncept Verlag

One more tip: Belluno

In Belluno they are incredibly proud of having been the birthplace of not one but two popes, Gregory XVI
and John Paul I. That, its location at the foot of the Dolomites and its panorama are what make the town
so unique. The C elts settled here five hundred years B.C ., and gave their name to the settlement which
grew up there – “belo-donum” – which under the Romans then became the imperial city of Bellunum.
The Teutons conquered the town, as did Napoleon in 1797. He was followed by the Austrians, and then,
following World War One and the annexation of South Tyrol, the Italian province of Belluno was created
to include C ortina d’Ampezzo. But it wasn’t just this rich history which led to Belluno being named Alpine
Town of the Year in 1999. It is the perfect symbiosis of natural surroundings and urban development, the
blend of tranquillity and exuberance that makes Belluno special and particularly worth seeing.
»Further info

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