To Borgo Valsugana

October 2, 2021

Before looking at today’s ride, let’s check out yesterday’s acquisitions. First the new cycling top, presented by our fashion model who looks like she’s about to sneeze:

I should have caught her with her back turned because there’s more of the pink on the back that goes nicely with our hotel wall.

And then the tire we’re so happy to have found. As hard as the climb up to Asolo was, it was very comforting to not be worrying about getting a flat along the way.

They didn’t have Schwalbe Marathons, but we weren’t inclined to be choosy. Anyone know how durable this thing is likely to be?

We’ve always viewed our itinerary once we left Salzburg as a vision, not a commitment. With our only fixed point being the airbnb in Viterbo holding our suitcases, we planned to stay flexible as to both the route and the rate. You’ll remember that back in Salzburg we posted a projected route for this stage, ending in Piacenza. The detour to Kranjska Gora wasn’t in that plan, and today’s ride wasn’t either.

Once we committed ourselves to overnighting in Bassano I looked again at the biking around here and noted the route north up along the Brenta river, ending eventually in Trento. Further research revealed that this ride through Valsugana is a spectacular riverside ride through the mountains - our favorite kind of ride, really. So we’re going to Trento.

And, since we’re way overdue for both a rainout and a break from the road, we’ve booked ourselves into 3 night stay in an apartment in Trento. It looks like a four or five day rain event will begin about the time we reach Trento so we’ll hole up there for a few days, rest up a bit, and then think again about how to proceed south.

But that’s tomorrow. Today’s destination is Borgo Valsugana, at roughly the halfway point to Trento. It’s not far, but we don’t feel the need to rush through what we expect to be an exceptional cycling experience.

Biking out of Bassano we’re reminded again of what an attractive place it is. It’s especially vibrant this weekend because there’s some sort of local festivity on and everywhere you look Italian flags are waving. Ponte Vecchio, the famous bridge across the Brenta that is the landmark of the town, has rows of flapping flags lining both sides, and it seems like every other person we pass has their phone out taking a photo.

Looking north up the Brenta from Bassano del Grappa. That’s the course of our ride today.

Crossing the bridge, we stop in at a shop for an irresistible purchase; and while there I ask the shopkeeper what is going on today. I don’t quite follow what he’s saying, but it has something to do with the bridge. Thanks to this Wikipedia article though, now I understand.

The original Ponte Vecchio was designed by Palladio in 1569 to replace the previous one that was destroyed by flood. The bridge has been destroyed and rebuilt three times since then, always remaining faithful to Palladio’s design. It was rebuilt after the original was destroyed by flood in 1748, and again after its successor was destroyed by fire in 1813. Finally, it was destroyed by partisans in 1945 as an act of sabotage, blown up by fifteen cyclists towing explosives behind their bicycles.

The newest version of the bridge was inaugurated on October 3, 1948. The festivities today are in celebration of the commemoration of the new bridge 73 years ago tomorrow.

The Wikipedia article also explains why we see so many men who are walking around sporting tyrolean hats with a long protruding feather. The bridge was rebuilt by veterans of the Alpini Corps, and this was the hat worn by them during the war.

Celebrating the building of the newest version of the Ponte Vecchio. If you zoom in you’ll see a man with a feathered cap on the left, in the style of the Alpini Corps.

Looking north along the Brenta from the Ponte Vecchio.

The view toward the old city from the Ponte Vecchio.

A look back along the bridge from the other side.

And an exterior view of the bridge. Sorry it’s so bright, but it’s the best we could do from this side.

We had high expectations for today’s ride, but the first few miles out of town are quite frustrating as we fail to find the correct route. The one we had loaded on the Garmins follows a walking route beside the river, which we find is not open to bicycles. We do a fair amount of stumbling around and backtracking until we finally connect up with the marked route. Once there, navigation the rest of the way is reasonably easy because the route is well signed and we regularly encounter other cyclists.

Not this way either - it’s bikeable for a few hundred yards but then reverts to a pedestrian only trail again. Beautiful view though.

And once we finally find the route, the rest of the ride is spectacular as we thread our way through a narrow, twisted canyon with impossibly steep and high cliffs on both sides. I’m surprised at how much it reminds me of biking along the Virgin River through Zion National Park last spring - it’s that exceptional.

Early on in the ride we come to a colorful community, Valstagna, with its bridge adorned with banners. I didn’t know what we were seeing at the time, but this is in honor of the Palio delle Zattere (the Palio of the Rafts), the annual summertime event to honor the valley’s history as a logging community, when logs were rafted down the Brenta. Complete with costumes and a parade, I’m sure it would be a wonderful spectacle to see if you were here on the right weekend in July. Today it makes a great spot to stop for lunch; and as we leave town we pass by many teams of six man rafts, here for what looks like a rafting competition of different sort.

In Valstagna, where we stopped for lunch. The bridge is decorated with banners of the districts that contest annually in the Palio delle Zattere.

Downloaded from the web: an image of contestants in the Palio delle Zattere.

The view from our lunch stop in Valstagna.

Beyond Valstagna the route becomes very quiet, with nearly all of the traffic on the road limited to bicycles and motorcycles. We learn why when we come to a bridge closure - the first of about a half dozen times we’ll cross the Brenta today. The bridge is barricaded and out of service, except for a narrow passageway just wide enough for two-wheelers. For much of the remainder of the day we virtually have the road to ourselves.

Some village along the Brenta that I forgot to note the name of. Most of these villages look like this - narrow, one street affairs sandwiched between the cliffs and the river.

Along the Brenta River. The wall ahead has a fortification of some sort halfway up, festooned with coats of arms.

Crossing the Brenta, on an odd bridge constructed of something like rubber planks.

Video sound track: Liberi, by Fabrizio Moro

Arrival in Borgo is frustrating at first. We arrive at 3:30, buzz the door of our affitacamere, and there’s no response. We phone, but there’s still no response. So we check our booking email and see that check-in isn’t until 5, a fact we’d forgotten. We fill in 90 minutes at a nearby patisserie and then go back to our room and try again. Nothing. It’s 5:01, and we start discussing contingencies when a woman walks up the alley, in a hurry. In broken English she apologizes and says that she’s just gotten off work at her hospital. So of course it’s all fine.

We don’t see much at all of Borgo tonight because we’re both wiped out. It was an easy 35 mile day, but we’re both exhausted when we arrive in town - a sure sign that we’re due for a day off. Rachael takes a warm shower and then immediately crashes and doesn’t wake up again until time for dinner.

For dinner we walk to the only restaurant open tonight, Sale & Pepe. It’s only a pizzeria, but it has a diverse menu and the warm feeling of a family restaurant that takes pride in itself and its service. Afterwards we enjoy the short stroll back to our room along the bank of the now greatly diminished Brenta that splits the town.

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Ride stats today: 36 miles, 1,300’; for the tour: 1,714 miles, 60,800’

Today's ride: 36 miles (58 km)
Total: 1,714 miles (2,758 km)

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Suzanne GibsonLooks like a beautiful ride, I want to do that one, too! Maybe in the other direction.
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3 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Suzanne GibsonIt would be awesome going the other direction. When you come down, I would start at San Cristoforo, just east of Trento but on the lake side of the pass. That’s where the bike route really begins - it’s kind of a mess between there and Trento. You could bike down to Bassano and then catch the train back up. Even better, ride it as a out and back..
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3 years ago