To Avio

June 4, 2023

It’s another day where we go to bed wondering if we’ll be looking at train schedules in the morning and wake up to a much improved outlook. It appears that it rained hard in the night when we look across the canal when we first get up - it’s raining lightly now the streets are still glistening, but the weather apps say it’s supposed to start clearing by nine and give us a five hour window to fit our 30 mile ride into. Perfect.

The town still looks quiet when we head down to breakfast at 7:30, with only a few early morning joggers out and the streets largely empty of cars. By the time we head up through the Brescia Gate to the partnering hotel that’s storing our bikes for us though the situation has changed. By the time we double back toward the gate with our bicycles it’s clogged with three large tour groups all fighting for position and the best views.

Peschiera is an undeniably interesting and colorful spot, but seeing it like this on a holiday weekend has soured it for us. With so many other outstanding destinations nearby, I doubt we’d make it back to this one.

The pistacchio croissants are as good as the reviews claimed they would be.

Ten AM must be the magical hour when all the fun begins. Ten minutes earlier when we walked the other way through this gate the street was nearly empty.

For the next few miles we follow the lakeshore north, weaving through crowds the whole way. As scenic as the lakeside views are and as endearing as the ducklings quick-paddling in the shallows are, this stretch is the least enjoyable part of the day and it’s a relief when we come to our turnoff and start climbing away from the lake.

Monte Baldo’s long ridge line hovers high over almost the entire length of Lake Garda. I’ve picked what looks like the easiest traverse not involving a long detour to the south, crossing it early when there’s nothing more severe than a few low foothills to roll across. We’re just on minor roads the whole way, but there’s a surprising amount of traffic that’s unusually impatient this morning so we aren’t tempted to stop until we’re across the hills and come to the Adige.

Once we come to the great river though, everything changes. The last twenty miles of the day are an absolute stunner, a succession of one knockout view after another all the way north.

Heading north. We’re just leaving the Valpolicella wine region, angling toward the river which we’re approaching at a diagonal on the left.

San Martino di Tours church, Volagne. We looked down from above at this colorful bell tower from the opposite side of the river on our ride to Garda about ten days ago. It’s nice to see it so close up this time.

The entire rest of the ride to Avio is excellent, but the first mile or two beyond Volagne is a real showstopper as the river navigates through a tight S-bend in the river beneath the Rivoli Cliffs. It’s a place where you want to stop every few hundred yards and look again in amazement from a new perspective.

I think this part of the trail is fairly new, and not to be missed if you come this way in the future.

Descending to the river, at Volagne. For much of the rest of the ride we’ll be on paved pedestrian tracks or virtually traffic-free farming roads.

Impossibly sheer cliffs rise straight up from both banks of the river.

There’s a real feeling of drama and anticipation as you round these bends, wondering what you’ll see just ahead.

Not something we expected to see here, but it gets our attention too.

Looking through the last gap between the cliffs, we get a brief glimpse of Fort Rivoli ahead.

I’m not sure, but I think they’re looking at rock climbers scaling the opposite wall. Rachael said she saw some up there.

Fort Rivoli. This is another structure we saw ten days ago on our ride to Garda. Then, we were looking down on its grass-covered roof.

The valley widens out north of those astounding cliffs, but the views are still impressive all the way north as we bike through vinyards picturesquely terraced up the slopes of the cliffs on either side of the river. We’re really fortunate that the weather has steadily improved with the day, both so that we can relax about arriving dry and enjoy the dramatic scenery. Really, one of the best riding days of the tour.

The valley widens and straightens out as we continue north and leave the Rivoli Cliffs behind.

Looking ahead to Sideras, one of the attractive small villages we pass through every few miles.

We bike through idyllic scenes like this for the next ten miles.

A look back as we cross the river at Borghetto.

Approaching Avio, our stop for the night. Looks OK.

Rachael’s gotten ahead of me as usual, but I’m only a third of a mile from town when she calls me to find how far away I am because she’s at the hotel with our host waiting for us. A few minutes later I’m biking into town and Rachael hollers to me from across the street and I wheel into the open garage door waiting for me.

Ten minutes later we’re checked into our room, given the keys, told that breakfast is at 7 at the bar next door, and that the pizzeria just across the street will be open at six. We settle in for perhaps an hour, and then I decide to have a look around the village before thunder storms are due to roll in around four.

But that can wait. We’ll stop here for now and be content to have arrived dry in such a beautiful place, after such a breathtaking ride.

Video sound track: Sonho (Dream), by Nando Lauria

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Patrick O'HaraThanks for jogging our memory of last year's tour. Should be pretty relaxed riding toward Trento along the Adige! Stunning photos.
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1 year ago

Scott AndersonTo Patrick O'HaraI’m sure it would have been, on a dry day (as we remember from five years ago). With rain in the forecast for the whole day, we took the train.
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1 year ago

Patrick O'HaraThat's too bad about the weather. I don't blame you for taking the train. I bet it looked pretty socked in all along the train ride today....perhaps even a little moody? Just for perspective, it was 42 degrees Celsius when we were in Trento last summer!
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1 year ago

Ride stats today: 33 miles, 1,300’; for the tour: 1,705 miles, 69,400’

Today's ride: 33 miles (53 km)
Total: 1,703 miles (2,741 km)

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Suzanne GibsonGreat pictures! Darn, we were on the other side of the Adige. Wish we had known that the other path was even nicer.
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1 year ago

Scott AndersonTo Suzanne GibsonI knew you’d be thinking that. It was pure luck that we ended here. I knew nothing about it and was just trying to find the easiest way across the ridge.
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1 year ago

Janice BranhamWonderful photos. Glad you had good weather for your ride.
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1 year ago

Ben ParkeThe closer you get to Bolzano, the better the scenery gets. Bolzano heading north to Brixen is the most beautiful stretch of trail I’ve ever ridden.
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1 year ago

Scott AndersonTo Ben ParkeIt’s wonderful country alright. We did ride through there from Dobbiaco five years ago and it’s still on my list to see again. It’s just right as an old guy route - stunning the whole way, but not too severe.
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1 year ago