To Bressanone

June 23, 2024

There was another overnight rainstorm but unlike yesterday there was no sunshine and blue skies to greet me this morning. Instead, I woke to a city cloaked in low hanging clouds with predictions for a cloudy day and a chance of rain. Even more reason to appreciate yesterday’s clear skies and sunshine.

From Bolzano, the Adige Cycle Path follows the river through the Vinschgau Valley to its source near Reschen Pass. It is a beautiful stretch through apple orchards that I rode in 2021, a trip I fondly remember. Today, however, I left the Adige and headed up the narrow Eisack/Isarco Valley to Bressanone on a dedicated cycle route, known variously as the Isarco Valle Cycle path and the Bressanone-Bolzano Cycle Path. The clouds began to lift as I got underway, and I was hopeful that I would stay dry and maybe even get a ray of sunshine before the days end.

Lifting clouds and perhaps a small patch of blue

The steep terraced hillsides as I enter the Eisack/Isarco Valley

I believe this is the confluence of the Adige and Eisack/Isarco rivers

There were three main themes of today’s ride: Art, Tunnels, and Water. We’ll start with Art.

A 6 km section of the cycle path between Bolzano and Cardano displays various works of art, including sculptures and murals, and is known as the Augenreise (Eye Trip) cycle path. The public arts project was launched in 2007 with the slogan "Art knows no limitations" and a goal "..to draw attention to the work and art of people with handicaps and to raise public awareness of the cultural achievements of these people.”

I share below just a few examples of the art along the trail - not all of which may be part of the ""Art knows no limitations" project.

I'm pretty sure this is not part of the project, but it makes a nice seque to the second theme of the day: Tunnels

We’ll next talk about tunnels.

Traveling through the Eisack/Isarco Valley are three transportation lines – a high speed motorway, a two-lane state road, and a railroad -each of which utilize a series of tunnels, bridges, and overpasses as they traverse through the river valley. The railroad line is part of the Brenner Base Tunnel, a project to build a 34 mile railway tunnel under Brenner Pass that is expected to be fully open in 2032. Completed sections of the tunnel include the Cardano Tunnel along the Eisack River, and the now abandoned above-ground railway has been repurposed as the cycle path.

My Tunnel theme picked up steam shortly after Cardano, just as the Art project was winding down. There were long tunnels with lights, short dark tunnels, and one-sided tunnels -if they can be considered a tunnel. The long ones played havoc with my GPS tracking, especially when I stopped to take a picture, some of which I share below.

Three modern transportation modes, each with their own tunnel

Sometimes you go over and not through the mountain

This tunnel reminded me of my trip over Reschen Pass, when I inadvertently found myself in a high-speed 7 km long tunnel. I was rescued by the highway crew and given a stern lecture by state police. https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/munichbolognaloop/to-lermoos/

Luckily, it was very easy to spot the bike route and avoid the tunnel

The final theme of the day was Water. The narrow confines of the valley immersed me in the sights and sounds of a river swollen by rains. Water poured from feeder streams and cascading waterfalls and churned downstream with a deafening roar. It was my constant companion for twenty miles, close at hand and vocal, but not easily photographed.

After twenty miles, I reached the medieval city of Klausen, a lively town that merited more time than I was willing to share.

In Klausen, where the bike route goes right down the middle of town

The valley broadened beyond Klausen, offering views of terraced hillsides and grazing goats. I continued on into Bressanone and after a wee bit of struggle found the key to my room - I was staying in a seminary and the room was even smaller than last night! I finished off my Indian leftovers, did after ride clean ups, and laid down for a nap. I did manage to get out for a very quick look around the Bressanone, a city with distinctive style and rich history. It had been a wondrous day filled with sights and sounds that entertained and enchanted.