What a fantastic day – filled with contours, camaraderie, a little culture and some of the best carrots I’ve ever eaten.
My departure from Bressanone began under sunny skies along the Eisack/Isarco river and confirmed my initial assessment that the city warrants another visit. The first few miles continued along the Isarco Cycle Route before climbing up through Neustift and past the magnificent Novacella Abbey where I met Anke and Rainer, a German couple on week-long loop in South Tyrol. We had a lovely chat covering the typical subjects and praising the wonderful Italian biking infrastructure. But it was less than a mile later that the route left pavement and put me on a dirt track, muddy and slippery from the recent rains. I wisely decided ‘twas better to hike than bike and after a very short stretch the trail made a 180° turn and returned safely to pavement.
Rachael AndersonWow! We are getting a few showers now but it will clear up later so we can get out. It’s nice not having to move today. Reply to this comment 5 months ago
The climb up from Bressanone continued through Sciaves/Schabs and then wound along high farm lanes before dropping steeply to the Rienz River in Mühlbach, a lively bike-friendly town. I stopped at a bakery for coffee and a pastry and then picked up the Pusteral Cycle Path that follows the Reinz River through the Puster Valley. It was a fantastic route – rising and falling as it wound through forests and crop land on dedicated paths and small lanes devoid of traffic. The varied landscape and sometimes challenging terrain were a delight, even when a particularly steep incline forced me off the bike. There were a fair number of other cyclists on the route, which is part of the popular long distance Munich to Venice cycle route. Most memorable were a group of four women sporting "Cycle Now Wine Later" jerseys – they had a few days off and were going as far as time and their legs would take them.
This family of four was building a small wooden bridge along the route and dad insisted on carrying Vivien George across the planks, a gesture for which I was most grateful
My destination for the day was Brunico/Bruneck, a town selected both for its location along the route as well as for two potential off-bike excursions. The first was the Messner Mountain Museum (MMM) Ripa, one of six themed museums in South Tyrol created by the Italian mountaineer Rheinhold Messner. Each museum is focused on a different aspect of "man's encounter with mountains” - the emphasis of the Ripa museum is the people who inhabit the mountains. The second potential excursion was a meal at AlpINN restaurant, situated atop the nearby Plan de Corones ski area and accessible only by cable car. It was not just the setting that drew me but also the fact that is it one of two restaurants in Brunico overseen by Norbert Niederkofler, a Michelin 3-star chef who espouses a “Cook the Mountain” approach to his cuisine.
Due to their various opening times, the plan was to visit the museum today and take an early lunch at AlpINN tomorrow, when I had scheduled a short mileage day. Today, I had hoped to drop off my bike and panniers before hiking up to the museum; however, the guest house was shut tight so I donned my sneakers and pushed the loaded Vivien George up the steep incline to Bruneck Castle, where the museum is housed. A couple of other bikes were parked outside the castle, one of which belonged to Tina, a solo woman cyclist from Germany who was making her way from Munich to Venice. We had a long and wonderful conversation, instantly bonding over shared experiences and challenges of touring solo. She had just finished her museum visit and although lukewarm about the displays she remarked that there were good views from the castle tower.
The museum was quite interesting, with exhibits and films depicting the life and culture of those who inhabit mountainous terrain throughout the world, with a major emphasis on peoples of the Himalaya. The juxtaposition of Asian culture/religion and the 13th century Episcopal castle provided an interesting contrast between eastern and western philosophies. And although access to the top of the tower was blocked, I did get some nice views over Brunico and the surrounding valley.
Strap on your sneakers, Susan - we're heading up to Bruneck Castle and the Messner Mountain Museum
At the end of the day, I decided to forego my plans for lunch tomorrow at AlpINN – the weather reports were sketchy and I was a bit leery of taking on terrain with a full stomach. But I did not deprive myself of a wonderful meal, dining instead at a new establishment in this town full of exceptional restaurants. I scanned their menu, intrigued and tempted by a number of offerings and choosing to splurge on a four-course menu. I was a bit taken aback to learn that each course was the chef’s choice, not mine – but very pleased that we both chose the glazed carrots with humus as the starter. As noted above, they were the best carrots I’d ever eaten, and the rest of the meal did not disappoint. It was a meal that captured the day, full of surprises and delights.
Brunico seems to be a pretty hlgh-end ski and tourist town,but was pretty quiet on the night I visited
