Alps Deluxe (RTV2602)
Today’s agenda included the group’s first get-together, and our hotel’s terrace provided the perfect setting for our welcome briefing, during which we were able to explain everything the guests needed to know about our upcoming tour.
After a relaxing first day in Seefeld, we’re hopping on our motorcycles today and heading to Bolzano in Italy. First, we ride down from Seefeld into the Inn Valley, which we follow for a few kilometers before turning off into the Ötztal. We follow this valley all the way to the Timmelsjoch, where we make our first stop at the world’s highest motorcycle museum. Then we cross the border into Italy, where we’ll be riding around over the next few days. Now that we’re in Italy, we naturally have to try the local pizzas for lunch—and it was more than worth it. Refreshed, we tackle the Mendel Pass to round out the day before heading to our hotel in the center of Bolzano. What a great first day.
Today, we’ve chosen the hidden, less-traveled passes of the Dolomites. We head up to the Rolle Pass in light rain. After a good cup of coffee, we set off for lunch. We enjoy our meal at the Cereda Pass. Refreshed, we make our way through the Valle de Mis to the Passo San Boldo. This highlight left everyone speechless. Satisfied and tired, we arrive at our hotel. Our hotel, the Castle Brando, is another highlight of our tour. We finished the day with a fabulous dinner tonight.
Today’s route takes us from Cison di Valmarino to Asolo. We drove all day along the southern foothills of the Alps, and the landscape here is characterized more by rolling hills than by the rugged mountains further north. The area around Valdobiadene is known for its fine Prosecco, so naturally we stopped at a winery this morning. Even though we couldn’t taste the fine wines, of course, we did pick up a bottle or two to take home for later. Our lunch stop today was in Bassano del Grappa at a great little restaurant right on the river, with a view of the old town and the Ponte Vecchio. Refreshed by Italian specialties, we then set off for the driving highlight of the day: Monte Grappa. Although it’s only just over 1,700 meters high, the winding roads to the summit are simply a dream to drive. Once we arrived at our enchanting hotel in Asolo, Dominik surprised us with a special “boat beer”—in keeping with the local tradition, today we didn’t have beer but local Prosecco to drink. What better way to round off a great day?
Today we’re traveling from Asolo to Verona. After a short stretch on the highway, we arrive in Marostica. This small town impresses with its imposing medieval fortifications. The large square is filled with several grandstands. The famous human chess game will take place here in a few days. Unfortunately, there was no king or queen in sight. After a quick refreshment break, we head straight into the mountains. We’re glad to escape the heat. After countless curves and fantastic views, we reach our lunch stop. Refreshed, we set off on the final leg of our trip to Verona.
Die wunderschöne Stadt Verona hat so einiges zu bieten und das Angebot an Optionen für Sightseeing würden locker für eine Woche reichen. Daher haben wir heute beschlossen unsere Motorräder auf dem Parkplatz stehen zu lassen und lieber die Gelegenheit zu Nutzen um Verona ausgiebig zu erkunden.
After a wonderful day of rest in Verona, it was time today to leave our impressive hotel behind and hop back on our motorcycles. Within a few minutes, Verona was already behind us, and we set off northward into the hills east of Lake Garda, which offer some great roads. First, we tackled the Passo delle Fittanze della Sega, where we also stopped for our first coffee break. We then continued over the Passo Bordala to our lunch stop, but first we stopped by a grappa producer to stock up on drinks for tonight. In the afternoon, we rode toward Lake Garda and took the ferry there, which brought us to our hotel in Gardone Riviera.
Today was another really exciting day. From Gardone di Garda, we drove past Lago di Valvestino to Lago d’Idro. After a quick stop for coffee, we climbed the Passo Crocedomini. It was a really narrow road that we had a lot of fun riding on. After an excellent lunch in Edolo, we set out to tackle the highlight of the day: the Gavia Pass. It’s considered one of the most thrilling passes in the Alps for good reason. It’s narrow—very narrow—and offers breathtaking views. After this experience, we sit together at the hotel as the sun sets and reflect on the day. We wrap up the evening with dinner in a special setting—a fitting end to the day.
It’s hard to believe that our tour is already coming to an end today, but at least we had another great day. From Bormio, we first headed to Livigno, where we took the opportunity to fill up our motorcycles and pick up a few things at the duty-free shop. We then rode through Switzerland for a bit before heading over the Umbrail Pass to the highlight of the day, the Stelvio Pass. We handled the many hairpin turns on the way down with ease and then stopped for lunch in Glurns. We then headed back to Austria via the Reschen Pass and on toward Mieming, where we parked the bikes and had the chance to take a quick look behind the scenes at Edelweiss. It was a great tour with great people. Hopefully we’ll see each other again on the next tour. Dominik & Daniel