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Italy 2017 (#2)

Part 2: July 9th – 14th

By Watracz Is Traveling

Day 5: The Dolomites

July 9th, 2017

I wake up just before dawn, not rested at all, and with my stomach aching. A storm was raging over my camp the entire night, and it was hard to sleep. I feel nauseous, so I wrap myself in my sleeping bag for two more hours. More and more people arrive to the lake, setting up umbrellas, tables, and portable grills. I get out of my tent, and it turns out that it’s ankle-deep in water. There’s a huge puddle all around it; probably because of the rain, and because I set it up too close to the lake. Luckily, the water didn’t get inside. Wading in water up to my ankles I pack up the tent, then get moving.

Riding my bike is really challenging because of the stomachache. I stop to rest a while on a bench by the side of the road, but it doesn’t help much. I guess the only thing to do is find the nearest campsite and get a good rest.

Camping Valle Verde

I take several breaks over the next 70 kilometers. Eventually, I reach the campsite, set up my tent and go to sleep. I feel better in the afternoon. I do my laundry, charge my camera’s batteries, eat my lunch, and go through the photos.

My next-tent neighbor, Luka, picks up a beer bottle and asks if I’d like to have a drink. I take out my orange KTM cup and we begin chatting. Luka’s from Torino, he works in IT and he came here for a 5-day trip, to ride his mountain bike around the Dolomites. We poke fun at cyclists who take a bus to the top of the pass, then bike down and claim they’ve “biked to the pass.”

Day 6: The Dolomites, Lake Garda, Lake Idro

July 10th, 2017

It rains again during the night. The sun comes out before noon, though, so I pack up and head out. I slowly ride out of the Dolomites through the Passo Nigra (1,688 m. a.s.l.), then through the Passo di Costalunga (1,745 m. a.s.l.) mountain passes.

Lago di Toblino

The Arco Castle

Lake Garda

I get to Lake Garda before 2 p.m. It’s the largest, and supposedly one of the cleanest, lakes in Italy. There’s plenty touristic towns and attractions around it. The route along its west shore takes you through a rocky coast, a dozen meters above water. On the way, I go through a few tunnels — they’re a welcome opportunity to cool down.

I pass the towns of Riva del Garda, Limone sul Garda, and Gargnano. I look for a good place to take a photo, but the route is very busy, and parking areas with a good view are few and far between.

In Gargnano, I veer north-west and stop by one of the turns for a brief photo session.

Lago di Valvestino

Lake Idro (Italian: Lago d’Idro)

Camping Vantone Pineta

It’s after 4 p.m., high time to find a waterside campsite and go swimming. The first site I come across is expensive: 32 euros for a night. And just 200 meters further, there’s a second one, with a much friendlier price (about 14 euros). Even better, there’s an old motorbike parked in front of the reception — a wartime Moto Guzzi, property of the campsite’s owner.

The owner begins to tell me the story of his motorbike, how many seasons he’s had it, how many kilometers he rides every year, then he starts up the bike, tells me how everything works, and shows photos from his trips. I ask if he could recommend some nice mountain passes nearby, so he pulls out the map and marks various spots and routes, completely different than what I had planned.

At the campsite’s restaurant, I order minestrone and spaghetti carbonara (18 euros total); then I take a dip in the water.

Day 7: Lake Garda, Vangadizza

July 11th, 2017

After the night’s downpour, part of my equipment is soaked — I think I didn’t close up the luggage bag, and water got inside. I pull out all my things and lay them out on the motorbike, to get them dry.

Around noon everything’s dry, so I pack up and head out, towards Vangadizza, a small town south of Legnago, where my cousin Piotrek lives.

I get a little lost on the way, and I need to add over 60 kilometers to my route. I accidentally arrive in the town of Oppeano, where years ago I had a holiday job at a tomato plantation.

Another sat nav charger cable breaks down on me, so I stop by a gas station and buy a new charger.

Vangadizza

I was supposed to hit Vangadizza at 8 p.m. — that’s the time my cousin gets off work — but I get there an hour early. As I ride towards the town center, I notice Piotrek riding his bicycle in the opposite direction: he finished early, so it looks like we’ve coordinated perfectly! At his place, I have a pork cutlet and a cold beer for dinner and, for the first time in a week, I don’t need to set up my tent. What a relief!

Day 8: Vangadizza

July 12th, 2017

In the morning Piotrek decides he’s taking a day off, so I choose to stay a day longer, rest up and take a tour of the area. In the evening, we watch some of the 2009 Notorious B.I.G. biopic, Notorious.

Day 9: Croce Domini Pass, Vivione Pass, Lake Iseo

July 13th, 2017

The Croce Domini Pass

1,892 m. a.s.l.

The pass is really narrow, only one vehicle can fit in at a time, and on every turn, you need to watch out for anything coming from the other side. I take the pass twice, both ways, then keep going.

The Vivione Pass

1,828 m. a.s.l.

Another narrow pass with a lot of “blind” turns. At one of them, I barely avoid a head-on crash with a Land Rover coming from the other side — it is taking up the entire width of the road.

Camping Eden at Pisogne

Price per night is 16 euros. I have toast for dinner at the campsite’s bar; I also get a complimentary beer and manage to order a few sandwiches for the morning.

Day 10: Bergamo, Moto Guzzi Museum, Lago di Garlate

July 14th, 2017

In the morning I pick up the sandwiches, pack my stuff, and head towards Lake Como, about 100 kilometers west. On the way, I buy some sunscreen and eye drops at a pharmacy. I think the sun’s gotten to me in the past couple of days, cause my face has been burning for the past 24 hours, and my eyes are watering — which makes it difficult to ride the bike. I apply both the drops and the sunscreen at the parking lot in front of the pharmacy; then I set off towards Lecco. Around 1 p.m. I get to Mandell del Lario, the home of the Moto Guzzi Museum.

Moto Guzzi Museum

The museum opens at 3 p.m., and entry is free. Inside, there are more than 150 exhibits from various eras in the history of the Moto Guzzi brand, including over 80 vehicles. Looking at each of the bikes, you can see how quickly the technology progressed in the last several decades.

Among the legendary racing machines there’s also the 1924 Moto Guzzi 4V, on which Guido Mentasti won the first ever European FICM Grand Prix at Monza, on September 6th, 1924.

I finish the tour around 4 p.m. and head south, towards Lake Garlate.

Camping Rivabella

The price is 16.5 euros per night. I find a spot right by the lake shore, and borrow a kayak for an hour (5 euros extra).

Then I go on a look out for a pharmacy that has better sunscreen in store — the one I got includes alcohol and burns. I manage to find a pharmacy, and I’m even given a few samples of a different sunscreen, which has panthenol in it, and supposedly is very good. In the evening I have my supper, sort my photos and go to bed early.