Good evening from the wrong side of the barrier…

It started so well, just around the corner from our accommodation we found a typical Italian café. We treated ourselves to a cappuccino, café latte and brioche.
We found our way out of Venice easily through the many traffic circles that are common in the south. Our first destination for the day: the Menador road (Strada del Menador Punto Panoramico). It is a ten-kilometre-long Alpine road in the Italian province of Trento and leads from the Valsugana to the Lavarone – Luserna plateau.

On the way there, the picture changed constantly. At first it was still Tuscan-style two-storey houses in shades of yellow and beige, the streets narrow but not cramped. The closer we got to the Alps, the more the small and medium-sized villages became reminiscent of the style familiar from Tyrol.

The mountain massifs were clearly visible on the horizon, despite the light haze and spring clouds hanging on the peaks. There were a few motorcycles on the road, a few more cars and a surprising number of cyclists. Both racing cyclists and mountain bikers took on the route. Wow. Our respect for this ambition!

The Kaiserjägerstraße winds very steeply and with really sharp bends through the Alps, and at the top you have a magnificent view of the valley behind, which was much larger than we had expected. In one corner, a few bikers stood together in prayer. As we continued downhill, the road was just as sharp and narrow. Mirrors in the respective bends help to see oncoming traffic in good time and to use one of the narrow passing bays, which fortunately are available from time to time. Nevertheless, we had to back up quite a bit in one of the small and even narrower tunnels 😳

So far so good – our next destination for the day was the Jaufen Pass. But apparently you can only get there on side roads if you drive through what felt like 143 other passes. These include the Manghen Pass – a real highlight and particularly popular and well-known among cyclists. With many hairpin bends, curves, hairpin bends and 15% gradients close together, the ride was a great experience. Here, too, the road is just wide enough for a car. At the highest point, just over 2000 meters, a great view, which Marco captured from the air.

The following Passo di Lavazè, however, was relatively short and unspectacular – we quickly whizzed through it 😁 After a short coffee break in the village, we passed through several small tunnels and one very, very long one. Then we suddenly found ourselves in a very large wine-growing area. The vines perfectly adapted to the slopes and once again the scenery with the mountain massif in the background was beautiful. By now all the signs are in German and Italian. We are approaching the border, but it is still about 60 km to the Jaufen Pass.

We slowly started to think about the accommodation we had booked. She wanted to know the exact time of arrival. Difficult to say on roads where 50 was allowed, but our Vitara could only get up in first or second gear. Brave as he is. We corrected the arrival time again to be on the safe side.

The next pass in this endless series: Passo Pennes. The pass climbs upwards in long curves to the summit. Here, the Alps present themselves from their most beautiful side with magnificent views of the mountain massif.

Finally! The Jaufenpass ahead! Approached from “our” side, it wasn’t particularly prettier than other passes at first. After the highest point, however, it is really great and also more challenging to ride. Nevertheless, the Manghen Pass remains our favorite so far. Only the border at the Timmelsjoch remains. A sign at the bottom: “open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.” – WHAT?! A quick look at the clock. 20:05! That can’t be right! Marco and the Vitara did everything they could to get us up as quickly as possible, but unfortunately it really was too late. There’s no room for maneuver here, red light – barrier closed! Because shortly afterwards the toll station to Austria simply closed.

So plan B: we stay up here and drive over the border and the Timmelsjoch Pass tomorrow morning. All other plans are postponed by about 3 weeks 😉 😉

Conclusion: We are pass champions, the Vitara is great and Marco is a declared cornering hero. We say good night from the Hochfirst at over 1800 meters above sea level! 🏔