High up on a mountain lies the small village of Cimbergo with its 500 inhabitants, where we spent the night in a stylishly renovated old house on a hillside with a view of the Alps. At 7 a.m., we woke up to the melodious chimes of the nearby church. A quick turn around – then we got ready and started the day.

First, we climbed the Rocca di Cimbergo, which is within walking distance. The ruins are enthroned on a rock above the valley – a wonderful spot. Archaeologists have found traces of settlements from the Bronze Age here, and later a castle from the 12th century, which was destroyed during the Visconti power struggles and then rebuilt. Today, the remains of the walls are still visible and tell of a long history between rule and decay. We really liked it up there – a quiet place with sweeping views of the Val Camonica.

The next largest petrol station then had important fuel for both Vitaralino and us 😃. We scored 4 out of 5 on the coffee scale – and Vitaralino seemed happy too. Shortly afterwards, we rolled past Lago d’Iseo. A large island in the middle of it, with blue skies and sunshine behind it – postcard feeling!

Our route took us further towards Lake Garda, more precisely to the legendary Strada della Forra, which begins in Limone sul Garda. It is described in forums and travel reports as one of the most beautiful roads in Italy – we were excited. After just under two hours, we reached Lake Garda. As beautiful as it is, we were shocked at how crowded it was, even in the low season. Tunnel after tunnel, the main road runs along the cliff, with views of pleasure boats, kite surfers, sailing boats and beach tourism galore.

We actually wanted to take a break in Limone, drink lemonade and dip our feet in the lake. But just like at Lake Balaton, we couldn’t find a convenient access point. So we drove straight to the start of the Strada della Forra.

On the first bend, we mounted the 360° camera on the car and off we went! This first section is one-way, which was a good thing. The road winds romantically into the gorge: narrow, with small tunnels and rock overhangs, roughly hewn, a stream below us that flows into Lake Garda. At an altitude of just 277 meters, there were still many trees and bushes growing, which made the whole thing even more atmospheric.

On the way, we discovered a statue of the Madonna with candles and a memorial plaque. Here we learned that several workers had lost their lives during the construction of the road – due to rockfalls and accidents. Their names are immortalized on the plaque. A quiet, moving moment in the middle of this impressive landscape.

Shortly afterwards, a small trattoria invited us to take a break. We treated ourselves to 2 large lemon sodas, tagliatelle ai funghi for Marco and tagliolini alla forra for me – full marks on the pasta scale! We finished off with a latte macchiato (4/5) and an espresso with milk foam (5/5).

After that, the most beautiful part of the Strada was unfortunately over. We cycled around the gorge back to Limone via normal serpentines. We continued through long tunnels to Riva del Garda, which was also very touristy. It was too much for us, so we stopped at a hairpin bend and looked for the next accommodation.

The rest of the route took us through areas with chestnut and walnut trees, olive groves in every garden – only lemon trees were nowhere to be seen. Over smaller crossings such as Passo Tenno and Passo Duron, we finally rolled towards our destination for the day. Shortly before the Passo del Tonale, instead of coffee, we had a delicious gelato for a change – sometimes it just has to be ice cream.

Our accommodation is in the middle of the Passo Tonale (1882 m above sea level). At the end of the day, we went for another meal – with a 10% discount in the only restaurant still open. The perfect end to a full day.

Conclusion: From the quiet castle ruins in Cimbergo to the famous Strada della Forra, from the crowded Lake Garda up to the Passo del Tonale. Romantic gorges, tourist chaos, winding passes and, at the end, Italian hospitality with gelato and pasta. A real Alpine-Italian potpourri.