Saddle up for a fascinating tour
Pedal the Valle d’Adige cycle path and you’ll get a lot more than a beautiful bike ride
One of the best things about summer in Trentino is the way it allows you to mix your pleasures.
You can combine a forest walk with cutting-edge art in a sculpture park, a big hike with dinner in a gastronomic mountain refuge, or maybe bit of mountain-biking with an open-air, Sounds of the Dolomites concert.
The 90km cycle path of the Valle d’Adige is another great example of this kind of blending. Yes, it’s a lovely bike ride in its own right. Connecting the province of Bolzano with that of Verona, it’s flat, traffic-free and surrounded on all sides by stunning mountain scenery. But it’s also a chance to explore an historic landscape, as well as one of Europe’s finest wine-producing regions.
The trip starts on the Piana Rotaliana; a broad, flat plain at the northern end of Trentino. It’s the home of the Teroldego grape, which makes intense and fruity reds and is native to this one stretch of the Adige. Several wine cellars are open for tastings and tours (check in advance for dates and times), and you can combine them with visits to other attractions – such as the Museum of the Customs and Traditions of the People of Trentino, in San Michele all’Adige.
The tour continues in the same vein all the way down to Borghetto sull’Adige in the south. En route you can stop off at Renzo Piano’s science museum, MuSe, and see the famous medieval frescoes in the Castello del Buonconsiglio - both in Trento. There’s the modern art at MART in Rovereto to consider too, as well as wine-tastings in the vineyards that produce Marzemino reds and sparkling Trentodoc Spumante. South of Rovereto, the Castello di Avio is another irresistible attraction. Clinging to a steep slope above the valley, it’s home to several beautifully-preserved military frescoes.
En route, you can put your feet up in one of our bicigrills – rest areas offering snacks, meals and bike repairs. If you’ve got a Trentino Guest Card you’ll also get free entry to many museums and wine cellars, as well as free rail travel, with your bike, on the journey back to your starting point.
