The old railroad track of the Valle di Fiemme

We take a shuttlebus to the Passo San Lugano (1100 m) and from there we ride downhill for 18 kilometers. We reach first Ora (280 mt) and then the lake of Caldaro. The tour on the old railroad track is not particularly difficult and is very pleasant, full of  history, leading us through tunnels and over bridge contructions built by soldiers and prisoners during the First World War. With an easy grade of 4 % we ride mostly on a gravel path in good conditions except for a stretch of 2 kilometers in the first part of the road full of holes and throughs.
Tour information:
We start from the Passo di San Lugano. The first part of the road is a bit bumpy because of the large amount of stones and roots. From then on it is a pleasure to ride on this well preserved railroad track.
The route follows through galleries, in perfect condition, that were built by soldiers during the First World War to facilitate and speed up the supply of weapons and soldiers to the war front.
Over the bridges and through the – now illuminated – tunnels we lose constantly in height, which we also notice thanks to the changing vegetation. In the lower part we cross more and more extensive meadows and then cultivations of apple trees and vineyards.
The last part of the old railway track leads through a somewhat steeper, but asphalted section, then again on gravel through the forest until we reach the road through the South Tyrol lowlands. Do not worry: we only use it to reach the bike path, where we cycle to and around Lake Caldaro – in the midst of one of South Tyrol’s most famous landscapes.
After a short break at the lake, we return to Ora, where we can stop for lunch at the Bike Grill. The restaurant is nicknamed the “Restaurant of the Dinosaurs”, given the size of the portions that are served to customers.
Once finished the meal we can reach the Lake Caldaro on a paved road and take the path around the lake. From there we will be picked up by a van and brought back to the hotel.

Distance:35,00 km  Height variation:800 mt downhill 100 mt uphill  Riding time:4:00 h Difficulty:medium