Adige cycle path in Austria and Italy
Cycling tours at the Adige cycle path
With its 415 km, the Adige is the second longest river in Italy. It rises in the Alpine region of South Tyrol, flows through Upper Italy and flows into the Adriatic Sea. The Adige is embedded in the beautiful Adige Valley, which leads you from one postcard motif to the next with its well-known cycle path. Imposing mountain massifs, glittering ice worlds, idyllic vineyards and rich orchards characterise the cycle route to Lake Garda. Here a wonderful boat trip from the north shore to the south shore awaits you. Through the Po Valley, the cycle route leads to interesting and famous cities such as Verona, known for literature's most famous lovers Romeo and Juliet and the largest amphitheatre of antiquity, and on to Vicenza and Padua, the city of St. Anthony. Abano-Terme, one of Italy's most famous spas and numerous Venetian villas line your path and offer excellent photo opportunities.
Rolling downhill
Apart from a few small mini hills, you always roll downhill from the Reschen Pass! On smooth, tarmac de luxe cycle paths, farm tracks or small side roads, the route runs along the Adige at a brisk pace. You cycle a full 1,200 metres downhill to Bolzano. After that, the route is flat with some small climbs to Lake Garda and ends in Venice on the Adriatic.
The most beautiful cities in northern Italy
Between the Alps and the Venetian lagoon lie some of the most beautiful towns in northern Italy. At Lake Reschen you have an unrivalled panoramic view, including the church tower of Graun standing in the middle of the lake. Then it's off through the wonderfully green Vinschgau Valley, where you shouldn't miss Prokulus, the saint on the swing. He can be marvelled at on a pre-Carolingian fresco in the church of the same name in Naturns and smiles mischievously. Merano with its marvellous arcades, which you will also discover again in Bolzano and Trento, will enchant you. In Trento, visit the Castello del Buonconsiglio with its late medieval fresco cycles. Juliet's balcony, where she expressed her heartbreak over Romeo, is in Verona. Not far away is one of the largest ancient amphitheatres: the Arena di Verona. In and around Vicenza and Padua, both also worth seeing, Andrea Palladio's villas line the cycle route. The architect and architectural theorist spoilt this region with magnificent villas, neoclassical buildings that are now World Heritage Sites. Palladio's Loggia del Capitano and the Basilica both stand in the Piazza dei Signori in the centre of Vicenza, where many Signori actually walk. The lagoon city of Venice lies at the end of the journey along Italy's second longest river. Picturesque palazzi, canals, gondolas and islands await you!
Italian opera love
You are spoilt for choice along the Adige: the South Tyrol Festival takes place in Merano every year with concerts from the classical, romantic, baroque, new music, jazz and world music genres. The Bolzano Festival celebrates classical music from July to September. In the motherland of opera, you shouldn't miss a visit to the Verona Arena. During the summer months, operas and concerts are performed there, which develop a special flair in this location. Finally, in Venice, the famous Teatro La Fenice with its breathtakingly beautiful rococo-style theatre is one of the largest opera houses in the world.
Italian coffee love
Coffee is one of the Italian passions, and it comes in many different flavours. The most popular is certainly the caffè, the espresso, which is often drunk standing up - almost like a schnapps. Neck back, contents of the cup poured in, called a tazzina, ready, pay, go. The caffè ristretto is even more concentrated, black, hot, the maximum amount of caffeine in the minimum amount of liquid. Caffè lungo, on the other hand, the opposite of the two, is an extended espresso, caffè doppio a double and macchiato one with a shot of milk. It is also available with a shot of grappa, cognac or sambucca, in which case it is called caffè corretto. Caffè americano is perhaps the closest thing to a cup of the brown drink in German-speaking countries and is a kind of greatly extended espresso. Capuccino breaks along the way are guaranteed.
Alps and Adriatic Sea
The Adige is 415 kilometres long, making it the second longest river in Italy. It rises in the Ötztal Alps above Resch and then flows through the Vinschgau Valley in the beautiful Etschtal Valley. To the left and right are imposing mountains, endless apple trees and vineyards that stretch up the slopes. The mild climate favours the growth of holly, oleander and figs. You can find them in Merano, for example. You will also discover orchards and vines on Lake Garda, which is surrounded by mountain massifs. The Adige then flows through the northern Italian lowlands, where the banks are flatter and the river more sluggish. Finally, the Adige, which is connected to the Po estuary, flows south of the Venice lagoon into the Adriatic Sea.
