Published on: 17 March 2013  | Last updated: 29 March 2017

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Distances
Ponte di Legno - Dimaro	39 kms
Dimaro - Madonna di Campiglio	18 kms
Madonna di Campiglio - Carisolo	11 kms
Carisolo - Tione di Trento	22 kms
Tione di Trento - Stenico	13 kms

This route starts at the Ponte di Legno (1258m) and climbs from there to the Passo Tonale (1683m) on the Lombardia-Trento border, leaving behind the Adamello massiccio (massif) and heading into the Val di Sole (the Vale of Sunshine). Take a moment to enjoy the views as you come down the hill. You could also stop at the Forte Strino on the road down from the Passo. The forte was built by the Austrians in 1862 to defend the border as it then was. Now it’s a museum about the first world war in the Alps.

As you come down the hill you can pick up the Ciclovia del Val di Sole at Ossana with the ruins of the Lombard castle.

While the road here is safe enough, it gets wider and duller while the cycleway takes you through the villages that the road was built to bypass. Make a stop in Pellizzano and admire the church of Santa Maria della Natività with frescoes by members of the Baschenis family - a dynasty of fresco painters whose work can be seen throughout these valleys.

The cycleway follows the Torrente Noce which is popular for white­water rafting.

The cycleway takes you as far as the village/​resort of Dimaro (766m) where you need to turn off and climb towards the Campo Carlo Magno (1702m) (a plain where Charlemagne (Carlo Magno in Italian) is said to have camped on his way through the area). Today it’s a golf course.

There are a choice of routes: you can follow the strada statale, which is fairly quiet, or there’s an off-road route following the DolomitiBrentaBike country route. I’ve seen pictures taken from this route which suggest that it is very beautiful - but as I was fully-loaded I took the option of the surfaced road.

If you take the road, past the Campo Carlo Magna you come to the scary-looking tunnel that by passes the ski resort of Madonna di Campiglio. Turn left and head through the resort - it’s pretty straight­forward - and then rejoin the road on the outskirts. There’s a very short bit of tunnel - follow the signs for Pinzolo and Brescia.

Welcome to the Dolomites: the views that open up on your left as you head down the hill are just stunning. There are a two or three viewpoints where you can stop, park up and admire the view and maybe have a picnic.

At Sant Antonio di Mavignola turn off for the Val Rendena cycleway (you could carry on the road but the cycleway, which follows the old road, is a cracker). Go past the fountain and the little chapel on your left (if the chapel is open don’t go by without taking a peek).

At the bottom of the hill are the resort town of Pinzolo and its quieter neighbour Carisolo. The cycleway detours to the church of a tiny chapel of San Stefano on an outcrop of rock above the river with frescoes by Simone Baschenis. Inside there’s a magni­ficent frescoes of Charlemagne. During the peak summer months the little church is opened up by volun­teers (see visittrentino.it for opening times - or ask at the helpful tourist office). Speaking of the helpful tourist office, if you have the time, rent the excellent audiotour of the village.

It’s defin­itely worth making the stop to see the church of San Vigilio in Pinzolo with its danza macabara by Simone Baschenis. A danza macabra is a fresco showing the great and the good of the Middle Ages in a dance with skeletal figures - there are a small number of these scattered across Europe).

Options

The Val di Sole cycleway starts at Peio Terme. It’s well worth following the cycleway to the village and then climbing up to the original village of Peio (1579m) . From there you could follow the local roads back to Ossana.

You could also follow the Val di Sole cycleway down river to its end, and possibly also pop over to the town of Cles.

Carisolo is also the gateway to the Val Genova. The road was built by the Austrians during the First World War when Carisolo was the base station for troops fighting on the glaciers high above. Stop for a day and do it as a day-ride.

Articles in this series

• The Dolomites (West-East): Overview
• The Dolomites (West-East) – Part 1
• The Dolomites (West-East) Part 2
• The Dolomites (West-East) – Part 3
• Dolomites (West-East) – Lago di Garda variant
• The Dolomites (West-East) – Part 4
• The Dolomites (West-East) – Part 5