Welcome to the journal from our 2004 tour of the Veneto and Trentino regions of Italy. Our plan was to cycle from our home in Chesham to the airport at Heathrow and fly to Venice. Then to head west towards…
Day 1: Chesham to Mirano
Friday June 25, 2004, 68 km (42 miles) – Total so far: 68 km (42 miles) All in all a very trying day… Heathrow airport was a nightmare and the bikes didn’t exactly arrive in Italy in tip-top condition. I…
Day 2: Mirano to Vicenza
Saturday June 26, 2004, 77 km (48 miles) – Total so far: 145 km (90 miles) We passed through Padova today, stopping for lunch in a café opposite the duomo. Padova is very beautiful but I’m sure it must lose…
Day 3: Vicenza to Verona
Sunday June 27, 2004, 69 km (43 miles) – Total so far: 214 km (133 miles) We went into Vicenza for breakfast – what a great city. Today was a Sunday, so everywhere was busy with cyclists of the lycra-clad…
Day 4: Verona to Malcésine
Monday June 28, 2004, 71 km (44 miles) – Total so far: 285 km (177 miles) Today we travelled northwest towards Lake Garda where we had our lunch by the shoreline before heading North to Malcésine. It was unbelievably hot…
Day 5: Malcésine and Monte Baldo
Tuesday June 29, 2004 A work colleague who had cycled around Garda last summer told me about a cable car which ran from Malcésine to the summit of Monte Baldo high above the lake. We were planning a day off…
Day 6: Malcésine to Trento
Wednesday June 30, 2004, 85 km (53 miles) – Total so far: 370 km (230 miles) We had breakfast in a café in Malcésine at 8:30am, broke for a late lunch at 3pm, and finally checked into our hotel at…
Day 7: Trento to Cavalese
Thursday July 1, 2004, 75 km (47 miles) – Total so far: 445 km (277 miles) Our route today followed the River Aviso out of Trento towards Cortina along the beautiful Val di Cembra. We saw a bit of off-road…
Day 8: Lazy Day in Cavalese
Friday July 2, 2004 We had an unintentional rest day today. Agata was not feeling too well, and spent the majority of the day in bed. I took the opportunity to explore Cavalese and the surrounding area. In the morning,…
Day 9: Cavalese to Alleghe
Saturday July 3, 2004, 62 km (39 miles) – Total so far: 507 km (315 miles) We had a hearty breakfast in our expensive hotel in Cavalese before heading further into the Dolomites and our next mountain pass. The Passo…