At just 1,775 metres high, Monte Grappa stands as if tossed there at the edge of the Po Valley. The Alps come to an abrupt end here at its southern face – though it is a long way from the well-known mountain-biking areas. Even from Lake Garda, it’s still a two-hour drive to Monte Grappa. Yet this mountain still caught the eye of keen map-readers in the 1990s:
On the one hand, of course, because of its name. Although, according to linguists, this has nothing to do with high-proof grape juice concentrate and is thought to derive more from the Old High German word ‘Krapfen’ or ‘Fels’. Above all, however, trail-seekers of the time could scarcely believe their eyes, because even on the map the mountain looked as though Picasso himself had adorned it all round with garlands. All the roads, paths and trails around and over this rocky outcrop are laid out in a zigzag pattern – a clear indication that there is more for cyclists to discover here than just trail fun.
Monte Grappa – a place of pilgrimage to this day
And it’s true: Monte Grappa remains a place of pilgrimage in Italy to this day. Whole school classes are ferried up to the summit in coaches. For it was up here that their great-grandfathers defended the country during the First World War. A huge ossuary containing the remains of 25,000 fallen soldiers still bears witness today to the famous six-day battle on Monte Grappa. For that reason alone, you’re bound to get goosebumps when walking along Sentiero 153. A trail that was, of course, not carved out by Picasso, but by soldiers in the winter of 1917–18, using the simplest of tools, blood and sweat, and in record time, as a supply route cut into the rock. A masterpiece carved into the vertical cliff face. Right on the edge of the precipice. Featuring tunnels, mostly finely gravelled and with a gentle gradient.
The best thing about this trail is its scenery. It’s what makes Trail 153 so unique amongst all the other trails that wind their way down the other slopes of Monte Grappa into the valley. It’s a sight you wouldn’t expect at all when you set off from the summit plateau. You start off on a wider gravel path (Sentiero 156), winding up and down along the scenic ridge, then zigzagging down to an old fort, where the Sentiero delle Meatte branches off. It’s a trail that gives you some idea of just how tough it must have been to carve it into the winding slope. Simply riding and pushing your bike along this narrow track, which is strewn with scree and riddled with steep ramps, is enough to get your heart rate up for 2.5 kilometres. Just as you start to feel that you might have taken the wrong turn, you follow this left-hand bend and suddenly the 153 lies before you in all its glory: white zigzagging bends on the green, overgrown opposite slope. Interrupted only by two tunnels, which look like mouse holes from here. A trail scene that you’d only be able to capture elsewhere with a drone.
It was the sight of him that made him famous
It’s hard to tear your eyes away from this view, but the anticipation is also building: what on earth does it feel like to ride through these mouseholes? Will you have to shift the rear wheel on the hairpin bends? It’s also difficult to gauge the trail’s surface from here. So, at some point, you head down the short stretch of path to the start of the 153 and, from this angle, realise: Blimey, the whole thing’s quite exposed. The path is mostly a good towel’s width, but there’s only a very narrow strip of grass alongside it. There isn’t a sheer drop lurking behind it, but there is a section where you’re likely to end up bouncing around like a pinball between large boulders and ledges.
On the trail itself, however, there aren’t too many large stones. With riding skills suitable for difficulty level S1, you should have no trouble following the gravelly, gently sloping track. Some hairpin bends are a bit tighter and may occasionally be overhanging or slightly blocked. So you find yourself heading briefly towards the precipice and then have to swerve decisively out of the way. But apart from that, the descent of just under 700 metres is easy to ride. You just have to make sure at all times that, on the rock face side, your handlebars and pedals don’t get caught in the overhanging undergrowth. That would definitely set you off on the dreaded descent down the cliff face. So you ride this trail with a certain amount of tension, but also with a well-deserved sense of awe for its builders.
At the foot of the Grappa cliff face, the trail eventually widens into a wonderfully flowing forest track. You can ride at full speed along its winding route without a care in the world until the first houses of Sacello San Liberale come into view. Then it’s back to Borso del Grappa via side roads and gravel tracks.
Information on Trail 153
- Length of the route: 21.8 kilometres
- Trail length: 8.2 kilometres
- Uphill: 344 metres of elevation gain (if you take the shuttle to the summit)
- Downhill: 1,817 metres in altitude
- Difficulty: S1, with a maximum of S2-level key sections
- GPX data: Subscribers to BIKE Magazine or the premium digital version can download the GPS data for the route free of charge from bike-magazin.de under ‘My Account’.
Gitta Beimfohr
Editor