On the long, winding journey through the narrow Graubünden valleys, our expectations soar. Livigno had better deliver what it promises.
In the download area below this article you can download the GPS data for the Livigno tours described in BIKE 3/2017 free of charge.
Buon gusto, trails perfetti and cheap tabacco. Even if we don't smoke, a journey like this is all about principle. There is no easy access to Livigno. Surrounded by two and three thousand metre peaks, the village nestles in its Italian-Swiss hollow between the Stilfserjoch and Bernina Pass. In the past, the high valley could only be reached via two passes. During the snowy months, it was even completely cut off from the rest of the world - until 1952, when the Bormio Pass became accessible in winter. However, Livigno only really became accessible in 1968 thanks to the Munt-la-Schera tunnel, in front of which we are now standing and waiting to enter. This tunnel in the middle of the Svizzer Parc Naziunal was once the literal breakthrough for the isolated Livigno. What the Swiss have carved out of the mountain here is a tunnel that can only be travelled in one lane and allows cars to enter and exit alternately every 15 minutes. The journey through the narrow tunnel is an experience that clearly lifts our spirits and arouses anticipation. Our first impression of Livigno is something like an iconic singletrack into the "Land of the Freeriders". How fitting.
On the other side, the Lago di Livigno greets us with a radiance, and we radiate back. A wide plateau spreads out before us, which doesn't have much in common with the steep mountain flanks that have come so close to us in Switzerland. We relax and grin at the petrol station prices. Benvenuto a Livigno, paradiso dello shopping. Napoleon declared the town a duty-free zone in 1805 so that the few inhabitants could at least survive to some extent. Today, the now 6500 Livigno residents can make a good living from the tax exemption. From alcohol to cigarettes, they buy whatever the border official waves through. 364 days a year - the shops are only closed on Christmas Eve. But we are more interested in freedom of movement than freedom from customs duties. It's nice that the rouble is rolling, but we like rolling wheels even better.
And it's rolling in Livigno! Tens of bikers are out and about. The suspension riders are drawn to the Mottolino bike park on the left, while the flow enthusiasts head to the Carosello 3000 ski area on the opposite side. There are also plenty of tours that push the boundaries and are absolutely legal to ride, including trails. Un misto ideal. Our guide Nicola Giacomelli is also a good mix: Italian charm, South Tyrolean accent, Swiss reliability. Nico knows all sides of the Livigno bike area and wants to show us all of them.
To kick things off, we climb into the Mottolino gondolas, even though we haven't put on any downhill harnesses for Black Eye, DH WC or SIC LINE. But Nico obviously knows what he's doing. He wants to take us beyond the bike park. Because: "There's also relaxed trail material up there," he explains and we promptly start with the flow track that Hans Rey created here back in 2005. But we quickly continue in the direction of Valle Delle Mine. The mountain continues as narrow as Livigno greeted us. The nature trail stretches into the side valley and doesn't want to stop - and only gets more and more beautiful. We circle around trees and rush along an idyllic stream. As we finally let our saddles click back up for the climb towards Forcola, we ponder whether this was possibly one of the most beautiful trails we've ever ridden. Nico smiles, twitches an eyebrow and mutters: "Wait and see."
The steep final climb to the summit of the Passo Forcola makes us suffer a little. But you can really feel sorry for the Swiss. We are hardly the only ones to stop off at the Foresteria 2315 on the Italian side. In Livigno, the euros are loose, while the Swiss francs have not even been considered. What's more, the Foresteria, which looks like a classic, plastic-seated passo tavern from the outside, turns out to be a cool café with excellent cuisine. Nicola's attitude that a tour without a proper stop is taboo suits us very well. As we finally set off, we ponder whether this was possibly the longest short stop of our lives. Nico twitches his eyebrow again meaningfully.
The Val Minor Trail starts directly on the opposite side of the road into Switzerland, but is anything but a borderline experience. High alpine in terms of magnificent views, but not a bit rough, exposed or threatening. The air is thin, the landscape spectacular. We are surrounded by a single parade of peaks. We want to know from Nico what the plural of piz actually is. "Pizza!" he replies, but ducks his own joke and takes off on the following ups and downs towards Ospizio Bernina. The railway station on the pass of the same name is the high point of the Bernina Express, which has been traversing the Alps here since 1910 and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For us, we continue to collect fine trail kilometres here. We cross the railway line, circle the lake at the pass, roll along the foot of the Palü glacier, find the first technically challenging section of the tour along the famous railway serpentines and finally roll into the small village of Poschiavo with our biker hearts full to the brim. What was that, please? Nico grins and throws his bike onto the waiting shuttle. "That was a great ride," he says. Yes, that's how we see it too.
New day, new page. After yesterday's long tour, there's a lot of lifting today. Sounds relaxed, if it weren't for Nico's plan to show us pretty much all the trails of Carosello 3000. They have set their sights high here. The "Tutti Frutti" trail network is nearing completion: 45 kilometres and 3800 metres in depth on natural trails and freshly shaped lines. And Nico wants to ride almost the entire fruit basket with us. "The delicacies are all there. We're riding lots of frutti today. Banana, pineapple, melon, blueberries." So we'll be full? He laughs: "Yes, I'll make sure of that." We have no doubts. After all, Nico knows all about flavour. And so we let the ride take us up into the air to surf back downhill on Hans Rey's four-kilometre-long fun ride, the Rollercoaster. We ride the waves with a wonderful view of the lake before plunging into the forest to take wide turns. Back at the top, the game starts all over again: Hairy Cow, Blueberry, Hutr, Coast 2 Coast - one juicy flow fruit follows the next.
Hours later, we have racked up quite a few kilometres and metres of depth. "Time for the back", says Nico over a final espresso at the summit station - where the air is dusted with caffè and crema rather than frying fat. Nico then takes us over the top of the Carosello, and suddenly we see nothing more of people, lines and lifts. Instead, we take a nature trail down into the wild, lonely valley to the Federia agriturismo. Pure idyll: the goat bleats on the flat roof of the stone alp, the cat strokes our legs and the piatti tipici taste sensational. Round and happy, we roll through the valley back to Livigno, past the old houses with their sunburnt wooden fronts.
A completely different front finally meets us again in Livigno. At the final drink in the centre of town, a mix of freeriders and duty-free riders bustle around us. Some have their full-face helmets dangling from their forearms, others have the handles of bulging Armani, Moncler and Sigarette bags crumpled in their hands. Each to their own taste. Fittingly, we are sitting on the terrace of a café called "So What?".
Nicola had set himself the goal of showing us Livigno from all sides. The south is still missing. And so the next day we let ourselves be shuttled through the Munt-la-Schera tunnel back up to the Swiss side of the Ofen Pass. Once again, we hit a trail at the highest point. This was already off to a good start. But we were warned about the steep stretches that would challenge us today on the way to Passo Gallo and Passo Trela. The first one is not long in coming. We push, Nico pedals on, puffing away, bikers with electric bikes pass us by, politely greeting us. After 200 hard metres of climbing, a wide plateau finally opens up. The landscape is completely different to the days before. We pedal across soft meadows towards Passo Gallo and, just like a few days earlier, but much further down, we are once again greeted by Lake Livigno and its glow on the Italian side. This is followed by a trail descent with a view of the turquoise waters, slowed down only by a few hairpin bends and photo stops. The lake accompanies us for a while as we ride deeper and deeper into the valley. To pick up on the superlatives from the first day, we declare the tour to be the most varied all-mountain classic we have ever ridden. Nico doesn't raise an eyebrow. Either because we're in the middle of the second nasty climb to Alpe Trela or because he knows we're right. But who needs all-time rankings? We are in Italy! Here you should just enjoy yourself. The kilometre-long trail that leads from the pass to Livigno, for example. Or the cheese that we pick up in the latteria. Or the final après-bike beer in the highest brewery in Europe. Or simply the complete package in the land of freeriders.
BIKE author Sissi Pärsch was bursting with red blood cells and caffeine after the trip:
"On arrival, I wondered whether duty-free Livigno was right for me. But the mix is fantastic: bike and birra, flow and fun, caffè and cucina, trails and tours. All of this in a high alpine landscape characterised by Italian serenity. Perfetto."
AREA HIGHLIGHTS
The special location characterises it: Livigno has its own character - and likes it free. In both winter and summer, the focus is consistently on freeriding, duty-free anyway, and despite the altitude, people like to be deeply relaxed. Here are a few tips on where to go and what to do:
The precinct
Livigno is located in the Italian region of Lombardy and borders the Swiss canton of Graubünden to the west and north. Despite the altitude, duty-free status and the surrounding passes, the valley is pleasantly wide and open and the tours are anything but restricted. It's not just the border crossing that provides variety, the area is also scenically diverse.
In addition to the many tours and nature trails, you can also bike on the slopes of Mottolino and Carosello with lift support. The former has been known for years for its World Cup-capable bike park. On the Carosello side, however, you rarely see full-face helmets. Trial legend Hans Rey has exerted his flow influence here. As Livigno (1816 m) is the highest plateau in Europe, breathing is a little more difficult. Perfect for altitude training.
Journey
The quickest way from the north is through the 3.4 kilometre long Munt-la-Schera tunnel. You get there via Landeck and continue in the direction of Zernez / St. Moritz until the tunnel is signposted. It is open 24 hours a day all year round, but is only a single-lane toll road. Summer tariffs from 1 May: cars 15 euros, night tariff from 8 pm: 17 euros. Cyclists are only allowed to pass in the shuttle bus.
Best time to travel
Livigno lies at 1816 metres above sea level, and the Carosello leads up to almost 3000 metres. As a result, travelling time is limited to the summer months. The Mottolino and Carosello lifts are open from June to mid-September - for exact dates and prices, see: www.mottolino.com and www.carosello3000.com
Guides and shuttle
Bike schools and guides have joined forces to form an organisation. You can meet at the bike info point in the centre of Livigno, get information and set off on a tour with or without a shuttle. It is also worth looking for combined packages that are offered individually with bike hotels. Info: Tel. 0039/329/4908364, www.bikelivigno.com
Bike shops
6500 inhabitants, 2 bike parks, 11 bike shops. Livigno specialises in bike sports and has a correspondingly large number of rental stations and services. Among others:
- Vertigo Livigno with two shops, www.vertigolivigno.com
- Mountain Riders, a bike & board shop where the gravity group in particular feels at home. Tel. 0039/0342/974708, info@mountainriders.it
Accommodation
Livigno has no shortage of accommodation. From campsites to flats and chalets, everything is on offer. Of course, there are also some bike hotels. In general, Livigno is very good at putting together financially attractive packages, and this is also the case with the bike hotels. When booking, there are significant discounts on tours, bike hire, tickets, shuttle etc. Info: www.mtblivigno.eu/de/bike-hotels
For example:
- Hotel Paradiso, nice, family-run 3-star hotel in a quiet location. Tel. 0039/0342/996633, www.hparadiso.info
- Hotel Concordia and Hotel Lac Salin are among the best addresses in the village. Guide Nicola is one of the 18 grandsons of the hotel founder and has made sure that the service for bikers is just right. Info: www.lungolivigno.com
General information
Azienda di Promozione Turistico, Via Saroch, 1098/a, Livigno, Tel. 0039/0342/977800, www.livigno.eu
SCENE SPECIALS
Food & Drink
- 1816 Brewery: There is no way around the highest brewery in Europe. Chef Andrea Rocca is a former professional skier and FC Bayern fan. In addition to excellent beer, he also offers very good food. www.1816.it
- Foresteria 2315: The stop at Passo Forcola looks unspectacular from the outside, but serves excellent food and espresso for 1.20 euros in a creative interior.
- Alpe Federia: beautifully situated at the back of the Carosello. The stone building with terrace is surrounded by animals and the food is excellent. www.agriturismo-federia.it
- Marcos Pub: Upstairs serves breakfast, homemade pasta and juicy steaks. Downstairs, the live bands rock in the evening. Daily 8-24 o'clock, www.marcospub.it
- Why Not?: The best processed local products, which are mainly used in gourmet burgers. Beautiful view of the Livigno hustle and bustle from the terrace. Tel. 0039/366/4652399.
- Pizzeria Bait Dal Ghet: Behind the rustic wooden façade is possibly the best pizza in town. Bait dal Ghet on Facebook.
- Camino: Many locals also come to the hotel restaurant for the traditional cuisine. www.hotelcamino.com
- Latteria: The Latteria at the entrance to the village of Livigno is an association of dairy farmers in the region. The building houses the cheese dairy, a huge counter with all kinds of dairy products and a small café. www.latterialivigno.eu
Wellness & Fitness
An entire area of saunas, massages and pools can be found in the Aquagrande right at the entrance to the village. And because many professional athletes also meet here for altitude training, the 350 square metre fitness area is fully equipped. www.aquagrandalivigno.com
Shopping
The 150 duty-free and outlet shops are open 364 days a year.
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Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
