A ride around Maniago, Dolomites
Route 12: A ride around Maniago, Dolomites
The foothills of the Dolomites are full of surprises and the biggest shock for motorcyclists is how quiet the roads are
Rivers, mountains and unspoilt Italy at its very best
Maniago’s an unexpected delight - an unspoilt old town at the foot of the mountains, with the best pizzas of the whole trip. We’re only here because it was a convenient place to stop and the nearby roads looked good on the map. Within a dozen miles the next day it’s clear the local bikers rate these roads, too. We even pass a cafe on the SP1 with a dozen bikes parked outside: rural Italy’s version of the Ace Cafe.
We don’t stop, though, hurring onwards and quite literally upwards. Soon we’re climbing back towards the heart of the Dolomites on a pass called Sella Ciampigotto. By the standards of these mountains, it’s deserted. The road rises slowly at first, then rapidly in steep traverses linked by broadening hairpins. It’s a challenging climb, rocky walls on one side and vast views to distant mountains on the other. At the summit Weeble flips up his HJC “I have a new favourite road” he shouts. “That was awesome.” He’s right - and it’s all the better for being unexpected.
MAPS AND DOWNLOADS FOR A MOTORCYCLE RIDE AROUND MANIAGO
Route 1 (our route): start/finish: Maniago. Distance: 180 miles. Riding time: 5.5 hours. Suggested stops: AM coffee: The SP1, lunch: Sella Ciampigotto, PM coffee: Agordo
Route one map, Route one GPX file
Route 2: Distance: 130 miles. Riding time: 3.5 hours. Flowing half day route on lower roads
Route two map, Route two GPX file
Route 3: Distance: 155 miles. Riding time: 5 hours. Tighter and bumpier roads, suitable for adventure bikes
Route three map, Route three GPX file
Route 4: Distance: 160 miles. Riding time: 5 hours. Includes the ascents of both Monte Zoncolan and Sella Ciampigotto
Route four map, Route four GPX file
Please note: This page contains the route files for The RiDE Guide to motorcycle touring in Italy which came free with RiDE magazine in July 2015. These website page are not regularly updated, so please check all critical information before you travel. All route files are in .gpx format. Garmin and BMW users can download the main file, which contains all the routes and our recommended hotels as separate waypoints. TomTom users can download the individual routes and use the Tyre software to convert them. For many routes we also have Google Map links. However, as Google Maps will not plot routes over seasonally closed high Alpine passes (such as Stelvio) when they’re shut, these may not work for every route all year round.