What a beautiful September morning to be alive here in Ora surrounded by mountains on the gorgeous Adige Valley in the North of Italy. After couple of deep inhalations of this fresh mountain air, I'm now thinking where can I find a good cup of coffee and just laze in the sun like a lizard and indulge myself in the state of the famous italian saying "la dolce far niente". Luckily there is a place where I can achieve this state of elevated being and more, at the bakery just across the street from the camping.
Now that the breakfast is served let me show you around the Camping Markushof where I stayed just one night but which exceeded all my expectations. The price was about 15 EUR/person/pitch/day when I was here in 2022 and varies slightly based on the season. I really liked this camping and is only 20 km away from Bolzano in case you plan for a visit in the area.
For those travelling super light there is also a 3* Hotel Markushof on site.
Now it's time to leave the camping and continue our route upstream towards Bolzano.
I think this is a nice place to have lunch and I just spotted a nice terrace.
Now let's have a look around the old town shall we?
"Nestled in the picturesque Italian Alps, Bolzano is a charming city known for its quaint streets, historic architecture, and vibrant culture. Visitors can wander through the medieval old town, explore the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology to see the famous Ötzi the Iceman, or hop on a cable car to take in breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. With its blend of Italian and Austrian influences, Bolzano offers a unique and delightful experience for any traveler seeking beauty and history in a stunning alpine setting." Damn this AI description of Bolzano is really good, I could not have summed it up so well myself, afterall I only spent 3h there.
It is the capital city of the province of South Tirol, in Northern Italy with a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third largest in historical Tyrol. In the 2020 version of the annual ranking of quality of life in Italian cities, Bolzano was ranked joint first for quality of life alongside Bologna. Bolzano is considered a bridge between Northern Europe and Southern Europe due to the three spoken languages in South Tyrol (Italian, German, and Ladin) and the confluence of Italian and German-Austrian culture.
This is actually an old railway transformed in cycle path which is such a brilliant ideea considering the uphill gradient is more or less constant and being so it's also easy on the legs, making the route accessible to everyone. This is the way!
"The Brennero-Bolzano railway line was a historic railway route in northern Italy that connected the cities of Brennero and Bolzano. It was part of the Brenner Railway, a major line linking Austria and Italy. The line was built in the mid-19th century and closed in the 1990s when it was replaced by a more modern railway. Today, parts of the old railway path have been converted into the Isarco Valley Cycle Path, a popular route for cyclists and hikers."
I arrived in Brixen in the evening and went straight to the camping Lowenhof which I reserved in advance this time and set up my tent. After a quick shower I went for dinner at the restaurant on premise which seemed a bit fancy at the beginning considering this is a 4* hotel&camping but apparently this is the norm here in South Tyrol which I can totally adapt to, no problem as long as I'm solvent...at least for now.
This was my experience cycling on EuroVelo 7 upstream Bolzano back in 2022 and I loved every minute of it, hope it can help you plan for yours. May the sun shine on you when you decide to visit!
Until next time,
©Discover EuroVelo
All photos were taken with my iPhone 11 and Sony DSC-HX60V camera.
EuroVelo, the European Cycle Route Network are registered marks of ECF asbl.
I have no affiliation with EuroVelo or other organisations mentioned here, I am just a traveller sharing his bike touring trips, views and opinions.
EuroVelo is a network of 17 long distance cycle routes connecting and uniting the whole European continent totaling over 90,000 km of cycling itineraries.