View from the Pillion - Destination Italy

Dan's daughter, Karin, has joined us for the rest of our tour (same spelling as my name but different pronunciation). We had all encouraged him to invite her and it is great for Dan to be able to spend some time with her. She is very sweet and a lovely addition to our friendly, easy going group. Moving right along, we are leaving Slovenia again and taking wide gentle roads at first, we are soon in Italy. The only change is the signs along the road which are now in Italian. 

Our first stop is the amazing little town of Venzone which we enter on a narrow road through the town wall right into the town square.

Dan tells us the story about how Venzone was virtually destroyed by an earthquake in 1976 but by 2007 it was completely rebuilt, using the original stones. It's a testament to the determination of the citizens.

Today it's a cheerful, pretty place. Located in the centre of a lavender growing area, it is all decked out in lavender finery and plenty of the shops specialize in all things lavender.

Looking at the photos of the destruction, it's amazing how it was all put back together.The cathedral took the biggest hit. It was lovingly restored but the interior clearly shows the signs of devastation. Bits of masonry that didn't quite find a home in the reconstruction are preserved in neat piles.

Back on the bikes, we head to the Dolemites along the much anticipated twisties. We're in a good groove today. The views are lovely. From mountain top to green valleys; everything looks rich and lush. The buildings seem to be mostly wooden and all have overflowing window boxes of geraniums and trailing flowers. We cross several dry, stony river beds which we decide are mostly for snow run-off. We also cross the flowing Reka River which we encountered in the caves the previous day.

Our lunch stop (memorable thin crust pizza) is in the valley at the base of craggy cliffs and is the start of the mountain roads climbing up to the Alta Badia area, It's renowned as a ski area, but also for the amazing hiking and other outdoor sports. No skiing now of course. But en route we see plenty of chair lifts, several of them operating.When we reach Cortina is has started to rain. So we shelter under the cover of a hotel entrance to put on our rain gear. Even though the rain slows down, the roads are wet and the traffic is heavy and slow. It's not too much further to our hotel in the centre of Corvara, where we are welcomed by the smiling face of Primož who has got there ahead of us as usual with our luggage.

Corvara is clearly a ski-town but caters equally well to hikers, motorcyclists and all kinds of outdoor enthusiasts. We take time after freshening up to walk around the town and see its quaint shops and beautiful surroundings. The commercial area stretches along the main road, but the residential area stretches up the lower slopes of the mountain. 

 

The view of the town nestled in the valley, is sublime.