Road of the 52 Tunnels (Pasubio): the Great War Road

The Strada delle 52 Gallerie on Monte Pasubio is one of the most astonishing feats of military engineering from the First World War and an utterly unique motorcycle destination in the Alps. Built by the Italian army between 1917 and 1918 to supply front-line positions at the summit of Monte Pasubio (1,928 m), this road climbs 800 metres of elevation through 52 tunnels hand-carved into the limestone of the Venetian Pre-Alps, many of them with interior curves, steep gradients and sections where natural light barely enters.

The geology of Pasubio is that of the Venetian Pre-Alps: Jurassic and Cretaceous limestones and dolomites forming imposing vertical walls and elevated plateaux. The tunnels of the Strada cut through this hard limestone, and in many of them marine fossils (ammonites, belemnites, crinoids) are visible embedded in the walls: a fascinating superimposition of geological history (150 million years) and human history (100 years). The blue-grey rock of the tunnels contrasts with the vivid green of the beech and fir forests that cloak the mountainsides.

Motorised access to Pasubio is via the Strada degli Eroi (Road of Heroes), a converted military road that climbs from Valli del Pasubio to the Rifugio Papa. The Strada delle 52 Gallerie itself is a hiking trail (not open to vehicles), but the access road already offers extraordinary views of the Italian front of the Great War: restored trenches, artillery positions, ossuaries and memorials that recall that more than 100,000 Italian and Austro-Hungarian soldiers died in these mountains between 1915 and 1918.

Schio and Rovereto, the base towns for the route, offer a combination of war history and Venetian gastronomy. The Museo Storico Italiano della Guerra in Rovereto is one of the finest Great War museums in all of Europe, housed in the town's medieval castle. Local gastronomy includes baccalà alla vicentina (Vicenza-style salt cod with polenta), bigoli con l'anara (thick pasta with duck ragù), sopressa vicentina (cured salami) and the Valpolicella and Soave wines from the nearby hills.

Practical riding info: the road to Rifugio Papa is open from May to October. The higher stretches are narrow with blind corners: ride with lights on and use your horn. The Strada delle 52 Gallerie (hiking trail) requires a torch and hiking boots; the full excursion takes 4–5 hours. For a purely motorcycle day, combine the climb to Pasubio with the road over the Pian delle Fugazze and the descent through the Valle dell'Agno. Fuel stations in Schio and Rovereto.