Bike
MTB
Italy’s Alpe Cimbra is a joy for mountain bikers
Discover the lost world of Alpe Cimbra, where history, culture and great trails come together.
If you struggle to understand what people are saying in Alpe Cimbra, there’s a reason for that. It is one of the last enclaves of the ancient Cymbrian dialect, a Germanic language unintelligible even to German speakers. Fortunately, they understand mountain biking and have some of the best trails in the Trentino. Here history, culture, great cuisine and two-wheeled adventures co-exist in perfect harmony.
The summit of Monte Maggio. On a good day, it's possible to see Venice
© Lukas Pilz
Folgaria, Lavarone and Lusérn, known as ‘Alpe Cimbra’, lie on a 105 sq. km wide plain in the south east of the Trentino region, between 1,000 and 2,000m and includes several peaks, like the Cornetto, Cimone and the Cima Vézzena. Popular with tourists for centuries, famous visitors to the region include the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. But today, with so many mountain biking trails, it’s safe to say the only thing on your mind will be the riding. Owing to a network of military roads built 100 years ago, the possibilities for exploration are endless.
Eugenio Carugati rides atop one of the numerous fortresses
© Lukas Pilz
Cycling between the old military forts (which date to the nineteenth century) is a popular way to combine nature and history and there’s also a 100km trail that follows the fortresses.
For downhill and gravity fans, the Bike park Lavarone is the place to go. Lavarone is also the place to go if you want go for a swim or relax on a mountain beach. At the bike-friendly Lake Lavarone you can rent towels and store your bike while you go for a dip. Being active requires keeping your energy stores topped up. Here, that means stopping at one of many mountain restaurants and getting your teeth into some traditional Trentino cuisine.
Who cares about the cholesterol when you're in the hills
© Lukas Pilz
The area offers a great service for guests who stay locally. With the Trentino Guest Card you get from select hotels and apartments, many things like entrances to fortresses or museums are free, or discounted like the entrance to the lido of Lake Lavarone.
Alpe Cimbra hosts various mountain biking events throughout the summer. Check them out here.
The riding
One of the cross-country highlights is the 100 KM dei Forti, a mapped 100km biking track divided into three sections that tours the military forts. You’ll ride along ancient fortresses from the First World War and get a glimpse of the whole spectacular area.
Alpe Cimbra offers around 40 well-marked MTB routes for those cross-country and all-mountain riders who like to pedal. These are shared with hikers and are well sign-posted and suitable for all abilities.
On some tours like the one on Monte Maggio, it’s sometimes possible to see as far as Venice and the sea, if you’re lucky with the weather. This expert route offers everything for an adventurous biker: breathtaking views, exposed trails and very technical and steep descents on narrow singletrack.
Watch a POV video of the Monte Maggio trail
2 min
Alpe Cimbra's Monte Maggio trail POV video
POV video of the Rosspach Valley's Monte Maggio mountain bike trail in Alpe Cimbra, Italy, June 26th 2018.
The Rosspach valley tour on natural trails and gravel roads is good for intermediate riders and a fun downhill is guaranteed. The upper part is a mix of wide trail and a steep old gravel road with loose rocks. The lower part is flowy natural singletrack through an open forest along the beautiful Rio Cavallo stream. The tour ends at a picturesque waterfall, the perfect place for a little break.
Watch a POV video from Rosspach valley trail
9 min
Alpe Cimbra's Rosspach Valley trail POV
POV video of the Rosspach Valley mountain bike trail in Alpe Cimbra, Italy, June 26th 2018.
Another trail goes from Monte Rust to Busatti. The track 221 is a great, natural singletrack. It winds down through the forest on a gentle slope and offers fun switchbacks, little jumps, fast turns and some easy rock sections.
Watch a POV video of the 221 trail
4 min
Alpe Cimbra 221 trail POV video
POV video of the 221 mountain bike trail in Alpe Cimbra, Italy, June 26th 2018.
The small, but fun Bike Park Lavarone with four Downhill- Freeride trails is perfect for experienced gravity riders and as well for beginners and even kids just getting into the sport. The Wheezy trail, featured here, has various jumps, berms, doubles, wall rides and drops and is for experts only.
At the bottom of the chairlift you’ll find a nice technical skill area, a pumptrack and great restaurant and bar to hang out. The park also offers three Enduro routes and four additional ones will be opened soon.
Watch a POV video of the Wheezy trail
3 min
Alpe Cimbra's Wheezy trail
POV video of the Wheezy trail in Alpe Cimbra, Italy, June 26th 2018.
Where to stay
A list of bike friendly hotels can be found on the bike hotels website here. They all have important amenities like bike storage, changing rooms and laundry area and maintenance. And it’s always good to stay in places where you’ll meet other riders to share tips and insider info.
Riding the lifts
The first lift starts on May 19th. Until July 1st, it’s just a weekend service, and then it runs every day throughout the summer until September 2nd. It then reverts to a weekend service until October 7th. The bike pass costs €15 for half a day and €21 for a full day.
Getting there
Alpe Cimbra is situated in northern Italy and has good transport connections. It is only 30km from Trento, around 220km from Milan, 220km from Bologna, 140km from Venice and 200km from Innsbruck.
Map of the Alpe Cimbra region, Italy
© Lukas Pilz
By Car:
Alpe Cimbra can be reached by car or by bus from the A22 Brennero motorway (exit Rovereto Nord and Trento Sud) and from the A31 Valdastico motorway (exit Piovene Rocchette).
By plane
The nearest airport is Verona Villafranca, 90km away.
Shuttle busses run regularly between the airport and Verona train station (10 min.) From there you can get direct train connections to Trento and Rovereto.
By train
The railway station of Rovereto, on the Brennero line, is 18km from Folgaria and 30km from Lavarone.
The railway station of Trento, on the Brenner line, is 30km from Folgaria and 35km from Lavarone.
When to go
As soon as the snow melts there’s nothing to stop you heading up to Alpe Cimbra. But if you want the gondola, they don’t start operating until late May. With its long days, early summer is a great time to go and less busy than July - August while September-October is also an ideal time to visit if you want to avoid peak periods. Daytime temperatures can reach the late 20s but as always in the mountains, the weather can change quickly, so always pack appropriately.
Martina Pattanaro and Eugenio Carugati enjoy Alpe Cimbra's panorama tour
© Lukas Pilz
With thanks to our partners at Alpe Cimbra and Trentino Marketing
Fancy seeing more of our destination guides from locations around Europe? Go to our MTB Destination Guides page
