Strada delle Gallerie

Approach

Strada delle Gallerie starts on Passo di Campiglia, 1216 m. See the main page of Monte Pasubio how to reach there (by the road).

Route Description

OK, why to describe a route, which goes by the road? Simply because it's so exceptional. This military road, good 2m by 2m is a real masterpiece of Italian engineering. As it goes through 52 tunnels a battery is needed.

The starting point is on Passo di Campiglia, 1216m , where the entry on the road has a barrier, preventing to take a bike with you. Keeping to the southern side of the ridge (the oposite one was obviously exposed to Austrian guns) it soon goes into first tunnels, becoming steeper and steeper, fastly gaining altitude. After coming out of tunnels you realise in how steep terrain you are. All around rocky faces, towers, steep grassy slopes and ravines. The higher the road goes, the wilder the scenery. On some occasions, when being underground, you have a feeling, that rocky walls are so thin, that the air is on both sides. Windows in tunnels become facing on both sides of the ridge, in some instances tunnels get a spiral direction, winding up through rocky towers, and then you exit on a narrow ledge, leaving the tower like in a fairy-tale.

After gaining much of the altitude, below the summits of the Cinque Cime ridge, the road starts to cross the southern slopes of the crest, approaching the notch on the ridge, where a mountain pass can take you over to Rif. Papa. Also on the road a signpost directs you over the notch, so you leave the military road, not passing all 52 tunnels. On the other side of the crest a marked mountain path brings you to Porte di Pasubio (saddle) with Rif. Papa. From there you have 300 more meters of altitude to Cima Palon, the highest summit of Pasubio.

For the road you need some 2 h 30 min, to get the summit 45 min more.

The starting part

Crossing below Cinque Cime

Essential Gear & When To Come

In summer you need only good shoes and a lamp, perhaps also poles. In winter conditions the two images of Fausto show you what can also happen on the tour.

More Images

See also the nice Album of Tiziana.

Images

View Strada delle Gallerie Image Gallery - 8 Images