MTB tour to Montassilone

Our tour starts at the Piazza Mercato (Market Square) in Stegona near Brunico (812 m a.s.l., parking space available, Brunico train station nearby). We follow the cycle track towards east and out of the town to Villa Teodone, a small village in the middle of meadows and fields. Soon afterwards we see the signpost "Luns" (Lunes) and branch off to the left leaving the cycle track and following the mountain road.

The path proceeds through the hamlet of Lunes and further on - slightly uphill - to Amaten. The Monte di Perca offers a spectacular view on the valley and the blooming mountain meadows and the Oberraut tavern in Amaten invites to stop. We continue our tour towards Montassilone at 1,485 m with its beautiful small church by the wayside. The view opens up on the mighty peaks of the Vedrette di Ries mountain chain. We follow the mountain road to the hamlet of Riomolino - if you want to extend this 3-hour tour, you can make a sidetrip to the historic Mühlbacher Badl in the eponymous valley (another 100 metres of altitude difference).

In Riomolino, a hamlet belonging to the municipality of Gais in the Valle di Tures valley, we are fascinted by the mountain farms with the church located at the steep slopes and enjoy the view on the Brunico valley basin. Past the hamlet we cycle the last section uphill before the long and winding downhill ride into the valley to Villa Ottone starts. So we reach the Valle di Tures Cycle Track leading us back to our starting point in Stegona near Brunico.

Please note: this MTB tour runs completely on asphalt roads. It's an easy tour for bikers with a good physical condition and offers beautiful views on the Val Pusteria valley from the idyllic mountain hamlets at the slopes. If you want to cycle it in the opposite direction, however, it is much more demaning!

Author: BS