In the 1st century, the Roman Emperor Claudius ordered the construction of the Via Claudia Augusta from Venice to Augsburg
Image gallery: Via Claudia Augusta in South Tyrol
It connects Augsburg with Venice and also crosses South Tyrol in several stages: The cycle route along the old Roman road Via Claudia Augusta. Via the Ausserfern and the Fernpass into the Inntal valley and over the Passo Resia, it runs through South Tyrolean countryside from Lake Resia to Merano, Bolzano and the Chiusa di Salorno. Further south, at Trento, the route splits. The eastern route runs through the Valsugana valley to the lakes of Caldonazzo and Levico, continuing via Borgo and Bassano to Venice. The western arm continues to follow the course of the Adige River to Verona and from there through the plain to Ostiglia near Mantua at the Po River.
Let's take a closer look at the South Tyrolean section of the Via Claudia Augusta: From the Passo Resia to Merano, the Val Venosta Cycle Path follows the Adige River through meadows, orchards and past beautiful villages. As highlights along the route we can mention Lake Resia with its famous church tower, the small medieval town of Glorenza and the marble village of Lasa. The spa town of Merano is the end point of this stage. The following stages continue from Merano through the Adige Valley to the South Tyrolean provincial capital of Bolzano (about 30 km), from there to the Chiusa di Salorno and on to Trento (about 45 km) without any significant difference in altitude. Detours to the surrounding villages, including Terlano, Egna and Salorno, are worthwhile here.
A scenically varied variant, on the other hand, leads from Bolzano via the castle region of Appiano and Caldaro on the Wine Road to Lake Caldaro (Oltradige Cycle Track). From there you get back to the main route along the Adige river near Ora. The South Tyrolean sections have connections to the railway network starting at Malles in the Val Venosta valley, so almost all points can also be reached by regional train (with bike transport) and can be planned as day trips when you are on holiday in South Tyrol. Here you get to the detailed description of the individual stages:
- Val Venosta Cycle Path (stage from the Passo Resia to Merano)
- Valle dell'Adige Cycle Path (stage from Merano to Bolzano)
- Bassa Atesina Cycle Path (stage from Bolzano to Salorno)
