MTB tour from Laives to Nova Ponente

Starting point of our tour is the market square of the town of Laives. We cycle along the road towards the Madonna di Pietralba Pilgrimage Site and the Vallarsa valley until the junction to the Monte Largo road. Immediately after the left-hand bend we have to pass a short tunnel (88 m). The second bend allows us a short side trip to the mountain summit of the Peterknott hill. From here we have a gorgeous view on Laives, Bolzano and the southern Valle dell'Adige.

We carry on uphill - the acacias and chestnut woods turn into mixed and conifer forests. Past the Steiner farmyards we turn off left, further uphill. After about 100 metres, at the junction to the stone pit, we turn off right. Soon we have reached 1,000 m a.s.l. and the bend which separates the Monte Largo and the Montestretto mountains. Below us we can see the Pineta di Laives, on the other side of the valley the hamlet of La Costa. Now we cycle into the valley, even downhill for a short section. But the last half km is again steep.

As the Dolomites become visible - Sciliar and Catinaccio - we know, that the Wölflhof farm near Nova Ponente village is located after the next bend (approx. 2 hours). There we enjoy a short break before we start our way back: Always downhill it is done within 30 minutes. If you want to do this MTB tour in summer, we recommend to start in the early morning. Then the most demanding section is located in the shadow and can be managed without any problems.

Author: AT