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It was one of those evenings when the adventure of the coming days is in the air. At the Straninger Alm, the air was clear and fresh, the sun was just peeking over the edge of the mountain peaks, and the cows in the pasture looked a little irritated as we chugged past. Junior and I – two bikes, packed up, six days of freedom. Our destination: across northern Italy on the TET, from the Austrian border down to Bergamo and back.
After just a few kilometres, it was clear: this was going to be great. The gravel crunched under our tyres, the wind carried the scent of pine trees and dust, and ahead of us lay a trail that wound its way through the mountains in endless curves. The landscape changed constantly – sometimes green alpine pastures with sweeping views, sometimes narrow, stony paths where it was better not to look down to the left.
We experienced it all: warm days when the dust sparkled in the sun, cool mornings when you could see your breath, and a few road closures that forced us to take spontaneous detours. No drama, no stress – just part of the adventure. And best of all: no breakdowns, no major problems, just the contented hum of the engine and the constant feeling of being in the right place.
At lunchtime, we often stopped in small villages – water, panini, curious glances from the locals. Sometimes we struck up short conversations😊 Thankfully, a little German is spoken in many corners.
In the evenings, we looked for accommodation, sometimes spontaneously, sometimes planned. The main thing was a bed, a shower and something good to eat – and, as we all know, you can find that everywhere in Italy.
The stages flew by. Junior and I took turns leading, and everything ran like clockwork. I couldn’t have asked for a better companion. Together, we mastered steep passages, gravel turns and small stream crossings. And every time I got off my bike in the evening, I had this grin on my face that I couldn’t shake – the kind of grin that only motorbike trips can leave you with.
IWhen we arrived in Bergamo, it felt almost unreal: we had reached our destination, the sun was shining on our faces, and the smell of pizza was in the air. We enjoyed some authentic stracciatella ice cream in the heat, and then Junior’s motorbike wouldn’t start.
The last time we filled up, the fuel was apparently of poor quality, and his motorbike has a smaller fuel tank.
With the reserve petrol in the canister and switching the engine electronics to low-quality petrol, we managed to get his motorbike running again. At the next Eni petrol station, we refuelled with the good stuff. From then on, both motorbikes ran smoothly again.
That was the only real breakdown that made us break out in a sweat.
The next day, we headed back towards Carinthia on asphalt roads, but with endless small and large mountain passes. It was a long journey home, during which the impressions of the past few days played like film sequences in my head – the mountains, the paths, the sounds, the silence.
Six days of adventure, gravel and sunshine. No luxury, no frills – just freedom, nature and the knowledge that out there on the trails you can find exactly what you sometimes seek in everyday life: simplicity, joy and a little bit of courage to be unreasonable.
