Tour of Monte Civetta mountain

The Civetta mountain evokes historical alpine feats and famous mountain bike races. But few are those who know that through the challenging Duran Pass and Staulanza Saddle runs a wonderful cycling circuit, whose climbs have been often included in the Tour of Italy.

The starting point is Forno di Zoldo, one of the three municipalities of the Zoldo Valley, the European cradle of handmade ice cream.The tour starts with a pleasant climb through picturesque villages. Once at Zoldo Alto, you leave the winter ski lifts to the left and continue with an entertaining series of hairpin bends heading towards Palafavera, a renowned Nordic skiing and biathlon center.

Then you climb up to  Staulanza Saddle at an altitude of 1,750 m; with the imposing Monte Pelmo on your right, you then hurl yourself down the steep hill that leads to Selva di Cadore, a ski resort home to the Vittorino Cazzetta Museum.

The hike continues in the direction of Colle Santa Lucia to the “Belvedere” terrace where you really need to stop and admire the view. From there you go down to Caprile, Alleghe and Agordo, where the Duran Pass climb starts, a demanding 12 km constantly sloping for about 1,000 m in elevation difference.

Going downhill on Forno di Zoldo requires great caution as far as Dont, then you retrace the pleasant stretch that leads back to Forno di Zoldo.