20 BELLUNO > MARMOLADA (Passo Fedaia) Sa 28/05/22

CIMA Coppi

BELLUNO - MARMOLADA (Passo Fedaia)

Classic Dolomitic colossal stage. The race starts in Belluno along the Piave valley. It then rolls up through Agordo and Cencenighe. This is where the final triptych of climbs begins, with the San Pellegrino Pass (with gradients of over 15% after Falcade), the Pordoi Pass (Cima Coppi 2022) and the Fedaia Pass with the Malga Ciapela straight ahead, with a gradient that sits on 18%. After 14 years, the Marmolada is once again the finish line.

START

BELLUNO>BELLUNO >VENETO

The route of the penultimate stage of the Giro 2022 starts in Belluno and then makes a short detour along the Piave valley. Belluno, the only Italian capital located within a national park, allows people to admire the splendour of the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the flow of the river Piave. Piazza dei Martiri is the city living room, while Piazza Duomo is the heart of the city, with the Cathedral, Palazzo dei Rettori and the Civic Tower dominating the scene. The Gothic church of Santo Stefano is worth a visit, as is Palazzo Fulcis, a recently restored stately home and home to the Museo Civico. Surrounded by greenery, Belluno is home to the Alpe del Nevegal, a destination for skiers and ski mountaineers in winter and a paradise for hikers in summer. Belluno’s gastronomy is rich in excellent products, starting with pastin, a mixture of minced and spiced beef and pork that is excellent for grilling, indeed a secret recipe to each butcher. Let’s not make the palate miss Schiz a cheese from the rich local dairy tradition, to be baked or pan-fried. For those who love sweets, there are the giuseppine filled with

Panorama Belluno.

cream, a characteristic of the Belluno carnival, the spicy pan de Belun and finally the kodinžon, a tasty stick of dried apple. The writer Dino Buzzati and the playwright and actor Marco Paolini were born in Belluno. Leaving the town, we head towards Sedico, in a strategic position between the Val Belluna and the Cordevole valleys as far as the gateway to Agordino, which territory is crossed by the Alta Via delle Dolomiti no. 1; in particular, the Bianchet refuge is the starting point for excursions into the Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park. In the village of Bribanèt, there is the church of San Nicolò, built in 1502 and now become a national monument.

Belluno hosts a start for the eighth time in history. In 2014 was the last time the flag was dropped in Belluno, with the stage finish set at Rifugio Panarotta (18th stage). Julian Arredondo took his only victory at the Giro.

KM 17

SANTA GIUSTINA > BELLUNO > VENETO

The route then crosses Santa Giustina, a municipality halfway between Belluno and Feltre, with a territory that includes up North the Val Scura, the sources of the Vesès stream and the mountains within the Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park constituting the western ridges of the Pizzocco group, while the southern portion displays hills that slope down to the Piave. The town is dominated by the imposing neoclassical church of Santa Giustina, built at the end of the 18th century. From this point the race takes in to San Gregorio nelle Alpi, which territory is dotted with numerous villages: among these is the small village of Paderno with the 16th-century Villa Sandi, probably the restoration of a small castle.

City hall of Santa Giustina Belluno. This is followed by Sospirolo, home to the Brentòn falls, a sequence of 15 deep cavities carved out by the waters of the stream flowing from crystal clear little waterfalls, and then Mas and La Stanga, town in the district of Sedico. A tunnel leads to Agordo, the economic and cultural centre of this area, home to the beautiful Villa Crotta-De Manzoni, built from the 16th century onwards, and the characteristic church of Santa Maria Nascente, with two identical bell towers. Agordo is home to Luxottica, the world’s leading eyewear manufacturer. The race keeps rolling in Agordino area, passing through Listolade, a town in the municipality of Taibon Agordino with the typical characteristics of mountain villages.

KM 63

CENCENIGHE AGORDINO > BELLUNO > VENETO

The first intermediate sprint of the stage is in Cencenighe Agordino, historically famous for its stone working and the local tradition of stonemasons. The town centre is the point where the Val del Biois and the Val Cordevole meet, together with their respective rivers. Cencenighe Agordino is made up of many towns scattered throughout the municipal territory; the administrative seat is located at the bottom of the valley. From Cencenighe there is a cycle path which links the town of Mulan to Canale d’Agordo along the course of the Biois stream.

KM 72

FALCADE > BELLUNO > VENETO

After a tunnel, Falcade emerges, the most important tourist centre in the Biois Valley: the Falcade San Pellegrino ski area offers 100 kilometres of slopes connecting Veneto with Trentino.

KM 81

SAN PELLEGRINO PASS > TRENTO > TRENTINO-ALTO ADIGE

The San Pellegrino Pass is then crossed, a first category KOM (1918 metres above sea level), that leads the group towards Trentino. A wide alpine pass, summer destination for excursions and trekking, both on the Costabella and Monzoni Group sides, and towards the Col Margherita and Cima Bocche areas, with interesting walkways dating back to the Great War. At the time of the Crusades, the Pass was the fastest and safest route between Germany and Venice, where people embarked for the Holy Land.

San Pellegrino Pass.

KM 93

MOENA > TRENTO > TRENTINO-ALTO ADIGE

The race then rolls down to Moena, the largest town in Val di Fassa. Moena lies in an alluvial basin and is a popular tourist destination both in winter and in summer for hiking or mountain biking: the “Val di Fassa Bike” route runs through its territory, an event which attracts participants from all over Europe.

KM 99

VIGO DI FASSA > TRENTO > TRENTINO-ALTO ADIGE

The route continues through Vigo di Fassa, a town in the district of San Giovanni di Fassa from where a cable car reaches the 1998 metres of Ciampedìe in just a few minutes. Particularly interesting is the Chiesa della Natività di San Giovanni Battista, one of the oldest buildings in the valley. Mazzin, at the valley’s narrowest point, is the next gate-

way, with the 16th century church of Santa Maria Maddalena and Casa Battel, one of the few examples of a rustic-heritage building, before reaching Campitello di Fassa, with the 13th century church of Santi Filippo e Giacomo.

KM 111

CANAZEI > TRENTO > TRENTINO-ALTO ADIGE

The journey through the villages of Ladinia continues to Canazei, a well-known tourist resort, especially in winter, thanks to its easily accessible ski areas and ultra-modern ski lifts. Canazei is the annual venue for a round of the world skyrunning championship, the Dolomites Skyrace, and is the crossroads for the Dolomite passes: the Sella Pass for Val Gardena, the Fedaia Pass for Alleghe and the Pordoi Pass for Arabba and Badia.

KM 123

PORDOI PASS > TRENTO > TRENTINO-ALTO ADIGE

At 2239 metres above sea level, we reach the Pordoi Pass, the historic passage of the Corsa Rosa, the Cima Coppi of this edition of the Giro (there is also a monument to Fausto Coppi). Passo Pordoi, nestled between Sass Pordoi and Sass Becé, marks the border between the provinces of Trento and Belluno. It is one of the four passes along the Strada delle Dolomiti (Dolomite Road), built at the beginning of the 20th century. A modern cable car takes people from the pass to the Boé Group, and in just a few minutes it is possible to reach the 2950 metres of Sass Pordoi, the most advanced spur south of the entire Sella Group. We then return to the province of Belluno to Arabba, a town in the district of Livinallongo del Col di Lana, on the banks of the Cordevole stream, which is part of the Sellaronda section of the Dolomiti Superski ski area, then on to the main town, Pieve di Livinallongo, and finally to the town of Cernadoi. During the First World War, these areas were theatre of fierce fighting for the possession of Col di Lana.

Pordoi Pass 2239 m.

The race descends to approximately 1.000 metres to Caprile, in the district of Alleghe, at the entrance to the Pettorina and Fiorentina valleys, with the church of San Bartolomeo built in 1181 and rebuilt in the 15th century, and then soon returns to climb towards Sottoguda, a town of the municipality of Rocca Pietore.

KM 161

MALGA CIAPELA > BELLUNO > VENETO

After a tunnel the intermediate sprint is at Malga Ciapela, a village that is part of the municipality of Rocca Pietore. Malga Ciapela is a tourist centre from which the Marmolada cable car departs: divided into three sections, the cable car takes visitors to Punta Rocca, 3.265 metres, from where the “La Bellunese” ski run starts (12 kilometres and 1.810 metres of altitude difference), and allows people to visit the Marmolada Great War Museum in Serauta, 3000 m. From Malga Ciapela it is possible to take two

Frozen waterfalls serrai di sottoguda.

of the most evocative ski tours in the Dolomites: the aforementioned Sellaronda and the Great War Tour.

FINISH

MARMOLADA (FEDAIA PASS)>BELLUNO >VENETO

Last uphill effort to reach the finish line at Passo Fedaia, located at 2057 metres, first category KOM. The area is characterised by the presence of the imposing artificial basin delimited by the dam that bars the head of the Avisio valley, giving rise to a lake just under 2 kilometres long. Passo Fedaia is located in the territory of Rocca Pietore, a community with a long history that has lived through important ex-

Fedaia lake. periences, including the Magnifica Comunità della Rocca, a form of self-government during the Longobard period, and the First World War. In the area, it is worth visiting the parish church of Santa Maria Maddalena in Rocca Pietore, dating back to 1442, the small church in Sottoguda dedicated to Saints Fabiano, Sebastiano and Rocco, the sanctuary in veneration of the figure of Maria Ausiliatrice in Santa Maria delle Grazie and the church of San Gottardo in Laste, located on the characteristic Col da Gejia. Traditional dishes include canederli, known as balòte or bale, served in broth or with melted butter, speck or spinach and ricotta, or cheese; casonzièi or casunziei, half-moons of egg pasta filled with spinach and ricotta, pumpkin, red turnips or potatoes; local potato gnocchi with melted butter and smoked ricotta; menèstra da orz with smoked pork knuckle.