Issue:
Spring 2001

Text:
Christian Neuhauser

Photography:
Christian Neuhauser

Geographic Region:
Austria, Slovenia and Italy, Europe

Pages:
68 - 76

Tankbag Maps:
Download Map 1

Visit the gallery for more pictures

 

Our excursion begins early in the morning. We travel only the back roads and will cover over 415 kilometers (260 miles) when the day is done. You may be familiar with it in a way. It's a classic "iron butt" tour and not recommended for the faint of heart. Yuppies or softies need not apply.

Daniel, on his Yamaha 1200 XJR, and Christa, on her Yamaha Fazer 600, straddle comfortable bikes. But mine? It's a test bike this day and strictly heavy metal. Moto Guzzi Centauro 1100 is the name and the object of much desire. The sitting position is very unusual, however. Picture old riders like Mike Hailwood or Phil Read and you get the idea. Daniel laughs as I take my position and says, "Yes, you look like one of those blokes, and it seems to work with your old face."

"Very funny! Let's get started before the day is gone," I reply.

After a few kilometers we reach Predlitz, a tiny village, but for riders it's an important point of departure. Here you take a right onto street number 95, the Turrachgraben. Now a wild ride starts on a ribbon of great asphalt with very little traffic. Yeah, go ahead and let the tires smoke! But be careful: that kind of smoking can be hazardous to your health, too. We enjoy this road and for us it's like hitting a home run. Exhilarating. Christa's head is moving side to side and I'm convinced she is singing a song to match the intense rhythms emanating from her bike. Sixteen kilometers on (10 miles), the magic is over and the next challenge starts—a long downhill race over a steep 24° grade. What a feeling!

We then encounter the rolling hills and lakeside country of Carinthia. A nice ride, more on the easy side, which is good because it offers enough time to enjoy the beautiful landscape. Two hours of a wonderful ride have flown by when we reach the bottom of the Wurzenpass. This roadway, a special treat when riding the southern ramp, is also steep and very winding. At the top, we have reached the border of Slovenia where border guards inspect your papers. If the customs officer is in a bad mood, he checks your pipes because of Slovenia's strict law against loud exhausts. But luck is with us this day and I think perhaps we owe it all to the blue sky and the pleasant temperatures. A new race downward begins and after a while we pass Kranjska Gora, a typical Slovenian tourist attraction. On the sidewalks there you'll encounter hordes of holiday makers. The area, well-known as an outdoor mecca, is perfect for hiking, fishing, climbing and bicycle riding, not to mention the invigorating pastimes of kayaking and rafting.

At this point, responding to his growling stomach, my brother turns to me, "Dear famous road captain, let's have lunch. I'm not sure I could ride the next 100 km without a bite to eat." All of us are hungry, I know, but I called him a wimp anyway, and laughed. On days like this our talk is always just for fun. There's a smile on our lips and good humor in our hearts.

After a fine lunch and a perfect, sleep-inducing sunbath on a patio, it takes a bit more effort for us to climb on our bikes. Needless to say, we aren't looking very sporty! But after three jarring kilometers of narrow, cobblestone hairpins, the blood is pulsing forcefully in our brains. It's none too soon because all our concentration is needed to negotiate the 48 hairpins of the Vrisic pass. We are definitely awake now. The beast beneath me feels like a bull, so I take it by the horns (the handle bar) and push into the curve—"Woo!" Now that's my definition of fun!

The next highlight is the Socatal, where the gorgeous scenery presents a rushing green river tumbling over a welter of wild rocks. We call these mountains the Karavanken and the tallest peak, named Triglav, is 2833 meters (9,295 feet) high. We take a break for photos and the incredible views the overlooks afford. Please be alert here, however; the road is very curvy and many people may appear out of nowhere, carrying their kayaks across the road to the river, and that's never a pleasant surprise for us bikers!

Gradually we come closer to Italy. I can almost smell the coffee, especially my first cup of cappuccino. But in the interim we have a good ride from Zaga to Tarcento. Between these two towns we pass the Slovenian/Italian border atop the Passo di Tanamea. Here the road is like music under my tires. No traffic, and asphalt with excellent grip makes this portion of the tour an absolute highlight. Suddenly, I grab my brakes when two friendly, uniformed Italians signal us to stop. They are not at all interested in examining our passports. No, their desire is my beauty—the Centauro. We have a nice, short chat, and then it's arrivederci as we fly down the road to Tarcento. The cappuccino is calling.

Tarcento is a historical site with a vibrant marketplace. Ancient buildings surround the square and it's always a pleasure to sit in one of the sidewalk cafes to take in the scenery. We enjoy the Italian lifestyle and we get to know a little more about the people when they stop by to admire our bikes. Most are curious about my Moto Guzzi, and as my Italian is very poor, our conversations often sound and look quite comical because I move not only my lips, but also my hands, arms and legs. Somehow we manage to understand each other.

After downing three of Tarcento's wondrous cappuccinos, I know we will have to make quite a few unscheduled stops on the way home. Gemona, Moggio, Pontebba—we must Stop! Pontebba is a small village at the bottom of the Passo di Pramolo. We need gas, right? And more cappuccino! But this time I order a Restretto, a small, revitalizing coffee. And you will need it, or something just as bracing, to surmount the following pass. Steep, winding, and bumpy, it's a dubious stretch for all but the toughest bikers! This road features a hairpin tunnel without lights and the surface is always wet and slippery. Should you ever venture this way, please be cautious.
We play the old game on the top of the pass road, the game where the Austrian custom officers say hello and wave us on to pass the waiting vehicles. Yes, motorcyclists are honest people, and what would they wish to smuggle from that region anyway? Coffee machines and espresso beans?

We have two more passes, Kreuzbergsattel and Katschberg, to travel between the challenging swing through the Liesertal before we make it to the home stretch. This valley is like a racetrack—grip without end, curves with a huge wow-effect and no traffic! That's the good news. The bad? Yeah, you'll pass through a few scattered villages and awaiting here and there among them are a number of very strict police officers who like to play "hunt, catch and hand out tickets." Slow down or be prepared to pay the equivalent of a one-day ski pass. Today we are lucky—no police. Maybe they saw the thunderclouds hanging on the horizon and found convenient cover.

We spur our bikes onwards because we don't especially care for encounters with thick raindrops. And as we hunt the road up to the Katschberg pass, I watch Daniel take off, burning rubber on the asphalt. Really young and a little bit crazy, he's the kind of guy who actually thinks he can dodge the rain. Christa and I lay back and take the situation easier because we know we won't melt.

The last 10 kilometers we ride in the rain. No problem—after 405 km (253 miles) under a blue tent with wonderful, warm sunlight showing the way, we have no complaints. That night, when I crawled under the covers, I knew I would dream about curves and mountain passes and our next spring run for cappuccino. And you know what? I did.

Caffè all'Italiana
Coffee in Italy is not called coffee, but caffè, and it is offered in different varieties. When you order a caffè, mostly you will get an espresso. But when you know a bit more, like the Italians, you order more specifically. Basically, caffè is not prepared using the filter method but with steam at high pressure forced through the ground coffee. The advantage of this method is mainly that all the delicious aromatics go into the black liquid and only a few of the stomach-irritating acids that you find in regular filter coffee. By the way, you can drink caffè any time of the day. You only have to know which type and when. Here are the basic facts:

Espresso is a strong night-black coffee served in scant volumes you can drink with three sips. Should you want more, order a doppio for double the beans and water.

Espresso Ristretto is the essence of espresso. Sometimes described in the US as a "short-pull," it uses the same amount of ground coffee beans but half the water. A doppio is the next strongest, using the same ratio of beans and water as with the single Espresso.

A cappuccino is basically an espresso with hot, foamed milk added. The mid-European practice of using whipped cream is not Italian custom. You can have cappuccino for breakfast or any time during the day. But the person, who orders a cappuccino after lunch or dinner is exposed as a naïve tourist.

Caffè macchiato is basically an espresso. But in this case you add a just a sip of milk and a spoonful of milk foam. Depending on the region, you can find a variety of macchiato, especially in the south where you get hot milk with a sip of caffè.

Caffè corretto is not necessarily a coffee for breakfast. Corretto means "correct" and the correction here means "Schnaps" or other liqueurs. The variety is endless. That is why you should specify with your order the "correct" essence to be added: Grappa, Vecchia Romagna, Amaretto, Strega or whatever else you like.

Caffè latte you normally have for breakfast. It is a glass of hot milk mixed with a cup of espresso.

Caffè lungo is nothing more than a "diluted coffee." Water is added to it.

A few additional details. When you order the caffè lungo, you have to specify whether you would like it with hot or cold water. You can have caffè macchiato in three different versions: con latte fredda—with cold milk, con latte calda—with warm milk or con latte bollente—with boiling water. The Italians love their caffè, so of course they're very specific about how it's prepared.

FACTS AND INFORMATION
In General
Austria, Italy and Slovenia offer a gorgeous landscape and perfect places for outside activities in summer and winter. This tour is located in the three-corner point and shows you a perfect ride in the Eastern Alps of Europe. The peak season for the tourism is between June and September and the winter season is between December and March.

Ways to go there
Munich's Franz-Josef Strauss International Airport is the easiest and fastest way to get to this area. Another option is to go to Frankfurt International Airport and take the connection to Klagenfurt, Austria.

Climate
The three corner region has a great spring, summer and fall. A lot of sunshine and warm temperatures complement your motorcycle ride but occasional showers and strong, brief thunderstorms are possible. During the riding season, temperatures are comfortable. Because of the altitude of the passes, it can be very cold in the spring and fall.

Board & Lodging
Austria and Italy are typical tourism countries. It is easy to find accommodations in different sizes and categories. The highest category is a five-star hotel, the lowest category is two-star hotel. You can also enjoy your overnights in bed and breakfast houses, which you will find in every little town or village. Because of "Ferro Gosta" in August, you may have trouble finding vacancies in Italy. Slovenia has the same standard, but there are not so many hotels and bed and breakfast houses.

Money and prices
During the summer, the prices for accommodations are very reasonable. At the moment, you have to use three different currencies, for Italy, Austria and Slovenia. Starting in 2002, you can pay with the new currency, EURO, in all three countries. Credit cards may not be accepted in hotels and bed and breakfast houses like elsewhere in Europe.

Roads & Biking
The thrills are on the pass roads and the back roads of the Alps. You can find a lot of hair-pins and narrow curves.

Books & Maps
Italy: The Rough Guide by Ross Belford, Martin Dunford and Celia Wollfrey, ISBN 1-85828-413-9.
Austria: The Rough Guide by Jonathan Bousfield and Rob Humphreys
Baedecker's Austria, ISBN 0-7495-2203-8
Slovenia by Steve Fallon, ISBN 0-86442-538-0

Addresses & Phone Numbers
Two Wheels on Tour, 3601 Edgemoor Court, Clemmons, NC 27012. Phone (336) 724-6226.