Passo San Boldo and the Prosecco Hills by Motorcycle: Tunnels, Hairpins and Valdobbiadene

The Passo San Boldo is not high and not long, but it is one of the strangest roads in the Alps. The southern side climbs a sheer limestone cliff above the village of Tovena, and because there was no room for hairpins on the face, the engineers put them inside the rock: the road corkscrews up through short tunnels, out onto bridges and back into the mountain again. It was built in a few months during the First World War as a supply road for the front, and it has hardly changed since.

Below the pass lie the Prosecco hills, a band of steep, vine-covered ridges between Valdobbiadene and Conegliano that are listed by UNESCO and laced with small, twisting roads. Put the two together and you have a loop of around 150 kilometres that makes a perfect day out of the Dolomites, or a stop on the way south to Venice.

Planning the loop

Valdobbiadene, at the western end of the Prosecco hills, is the natural start. Riders coming down from the Dolomites can join the loop at Feltre or Belluno instead and ride it from the north. The description below runs clockwise from Valdobbiadene: east along the wine roads, over the San Boldo from south to north (the more dramatic direction, because you climb the tunnel section), then back west along the Valbelluna and down the Piave.

The route, section by section

Valdobbiadene to Conegliano through the Prosecco hills (about 45km). The signed Prosecco wine road (Strada del Prosecco) links Valdobbiadene and Conegliano through a string of villages: San Pietro di Barbozza, Guia, Col San Martino, Farra di Soligo, Soligo and Refrontolo. The roads climb and fall over the ridges in short, steep pitches, with vineyards planted on slopes so steep that they are worked by hand. Sightlines are short, surfaces are patched in places, and in September and early October tractors with grape trailers are everywhere. It is slow riding, but the views from the ridges, across the vines to the Venetian plain, are worth every bend. Conegliano has a castle above the old town and is a good place for coffee.

Conegliano north to Follina and Tovena (about 30km). Turn north toward Vittorio Veneto and then west into the Valmareno, a quiet green valley along the foot of the mountains. Cison di Valmarino sits under its castle, and Follina has a Cistercian abbey with a fine cloister. Tovena, at the foot of the pass, is the last village before the climb.

Over the Passo San Boldo (about 15km). The road (SP635) leaves Tovena and heads straight for the cliff. Then it starts to turn back on itself in a stack of hairpins, several of them inside the rock, linked by short tunnels and bridges over the gorge. There are around 18 hairpins in all, with five tunnels and six bridges. The tunnels are single lane, so traffic lights control them and you may wait a minute or two at the bottom or the top. When the light turns green, ride steadily: there is no room to pass, the tunnels are dim and the walls are close. The speed limit is low, and a height limit keeps coaches and large vans off the road, which is part of what makes it such a good ride. The pass itself, at about 706 metres, is a gentle saddle with a bar. The northern descent toward Trichiana and the Valbelluna is a normal, pleasant wooded road.

The Valbelluna to Feltre (about 30km). From the foot of the pass, ride west along the broad Piave valley through Mel and Lentiai toward Feltre. The main road is fast and dull; the smaller roads on the south side of the river, through the villages under the mountains, are much better. Feltre’s walled upper town is worth a stop.

Down the Piave gorge to Valdobbiadene (about 30km). South of Feltre the Piave cuts through the mountains in a narrow gorge past Quero and Fener, with the Monte Grappa massif to the west. Leave the main road at the bottom of the gorge and climb back into the hills to Valdobbiadene.

Variations

From the Piave gorge, the roads up the Monte Grappa massif climb to the war memorial near the summit, with big views across the plain to the lagoon. They are long, steep and narrow, best on a clear weekday. From the north side of the San Boldo, Belluno is a short ride away and makes a good link into the Dolomites: the Passo Giau and the Falzarego on our Great Dolomites Road guide are about two hours north.

Rules and practical points

The San Boldo has a low speed limit, a height limit and traffic-light control in the tunnel section, and it can close for maintenance or after storms; check with the Province of Treviso or Belluno road services before a special trip. Big touring bikes fit easily, but take it slowly with a pillion and luggage, as the hairpins inside the rock are tight. There are no tolls on the loop. Italian motorways, if you use them to get here, charge at the toll plaza, and motorcycles under 120cc are not allowed on them.

Speed limits in the Prosecco villages are low, and there are speed cameras on some of the valley roads. Wine tasting is the point of the area for many visitors; Italy’s drink-driving limit is low and lower still for newly qualified riders, so leave the tastings for the evening.

When to go

April to October. Spring brings fresh green vines and mild temperatures; September and October bring the harvest and autumn colour, though also tractors and grape juice on the road. The Valbelluna and the plain can be very hot in July and August, so ride early. The San Boldo is low enough to ride most of the year, but ice lingers in the tunnels on cold mornings in winter.

Where to stay

Valdobbiadene, Follina and the Prosecco villages have plenty of small hotels and agriturismi among the vines; ask about parking, as many are reached by narrow lanes. Feltre and Belluno suit riders who want to combine the loop with the Dolomites. Browse our biker-friendly places to stay in Northern Italy and the biker hotels in the Dolomites to the north. Heading west, Lake Garda and the Strada della Forra are about two and a half hours away.