Stage 4: San Martino di Castrozza – Possagno
On day 4, the part of the brain responsible for photographic memory is once again put to work. At the very least, it is challenged to place completely different landscapes in the right context. From the mountain village at the foot of the 3,000-metre-plus skyscrapers of the Pale di San Martino, the route leads in just a few hours to where the grapes for Prosecco thrive. These are two worlds apart, visually, culturally and climatically – this stage is a mini Transalp in itself. Possagno basks in the sun just 200 metres above sea level on the southern edge of the Monte Grappa massif.
On the way there, however, the Passo Brocon with the small Passo Gobbera in front of it and the aforementioned Monte Grappa stand in the way. That's why your legs will be put to the test again on this second 3,000-metre-plus bomb of this Transalp. The Passo Gobbera leads over into the Valle de Vanoi and, after a short descent, we have reached the first step on the climb to the Passo Brocon. Here you can catch your breath briefly before tackling the almost 900 metres of altitude difference on the pass road. From the pass, you roll swiftly down to Castello Tesino and make your way along side roads through remote mountain villages to the main road in the Cimon river gorge, which soon opens up into a wide plain at Fonzaso. This also opens up the view to the wooded ridge of Monte Grappa. The northern ascent leads through large sections of forest – very pleasant in the summer heat – towards Cima Grappa, the summit crowned by a mighty monument to the victims of the First World War. Once you reach the southern flank, after a 1,500-metre climb, the clear air offers a view as far as the Adriatic Sea, if it is not obscured by swarms of paragliders, who have long since discovered this southern slope for themselves. The descent is a winding delight that requires you to concentrate on the road. But here and there, it also offers time to enjoy the unique views. Once you arrive at the foot of Monte Grappa, the route heads east at the foot of the mountain via Crespano del Grappa, which has been a stage destination for the Transalp several times, to Possagno, which was already planned as the destination for the Transalp in 2020, but unfortunately had to be cancelled for reasons we all know.
The stage destination in Possagno is visually extraordinary and also a cultural highlight. Antonio Canova, born in Possagno, was an important sculptor of Neoclassicism in the late 18th and early 19th century. Based on his ideas and designs, the Tempio Canova was built above the town, an imposing rotunda with a classicist columned façade that catches the eye from afar across the plain. In front of it is a large, open square, ideal for the finish of the Transalp. And ideal for taking in the vastness of the hilly landscape south of Monte Grappa. It is also a good place to take a look at where the next day's journey will take you. But more about that later.
