Around Feltre

June 2, 2025

The Corte Garibaldi B&B in Feltre has turned out to be a real gem. It’s right in the heart of the old city in a courtyard, making it incredibly peaceful and quiet. There is a peek-a-boo view of the mountains from our first floor room, one of four in total. The entire place has been newly built inside the shell of the previous building, using materials found on site. They have replicated the traditional designs of this region, so while it’s ‘new’, it feels warm and welcoming. The design and the decor is outstanding and magazine-worthy.

We chatted with Anna, our young host, about the renovation project over breakfast. It took three years to complete the project. The wooden ceilings, window frames and sills, outside balconies, and tables are all made of recycled, very old, wood. Considering many of the buildings here originated in the 16th century, that’s old wood. It is gorgeous in its newly finished state. Renovating these historic buildings is extra challenging because of all the regulations that must be followed. The tools, the work and the blades that needed to be sharpened throughout the project is hard to fathom. It’s the work of skilled craftsmen and a brilliant designer.

Anna served us a superb breakfast today. Everything except the coffee was local to this region.

Outside the B&B is a small courtyard, complete with a big rambling pink rose against a plaster wall of an adjacent structure. This beautiful osteospermim sat prettily on the ledge of the stone wall at the entrance.

A new formula for cycle touring

We are both enjoying the two day stays that I chose when planning this trip. My reasoning was we didn’t want to reach the mountains before the snow had a chance to melt and also, to give our legs a chance to acclimate to this ambitious tour. For today, I’d planned a 30k route to explore the local area.

After some laundry, bike maintenance and journaling, we headed out on our ride. We soon found we were on the Claudia Augusta… again. I am beginning to suspect there are alternate routes connected to the main north/south route, but I can’t be certain. In any case, the roads and the scenery were dreamy and we even had a light tailwind for a good chunk of the day.

Another section of the Claudia Augusta and other cycleways.

We rode through big meadows of grasses and wildflowers.

There was a good hill along the way, which we didn’t ride. It was 16.7% and at that grade, it’s as fast to walk the bike. I’m always scanning for flowers in the roadside and today, walking up the hill, I spotted wild strawberries. Lots of them!

Wild strawberries lined the banks of the roadway that we walked, a steep 16.7% grade

Riding without anywhere in particular to go and no time restrictions to get there is what holidays are all about for us. It’s so simple and so satisfying. We lolly-gagged along, enjoying the scenery and having the roads mostly to ourselves.

View across the Valbelluna and the Dolomiti Bellunesi national park.

Inevitably, we come across something interesting as we freestyle like this. Today, it was a bike museum housed on the top floor of an elementary school in the village of Cesiomaggiore. Its name honours Toni Bevilacqua, an Italian cycling star of yesteryear. The museum is only open on weekends in June, so we missed it by one day.

The road is the temple of the bicycle

We had coasted through the village of Cesiomaggiore so we didn’t notice that each street has two names, one historic and the other, a name of a famous cyclist. Names like Coppi, Anquetil, Bartali, Olmo, Casartelli, Bevilacqua, Bobet. The Bicycle Museum is located on Contrada Anquetil, named after Jacques Anqutil.

It all began in 1997 in Sergio Sanvido’s home and later moved to the Cesiomaggiore elementary school when he could no longer house the 180 bicycles. Sergio was a master bicycle craftsman and his passion for cycling led him to become a collector, careful connoisseur, restorer and bicycle researcher in the antique market. The museum collection includes his 180 historic bikes and signed jerseys, bikes and memorabilia from the great champions of cycling: Coppi, Bartali, Nencini, Moser, Pantani, to name a few.

It really is too bad we won’t get to see the museum as it is probably the best cycling museum in all of Italy. The museum’s website is quite interesting as well, so if you enjoy the sport of cycling, check it out here.

I can’t resist including one quote from the site, by Emile Zola, "If I had a daughter, I would put her on the saddle so that you learn to face life.” This one strikes a chord with me as my solo journey four-month journey on my 10-speed Apollo Prestige in 1980 was just that, a wonderful way of learning how to face life.

The Toni Bevilacqua cycle museum was closed today but we managed to get this photo of the entrance.

From Cesiomaggiore, we enjoyed some long downhill gliding which landed us in Pedavena, the home of the Pedavena brewery.

They have commemorated the 2019 Giro’s appearance with this marble sculpture.

We had only discovered this yesterday while looking for a place to eat. And, it so happened that the route I had plotted back in December went right past the brewery. The brewery itself was inaugurated in 1896 here in Pedavena, where the stream delivers non-stop crystal clear glacial waters to its doorstep

Mountainfresh water of the Torrente Colmeda, in Pedavena.

Over the years, it changed ownership and is now owned by an Italian brewing company based in Turin.

The Pedavena brewery was established in 1896.

We settled in for a late lunch at one of the outside tables. Service was quick and efficient, despite how many people were there at the inside and outside tables. Today is a national holiday in Italy, celebrating the Italian unification, so that might explain the crowds here today. The food and the service was very good. We shared a mixed salad, two entrees, four beers, two coffees and a dessert for 54€, a very reasonable price.

We shared the salad, then I had thinly sliced steak on arugula with frites and David had the lasagne.

Dessert just had to follow those mains and besides, we were in no hurry to leave. It was apple strudel with crème anglais for the win!

Dessert in the middle of the day? Heck ya!

After lunch, we cruised downhill, a straight run for almost 4k right back to our B&B. Instead of dinner, we strolled the city to learn more about Feltre. Nearby, is a tunnel beneath the old town that is perched on the hill above, a straight shot, allowing you to walk or cycle from one side of the town to the other. We learned that this tunnel (it’s huge) was built as a bomb shelter for the residents of Feltre in WW2. Today, it’s a transportation link and a cool place to escape on a hot, humid summer day. All along the walls are panels describing in words and with photos, the history of Feltre and its unique tunnel. We wandered through the tunnel and then looped back to the B&B.

Here’s the video for today. Enjoy. Tomorrow we move on to Ponte Nelle Alpe.

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Today's ride: 33 km (20 miles)
Total: 379 km (235 miles)

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