Vittorio Veneto Loop

May 27, 2025

We are staying in Serravalle for two nights. It is a small village wedged between two steep, deeply wooded mountains where the Italian pre-alps rise from the pancake-flat Veneto plain. The opening between the mountains here is a barely one km wide and about two km long and forms an opening to the Dolomite mountains that sit just north of here. It’s an important historical site as this is the region is where the the final battles of WW I took place. The main square, Piazza Flaminio, was used by the Austro-Hungarian Occupiers as a field hospital for the duration of the war and, when they were beaten back in the fall of 1919, bullets from the Italian army ricocheted off the arched stone gate at the north end of town. The bullets left it pockmarked and, while the rest of the town was rebuilt, the pocked gate remains as a historic reminder of the massive casualties and suffering of that war.

Bullet pocked wall, signs of the final expulsion if the Austro-Hungarian soldiers.

Gate to the entrance of Via Roma from Piazza Flaminio. Yep, the Romans were here first.

Many of the streets have arcade style walkways… so Italian.

Cafe’s are quiet now. It’s early season, so they will be full in the coming weeks.

It’s a somber way to begin this journal entry, but learning about the past is certainly a significant aspect of European travel. In Serravalle, there are many plaques with the stories of those times posted around the town so passersby can learn about its history. There is also a museum, the Musee della Bataglia, devoted to the history of the great war. The town itself contains a castle dating back to Roman times and it appears there is barely a structure here without a long history.

Today, we had three things on our list. Number one was to visit a bike store to have my brake rotor straightened, number two was to do an out-and-back ride north of here and number three was to visit the war museum and fill in some major gaps in my understanding of WWI, which is essentially absent.

But first things first, we were served a beautiful breakfast spread by our host, Alessandra. She then helped us make arrangements for our day by phoning ahead to ensure we could to do what we’d planned. The disc break repair was potentially a tricky one but she found a new bike store where it could be fixed. Museum open… check. With that, we were off.

The bike store owner was prepared for us when we arrived, holding up the straightening tool as I opened the shop door. He fixed it on the spot and told us there’d be no charge as we were in vacation. How kind of him. Next, we rode over to the war museum. The reception there was also expecting us and we qualified for a reduced senior’s rate, which is always welcome.

The museum was excellent. It has three floors and it’s well organized with "Life in the trenches" on the ground floor, "Life during the Occupation" on the first floor, including the adjacent "Marson family armoury" and "From battle to legend" on the second floor. The Museum itself is housed in the deconsecrated church of San Paoletto. It was a sobering but educational visit and will add an extra element of gratefulness to this trip. What was endured by those generations for this and future generations is unspeakable, yet essential to know.

Luigi Marson started collecting war memorabilia, the first piece being a bracelet from a fallen Austro-Hungarian soldier. It grew to become this Museum.

The beliefs of these ‘interventionists’ are chilling.

Card, made by a soldier in the trenches. May have been Marson, himself.

Mandolin, made from what could be found, for some music in the trenches

Early radio. It is mind-blowing to think how word travelled, or didn’t, in those times. Fascinating, and a whole story on its own.

Map of the various proponents in the war.

Next up was a short day ride and lunch north of Serravalle. The weather had been warm but overcast all day, so we picked up our rain gear as we rode past the B&B. A light sprinkle, that usually signals the start of a serious rainfall, sprinkled on us all day.

The traffic on the autostrade zooms high above us.

Nove power station, built 1925. It appears the water is coming from the mountain itself. Must be one of those springs we have been told about.

Torre di San Floriano, would have been effective for spotting interlopers coming from either direction.

Watch dog, waiting patiently for its owner.

The light rain sprinkled on us all day but the temperatures were relatively warm, making it really pleasant to be out exploring in our bikes. We stopped by at a chiccheria, once back in town, for a light lunch. Then we had time to relax before the dinner hour, which for us is 6pm more or less.

We chose a pizzeria nearby for dinner tonight. They are well known in this area attraction diners from afar. We only had a short walk along via Roma to get there.

How’s that for a nice media glass of alla spina beer, Stella Rosa.

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Today's ride: 28 km (17 miles)
Total: 120 km (75 miles)

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Scott AndersonI'm sure you've got tomorrow's route planned, but just in case you might check out Passo San Boldo, which begins about eight miles west of you on the road north from Tovena. A unique pass, one I'd love to see again.
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2 weeks ago

Anne MathersTo Scott AndersonI had Boldo on my mind after seeing it when I was planning the route. I just had to go up and see it today, so I dropped my bags at turn 18 and rode up to the point where I could see it, just below the galleries. David wasn’t psyched for it, so he stayed behind and guarded my bags. It was a lung buster, and I’m so happy to have seen it. Gorgeous day today.
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2 weeks ago

Anne AnastasiouGreat to know your bike is fixed Anne. Glad you had such a good day full of variety and lovely people. So good! xx
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2 weeks ago

Patty BarronReally interesting pics from the museum.
Historical signposts, reminders of past blunders & where it all lead.
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2 weeks ago

Bob KoreisThank you for sharing this. Another place to put on my list. Very few Americans know we were allied with Italy and had troops there during WWI. One regiment sent to England was on an arrival diverted to Italy. While mostly to help with Italian morale, the regiment did serve in combat. And like you, it passed through Treviso.
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6 days ago