Passo Monte Croce Carnico

THE GREAT WAR

It would be boring to repeat that you’ll be cycling on a genuine billiard table of a road surface. But if we add that you’re heading towards the Austrian border on a tangle of hairpin bends in an area where 100 years ago our forefathers defended our country, the whole thing becomes an emotional experience that you’ll carry in your heart forever.

Passo Monte Croce Carnico is all this and more. The climb begins directly at Arta Terme and follows the main provincial road, through the village of Paluzza and up to the col. Put like this, it doesn’t sound very feasible due to the amount of traffic, but once again we see the Friulian miracle, in which even this type of road is fairly quiet.

As you can see in the photo, the road surface is perfection in asphalt form for a cyclist. The road follows the ancient Via Iulia Augusta. At the pass there are 3 noteworthy Roman inscriptions and a depiction of the Capitoline Wolf.

In the last 2 kilometres, as the bends become tighter and you rise steadily with ever wider views, you’ll get the feeling you’re flying towards Austria and its state of Carinthia.