Have you ever heard of Alpe Adria?
The Alpe Adria is a beautiful cycle path that connects Grado to Salzburg, Austria. It is practicable all year round but in spring and summer it is wonderful. In this period you can meet many families with children who cross the pass of Coccau, in Tarvisio, to reach the beaches of Grado.
Alpe Adria offers an infinite number of possibilities to travel it. Along the many kilometers there are small and large railway stations where trains equipped with bike racks stop, there is no need to pay the supplement. You can also choose between the various BICIBUS, which connect small mountain villages or give you the opportunity to return to Austria once you reach Grado or vice versa
The piece we prefer is the one that connects Resiutta to Tarvisio. The cycle path was built following the layout of the old railway, definitively decommissioned in 2000 with serious damage to the small mountain communities.

THE TRACT WE LOVE
Every year we take the opportunity to go to CHIUSAFORETE from where we start our adventure and last year, for the first time, we decided to sleep in the old converted railway station to support more than 1,000,000 cyclists passing by. The rooms are large and comfortable with a view of the mountains, the only drawback is the bathroom located outside your room but equipped with all comforts.
At the station you can take the opportunity to have lunch, eat an ice cream surrounded by the mountains or if you do not have it you can rent bicycles with a seat for the little ones or fix any breakdowns in your vehicles.

CHIUSAFORTE-PONTEBBA
The first day we cycled north to Pontebba, a small mountain town, 12 km all uphill and demanding for the kids. We approached them calmly and with several stops at strategic points with breathtaking views. You cross iron bridges and very long tunnels, so we strongly recommend that you have lights on helmets or bicycles. Once in Pontebba we enjoyed a well-deserved ice cream in the center and after resting our legs we faced the descent, much more relaxing. But you want to put the satisfaction of saying “I did it”, tired boys but with self-esteem improved considerably.
The day ended with a solitary outdoor dinner based on frico and goulash, typical dishes of the area.

CHIUSAFORTE-Resiutta
On the second day we cycled south to Resiutta. The cycle path crosses a whole forest in absolute silence, here too there is no shortage of tunnels even if the stretch is less characteristic than the one to reach Pontebba.
We crossed the small center of Resiutta, where we eat a fantastic skewer chicken, and we reached Povici, a very small village where almost all the inhabitants left after the 1975 earthquake. It comes alive in the summer when, throughout Carnia , emigrants to France and Australia return for the summer holidays. In Povici you will find a small playground equipped with picnic tables and above all the river of our heart. Low and clear water, you can swim quietly surrounded by mountains.
Finally, we must also start again and after a good homemade ice cream we tackled the climb. The return is always demanding but taken calmly and once the stops have been made, it can be done safely.
Hoping to have given you useful advice we hope to cross you, in a few months, between these beautiful mountains.