Alpe Adria is a long-distance route leading from Austria (from under the Grosglocker) to the sea in northern Italy, the length of the entire route is 750km, but we didn’t have time to do it all, so we cut out at least a part of it: Alpe Adria Three-Country Circular Tour.
It leads through Austria, Italy and Slovenia and is 140km long. It took a bit of planning, but in the end we managed to divide the route into 3 days (classic tourist guides divide it into 7 one-day stages). We arrived in Arnoldstein a day in advance, we chose it as our starting point, even though most guides start at Faaker See. Arnoldstein worked out best for us in terms of the distribution of kilometers and meters climbed. Even though it is not completely on the route (3km detour), we had to look for a place where we could stay and where we could leave the car there for 3 days.
We set off at 4:58 in the morning, the forecast promised a beautiful and quite warm day. After half an hour we spotted our first Alpe Adria Trail sign and continued along the cycle path towards Notsch, where we refilled our water for the first time.
We keep running and after 15 kilometers we finally start climbing our first hill. And what a hill it is 🙂 1100 meters climbed in 10 kilometers. Fortunately we climb through the forest and there are at least 5 waterfalls along the way, which are not drinkable, but they served as a great refreshment.
After a long day of hiking, we take our first break at the Feistritzer Alm, a mountain hut on the border with Italy. We enjoy a radler and our first great views. It is located at an altitude of 1735 meters above sea level and is located at the foot of the 2,052 meter high Oisternig.
We run through alpine pastures, among goats, horses and marmots, and from below Monte Acomizza we begin to descend towards Camporosso, but we only pass it by the wayside and continue to Valbruna for a real Italian espresso and radler.
The temperature is rising and we are facing our second big climb of the day up Monte Lussari. It was quite a massacre, I have never experienced such a steep climb before, 1000 elevation gain in 3 kilometers, they gave us a hard time in that heat.
Monte Santo Lussari is a pilgrimage site with a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains. At the top of Monte Lussari (1,789 m above sea level) there is a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The history of this church dates back to the 14th century, when, according to legend, a shepherd found a statue of the Virgin Mary there. After this discovery, a church was built here, which became an important pilgrimage site.
At the top, we can’t miss a radler (it will become our traditional drink on this trip :)) and after a few summit photos, we descend back to Camporosso, this time on the other side of the hill. Today we end in the town of Tarvisio, where we stuffed ourselves with great cheeses and real Italian prosciutto crudo.
