2nd Trans-Alps Rally : Stage 2
Wednesday 13 september 2023 / STRESA – PASSO DEL TONALE
After a night on the banks of Lago Maggiore, the morning of the second stage was devoted to going up the west bank of the famous Lago di Como; with its particular shape of an inverted “Y”, a very widespread local saying ensures that it has the shape of a man.
It was under the gray and the showers that we passed in turn the villages of Cernobbio, Argegno, Tremezzo, Menaggio and Gravedona whose monumental villas coexist with the greatest examples of Lombard Romanesque architecture.
Then came lunch time in a very charming agriturismo before the glacial valley leaving Lombardy and opening onto Trentino, the gateway to the Dolomites before us.
Once the sun returned, it was necessary to compete in the regularity test of the day, on a narrow and winding road, it was necessary to take a larger axis allowing to reach Aprica, Ponte di Legno and the 1883m of the Passo del Tonale established in the heart of the Adamello-Presanella massif.
The Hotel Chalet Al Foss welcomes us this evening for the night, an atypical establishment that looks like a large chalet offering a breathtaking view of the massif facing it.
The appointment is made for tomorrow, with the climbs over the legendary Gavia and Stelvio passes before reaching Cortina d’Ampezzo in the heart of the Dolomites.
