Via Benaco - Tremosine (BS)
By motorcycle on the Strada della Forra, the eighth wonder of the world
Set in the heart of the mountain, on the Lombard shore of Lake Garda, the Strada della Forra was defined by Winston Churchill as "the eighth wonder of the world". And not wrongly!
It is a suggestive route of about six kilometers, ideal for motorbikes, which winds along the crack carved by the Brasa da Pieve stream towards the lake, descending towards Porto di Tremosine, where it meets the Gardesana state road. Breathtaking views, steep curves and passages in the bowels of the mountain in a hypnotic game of light and dark make this itinerary not only a panoramic road, but a real travel experience.
A street so reckless that it has been chosen as the set for numerous action films. And what better James Bond interpreter to celebrate the adrenaline of these curves? Some “007 - Quantum of Solace” chases were filmed on this section of the rocks, in a fearless race between the towns of Gargnano, Campione, Tremosine, Limone del Garda, Riva del Garda, Torbole and Malcesine. But not just movies: the gorges of the Forra are also the location of “Ride3”, one of the most famous motorcycle racing video games.
To take the Strada della Forra, you start from the Western Gardesana (SS 45 bis) passing Limone sul Garda (from the north) or before entering the town (if you come from the south). The curves unfold one after the other from the 65 meters of the lake shores to the 423 meters of Pieve di Tremosine, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, and even higher, in Vesio, in a tangle of passages under the rock, with tunnels covered with climbing plants, bridges and overhangs that take your breath away.
If the Strada della Forra today is an attraction for tourists from all over the world, its initial nature is to be found in the will of a town, Tremosine sul Garda, to equip itself with a more practical road for the connections of goods and people. Before 1889, the year of the first project, the town could only be reached on foot via small roads, such as the Sentiero Porto Pieve. Inaugurated in 1913, the Forra marked a new beginning: an engineering masterpiece that, wedged into the rock, finally allowed easier travels and the end of the geographical isolation that lasted hundreds of years.
A modern paradise for motorcyclists, the route is also accessible by bikes and cars, but prudent driving is recommended due to the hairpin turns and very narrow tunnels. It is no coincidence that there is a special Madonnina on the roadside to watch over motorists!
Finally, parallel to almost the entire route, there is a pedestrian path that follows the traces of the old road, a medium difficulty route of three and a half hours, with a difference in height of about 400 meters.
