The legendary Strada Della Forra is one of the most picturesque roads in Italy in Brescia province, right next to Lake Garda. With its winding, sometimes narrow, roads, it crosses the mountains, connects with the ravines, the Bras River and the arcaded tunnels with a breathtaking view of Lake Garda.
Strada Della Forra by motorcycle – the eighth wonder of the world?
It is said that Winston Churchill called it the eighth wonder of the world, well – we must admit that the route is beautiful and dangerous, and no wonder that you can see it in the movie fragment of the spectacular pursuit of Agent 007 – James Bond. But here all flattery ends. Unfortunately. The asphalt of quite poor quality, sometimes even tragic, lots of stones, gravel, mud. Lights and traffic jams on the turns. Add to all this the buses, which corrupt both lanes and instead of enjoying the ride, the irritation increases. No – definitely, you can’t feel even for a moment like James Bond, or at least not in mid-August, when we were there. We have heard that the conditions are more favorable at other times. So if you’re going there, don’t make our mistake, and don’t do it during a warm August afternoon. We recommend the morning hours so that you can enjoy the charms of the route in peace and quiet, admire the tunnels hollowed out in the solid rock, stop somewhere on the side of the road – take pictures or just look at the lake Garda, which stretches out to the bottom. It is worth ride a motorcycle at least once through the Strada Della Fora, because even we, despite the mass of people and traffic jams, could see its incredibility and uniqueness.
Strada Della Forra by motorcycle – what is worth knowing?
- The route starts from Limone sul Garda or Riva del Garda, and connects Tremosine with the districts of Pieve and Vesio.
- The map at the end of article shows the SP38 (Strada Provincionale).
- The whole route is about 40 km long. It is not very difficult, but due to the quality of the roads, it is necessary to be careful.
- The route is quite narrow, and there are only a few places where you can take pictures.
- Traffic is partially regulated by lights.
- We recommend to visit the road during the week, rather early hours. Traffic jams, driving behind a rope of cars are not the most comfortable.
Strada Della Fora by motorcycle – what is worth seeing in the area?
Starting your route in Limone sul Garda, it is worth stopping for a while to explore the town. It is famous for growing citrus fruits, especially lemons, although the name does not derive from limone or lemons, but from the latin word “limen” which means border. Limone sul Garda was the furthest place where lemons were grown. In order to protect their crops, in the 18th century the Italians began to build characteristic greenhouses of wood and stone – limonaie. In 2004, La Limonaia del Castel was renovated and opened to the public, where you can walk among the lemon trees for €2.
A bunch of useful links at the end
- We have prepared a ready-made proposal for a trip to the Alps and the Italian Dolomites. Take a look at our day-by-day plan – maybe it will help you or inspire you to change your route. Link to the article you will find here.
- Take a look here at our entry about the Queen of the Alpine Passes – Stelvio Pass.
- Stelvio has a beautiful friend right next door, so check out the Passo di Gavia entry.
- Practically information about Italy, what to look for and prepare for, you can find in our guide Italy practically.
- Our route, which we chose when going to Italy, is described here. You will find there a map and useful information.
- Do you go further on the Italian highways? Check out our article what costs you have to prepare for.
- We wrote about the traffic regulations and parking rules in Italy in this article.
- See our route on Tuscan turns. Link to the article with the map you will find here.
- Do you like sightseeing? We highly recommend two of our favorite Italian gems – Lukka and Ferrara.
