Journal

I patiently climb the Maggia Valley up to Fusio, then I take the narrow scenic road that leads to Alpe Zaria, with the threes that become rare and the air that gets clear and chilly.

The noisy circus of the Alpe welcomes me with moos and bell rings that follow me when I start carrying my bike along the ascent on the steep meadows below Passo Campolungo.

The descent on the opposite side of the pass, towards the Leventina Valley, is pretty tough. The path is carved into a marble plate and even though it is relatively wide, it is so bumpy and crumbly that breaking and steering is very difficult.

The second pass of the day, Passo Venett, also presents some marble surfacings, but it's more flowy. Still the slipper surface and the tight hairpin turns make it very demanding.

Near Alpe Cadonighino the marble that decorates these mountains disappears under the ground, and the single-track turns into a dirt road which take me down to the valley. Then I get to the Leventina's main road, which seems very boring in comparison to the show of the mountains I visited. But I'll have to live with it for many kilometers...