Around the Ötziland
Merano - Timmelsjoch - Austria - Sölden -Pillerhöhe - Reschenpass - sunken church tower in Lake Reschen
At 355 kilometres, this somewhat more difficult tour takes you to the Reschen Pass in the Venosta valley - in the very west of South Tyrol. From Eggental vally you ride to Bolzano, then to Merano and from there to Val Passiria. The idyllic valley was home to the Tyrolean freedom fighter Andreas Hofer, whose birthplace is located directly on the route. The Sandwirt now houses a museum that is well worth a visit. The tour continues and takes you over the Timmelsjoch toll road (2,483 m). Please note that the pass road is usually closed from November to April and is closed at night in summer. From the Timmelsjoch you reach Austria. You drive past Sölden and reach the Finstermünz Pass (1,188 m) via the Pillerhöhe.
Visit the landmark of the Vinschgau Valley: the sunken church tower in Lake Reschen
The next pass you cross is the Reschen Pass, which leads back to Italy. You should definitely make a stop in the Venosta valley village of Graun. This is where the Reschensee lake is located, from which only a church tower rises after the old village of Graun was relocated in the middle of the 20th century due to a dam project and all other buildings were demolished. The route then continues at a leisurely pace through the Venosta valley to Merano and finally back to the Eggental Valley via Bolzano.