Ghost villages and…

When entering the Giudicarie district cycling on the Dolomiti di Brenta Bike route it is impossible to miss Iron and Cerana (the latter is crossed by the expert route), the so called ghost villages. Even the fastest biker will notice the ancient and mystic atmosphere of these places!

When descending from Passo Daone on the expert route you will cross Binio, a quaint rural village at high altitude at the beginning of Val Manez, a valley of the Park and in the area of the Regole di Spinale e Manez. Next you will reach Cerana, a medieval village that, together with Iron, was abandoned during the 17th century plague.

In Ragoli it is worth seeing the frescos on the outside walls of the buildings, the medieval parish church dedicated to St. Faustino and St. Giovita, the frescoes in the chapel of the graveyard and the typical granite fountains.

In Preore do not miss the parish church of St. Maria Maddalena, built between 1787 and 1823, the 18th century statue of St. Giovanni Nepomuceno erected to protect the village and the St. Apollonia chapel with its 19th century frescos.

Recently in Tione the restoration of the huge parish church of St. Maria Assunta brought to light an ancient tomb with extremely interesting finds. Tione's 53 metre tall granite bell tower from the 18th century also stands out. A few metres from the cycle path in proximity to the "Pont che Bala" bridge is the church of St. Vigilio, built in the 15th century where the body of the saint was buried and the graveyard containing graves of those who died during the plague.

Sesena is famous for its sports centre which offers a football pitch, a bowling green, a play ground and a picnic area. From here the cycle path continues on alongside the Sarca river crossing grassland on the valley floor until reaching the artificial Ponte Pià Lake.