Monte Fasce Ridge-Trail

Monte Fasce (Genua)

Long tour up the highest mountain that the region around Genoa has to offer. The best views of all and a trail park-like network of paths are what make Monte Fasce so attractive.

Description

Monte Fasce looks almost apocalyptic with its barren mountain ridge and an armada of antennae. Hardly any place in the region offers no view of its mighty flank, which rises above Genoa to the east. At an altitude of 832 meters, it drops steeply down to the coast - ideal conditions for a panorama in a class of its own: the city spreads out deep below, in the west the view extends to Monte Grosso near Finale Ligure, in the east to Portofino - and on a clear day, even Corsica appears on the horizon.

But before you can immerse yourself in this panorama, a challenging uphill awaits - at least for those without a motor. The tour begins (car-free, as in our case) in the middle of Genoa's old town. The track starts prominently on the promenade at the Chiesa di Sant'Antonio church and leads steadily uphill on asphalt via the villages of Borgoratti and Apparizione. Above Apparizione, we turn right onto the so-called Metanodotto, a rough cart track that winds its way up to the summit for another challenging three kilometers.

On arrival at the top, we are first amazed - the panorama is breathtaking. Then it's time to concentrate fully on the descent! Around 700 meters of altitude are covered in just four kilometers - welcome to the trail paradise of Monte Fasce, with a total of 26 (!) official mountain bike trails.

For our descent, we deliberately avoided the extremely steep "T Rovesciata" - an almost vertical drop line, only for hard-core kamikaze bikers. Instead, we opted for a technically challenging but fun three-way combination: Topinigi, Tupango Alto and Tupango Basso.

But if you're thinking of bike park marbles, you're wrong. Although the Topinigi starts off relatively tame with shaped bends, things get serious from Tupango Alto onwards: steep, blocked passages, tight hairpin bends, loose stones and steps demand clean technique and steady nerves. Tupango Basso is in no way inferior - enduro skills are a must!

To view the detailed tour description, the topo map, the altitude profile and to download the GPX track, you need a user account on Ride-mtb.com with a subscription. Log in now or become a subscriber.