Via Romea Germanica Day 61: Nösslach (Gries am Brenner) - Brennerpass

The Via Romea Germanica is a bridge between the North and the South of Europe that contributes to mutual understanding and the construction of a shared Europe through the rediscovery of past historic journeys and cultural exchanges. 

- The Council of Europe, (from https://www.coe.int/en/web/cultural-routes/via-romea-germanica)

Today we crossed the Alps!

The Brenner Pass is the lowest of the Alpine passes. It has been a crossing point since the most recent Ice Age, but it was the Romans who regularised the pass by building a road in the second century A.D., maintaining control over the pass until the fall of their empire in the fifth century. Modernisation of the Brenner Pass began in 1777, when a carriage road was laid out at the behest of Empress Maria Theresa; the Brenner Railway was completed in stages between 1853 and 1867, crossing the pass at an elevation of 1371 metres.

Pilgrims on the Via Romea Germanica normally walk over the Brenner Pass on a service road parallel to the main road, which is however currently closed to pedestrians as it is being used by vehicles serving the new bridge construction site at Lueg. This leaves walkers with three choices: take the train over the pass; walk along a dangerous road with no sidewalk and a lot of traffic; or climb 300 metres higher, to the Sattelbergalm high above the Brenner Pass, and then down again. We decided to attempt the last option, following the route suggested to us by our hostess at the guesthouse, Rosa Lederer. And we were happy that Annette decided - against the doctor's advice - to walk with us on this final stage over the pass!

The day's stage began inauspiciously with a descent in order to cross the stream at Vinanders. We then had to  regain all the altitude lost, passing behind the church at Vinanders and up a winding gravel road through the forest. A short way up the road was a closed barrier for vehicles, with a pedestrian gate; service vehicles do however have access to the barred road, and we occasionally had to step off to one side to allow the passage of a wide tractor or a truck hauling a cow in a trailer. The climb was long but not too steep, and we eventually emerged into a field with a view over the Wipptal, the valley behind us, and the Sattelbergalm, a mountain refuge, café and restaurant at an elevation of 1635 metres. We stopped here for drinks and obtained a stamp on our pilgrim passports. Then we returned to the road, which climbed a little higher before coming to a fence which we presumed to coincide with the Austrian/Italian border; there was no sign of any kind to mark the border.

The motorway in the distance

Approaching Vinanders

The church in Vinanders

At the presumed Austrian/Italian border

The trail then sloped gently downhill through the pastures before becoming a steeper trail through the forest and finally a treacherous path zigzagging down a steep slope with loose rocks and tree roots, all at the top of a sharp drop. But we could hear the cars on the road at the pass below and realised we were getting closer. The train tracks came into view below, and we knew we were not far from the Brenner railway station.

We meant to take a picture with the Brennero sign at the station but ended up being too busy finding the washroom, a ticket machine that worked, and the right track. On the train, we made sandwiches and shared a can of beer that Rossana had carried all the way over the pass 😅. When we got off in Brixen/Bressanone (all towns in Alto Adige have two names, one in German and another in Italian, and sometimes they are completely different!), my husband Silvio and my daughter Sara were there waiting for us, along with my historic walking buddy Mariella, who will be walking the next section with me. But first, we are enjoying a couple of days of rest with friends in Predazzo! 

We took the scenic route to get there, stopping for a beer at the bar just under the Sella Pass. Then we moved into the accommodations our friends Daniela and Mauro are providing for us, and reconvened for a big, multicultural and multilingual dinner at their house in the evening.

Nösslach (Gries am Brenner) - Sattelbergalm - Brennerpass 13 km