Friday lunchtime, the sun is warming the vineyards around Kurtinig; we’re sitting comfortably under the awning, sipping a cappuccino. This is exactly where a road cycling weekend begins – one that could hardly be more typical of South Tyrol: an ice-cream parlour instead of scraping ice off the windscreen, mountain passes instead of exercise bikes, and a Mediterranean way of life instead of the daily grind. Anyone spending a weekend in the south of South Tyrol will discover a region that uniquely combines the joys of road cycling, alpine challenges and Italian ease.
