Coppa delle Alpi, first leg closed in Cortina

After the lunch stop and the restart Time Control, the crews returned to Italy via the Fusine Pass. In the picturesque scenery of the Cave del Predil, 7 concatenated Time Trials were held in what was for centuries one of the most important European lead and zinc mines.

After the Sella Nevea Average Trial, set in the Julian Alps, the convoy headed north-east for another 60 kilometres, until the transit for the Passage Control at Comeglians, a small village that in recent years has become the mouthpiece for projects to combat depopulation. This was followed by the Time Trials inside the Carnia Arena, a training centre for cross-country skiing and biathlon. Through the Passo tre Croci, site of an Average Trial, the crews finally arrived at the end-of-the-leg Time Control in the pedestrian zone in the centre of Cortina d’Ampezzo, one of the many localities in the Coppa delle Alpi to have exceptionally allowed cars to enter its historic centre.  This concluded the first leg of the Great Journey, blessed by sunshine and warm weather, although the snowy panorama of the Dolomite peaks always accompanied the competitors.

The beauty of the Alpine scenery, however, is only one side of the Coppa delle Alpi, a demanding race in terms of the number of trials and the terrain. Leading the first leg classification are Ginesi and Rohr in their 1934 Fiat 508 s Balilla Coppa D, followed by Decremer and Mertens in their 1951 Aston Martin Db2 and Wetz-Galloni in their 1957 Lancia Aurelia B20 GT 2500 Ber.

The second panel of the Great Alpine Journey, dedicated to “A Community for Sustainable and Accessible Olympics”, will take place at over 2100 metres at the Rifugio Faloria during dinner. Attending as representatives of the Best Practices of the territory will be Benedetto Gaffarini of the Cortina Foundation, Stefano Lorenzi of Regole d’Ampezzo, cheese producer Davide Santer, Chef Fabio Pompanin and the Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Cortina Roberta Alverà.