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Sometimes the opportunity arises to take a couple of days just for yourself. With only driving and Geocaching in focus. Away from stress and noise, and into your own little bubble.
In connection with a business trip to Italy, I decided to add a few extra overnight stays. And it turned out to be a pretty good choice. I managed a solid road trip through the Alps, over some of the most iconic mountain passes in Europe – and in the end, I also explored a small part of Milan. A really great trip, plain and simple.
Malpensa – Trento – Predazzo: Highways and Small Joys
The journey started from Malpensa, and as expected in Northern Italy: highway driving. And I’ll be honest – it’s not my favorite. Even though it’s fast, you quickly tire of the "view" (concrete, signs, and trucks), and the traffic can be a bit exhausting. Especially in Italy, where the driving culture is... let’s say a bit different from what we are used to on Norwegian country roads.
But the day's goal was clear. As usual on such trips: a few geocaches along the way, but not so many that it would hinder progress. Balancing experiences and distance – a small art form.
🔌 Charging in Trento (Tesla Supercharger)
Technically, I didn’t need to charge in Trento – the range was sufficient. But I had done good research and knew there was a hotel right by Tesla's Supercharger with good coffee. And once you’re parked? Why not top up a little.
I arrived at 20:57, so the sun had long since set. But the coffee – thankfully – was still working. The charging port on the Polestar is in the same place as Tesla's, so it was simply plug in and no hassle. Efficient and inexpensive. A short break, a good cup, and the car charged while I enjoyed a quiet moment.
🌄 Overnight in Predazzo
From there, the road climbed – both in elevation and spirit. I had booked a hotel with a charger (thanks, Booking.com filter), and when I arrived in Predazzo it was just a matter of plugging in and settling for the night. Predazzo is the perfect little mountain village – timber houses, fresh air, and zero stress. I took a small evening walk and plotted the next day's route – across the Sella Pass and further into the heights.
Over Sella Pass and up to Mont Seuc: Mountains in Stereo
With a fully charged car and fresh mountain air in my lungs, I left Predazzo early the next morning. The road up to Sella Pass starts gently but quickly becomes more winding – and more spectacular with every meter climbed. I had the pass as a natural waypoint, but really, the entire drive was the goal.
🎯 Geocaching
Of course, I had to pick up a few caches – and there’s something special about standing alone on the roadside at 2000 meters altitude, fumbling under a rock while an Italian motorcyclist zips by with a GoPro and his entire life packed on his back.
🗻 Sella Pass – 2218 meters above sea level
When I arrived, all parking spots were already full. Not a single space left, and anything resembling a parking area was taken. I probably shouldn't say this out loud – but the bus driver, that is me, took matters into his own hands and parked at the bus stop. Just to take a few necessary pictures, of course. Hope for forgiveness. The view? Absolutely worth it. The mountains here look almost unreal – sharp, jagged, and majestic, bathed in morning light.
🚗 Driving experience
The Polestar 2 handles hairpin turns surprisingly well. The car sits low, and the response is quick enough that you almost feel like a mountain goat – only with Spotify and adaptive cruise control. And there’s something deeply satisfying about gaining range every time you ease off the accelerator on long downhill stretches.
Mont Seuc / Seiser Alm: Rugged Peaks, Gentle Meadows
I continued to Seis (Siusi) and parked the car to take the gondola up to Mont Seuc. EV down below, mountain air above.
🚡 Up into the Heights
The gondola ride up to Seiser Alm is like an elevator into a different world. Up there, rolling meadows, small trails, and calm grazing animals open up – with towering peaks as a backdrop. It almost feels unreal.
🤍 Pause Mode
I wandered around a bit on foot, took some pictures, and sat for a long time with just the sound of cowbells and wind in my ears. When traveling alone, it’s easy to linger a little extra – no one rushing you along. No one asking where to next. Just you and the horizon.
🍽️ Lunch with a View Later, I had lunch at a mountain restaurant. A local dish whose name I didn’t quite catch, but it involved cheese, something smoked, and something crispy – exactly as it should. I brought the slow rhythm with me back down on the gondola and slid behind the wheel with a new calm in my chest.
📍 Vipiteno – Memories from the Past
I wasn’t prepared for how many memories this trip would bring back. I rolled into Vipiteno to log a Geocache, and suddenly it all came flooding back – the time we almost got ourselves into real trouble.
Back then, I had missed the border crossing by 15 minutes before the weekend driving ban kicked in, which meant an extra night stuck at the truck stop in Vipiteno. We gathered, a motley group of truck drivers, to see what a Saturday night in an Italian mountain town had to offer.
It turned into a lively evening with a bit to drink – fortunately, not too much. As we were wrapping up and getting ready to call it a night, we struck up a conversation with a few local ladies. With a combination of broken German and English, we managed a decent exchange – until the local guys showed up.
They didn’t appreciate the competition. They spread out, ready to make it very clear that foreign young men were not welcome to chat with their women. I saw the situation darken quickly – until my Swedish colleague, a man who clearly didn’t just drive trailers for a living, took off his jacket and flexed some truly impressive muscles. He looked like he loaded the trucks himself. That alone was enough to defuse the situation, and we made it safely back to our trucks.
🛤️ Across the Brenner Pass – Between Two Worlds
After Mont Seuc, I turned north toward the Brenner Pass – the legendary crossing that every trucker who drove in the 80s and 90s spoke of with misty eyes.
Today I was driving the other way. Northbound. Towards Innsbruck and Hall in Tirol.
I myself once drove a semi-trailer across here, and there’s something special about leaving Innsbruck behind and rolling into that part of Italy where many still speak German. A soft transition between two cultures, where landscape, language, and architecture blend together seamlessly.
🚛 Old Memories I had to stop briefly at the border, just to reminisce a bit about the "good old days" when I used to drive the semi onto the train that would carry me to Ingolstadt – avoiding Austrian road restrictions on heavy cargo. Today, the car was significantly lighter.
Even today, driving a quiet EV northbound, you feel the history wrapped around these mountains. The old customs stations, the grand Europabrücke motorway bridge soaring across the valley, and the constant stream of trucks crossing the border day and night.
The Polestar glided effortlessly up the pass, almost silent, with the mountains standing as timeless spectators. No heavy load this time, no sweaty low-gear shifts – just pure electric flow through one of Europe's most important alpine crossings.
🔋 Charging and Evening Meal in Hall in Tirol
I rolled calmly down to the Supercharger in Hall in Tirol. The car plugged in while I managed to refuel myself – with a quick stop at a Chinese buffet, ten minutes before closing time.
It's easy to forget to eat when impressions line up one after another – mountains, memories, driving experiences – and suddenly your stomach reminds you it's time. Some spring rolls, some fried rice, and a quiet evening in a little town sleeping in the shadow of the Alps.
🏨 Check-in at Mondi Hotel Axams I charged the car up to 80% at the Supercharger in Hall in Tirol before finally checking in at Mondi Hotel Axams, where a cozy apartment was waiting for a tired Norwegian.
