Three countries. Three dream routes. One unshakable truth: it doesn’t matter what you drive, as long as you drive.
Welcome to the Porsche Gipfeltreffen—literally “Porsche Summit”—a gathering where throttle meets therapy, and the Alps become a playground for everything from air-cooled 911s to brand-new Taycans. For its third edition, the event took over Bolzano, Italy, and the surrounding mountain passes, weaving together three days of high-altitude driving nirvana. The theme? Amore Motore—the love of driving, expressed through curves, climbs, and camaraderie.
Day 1 — Lake Garda: Alpine Voyage
The first day’s route reads like a love letter to elevation change. Nearly 300 kilometers and 7.5 hours of pure mechanical poetry, looping from Bolzano down to Lake Garda and back. The opening act winds gently through the Traminer vineyards—thirty tranquil minutes of calm before the Mendel Pass ignites the senses.
The asphalt tightens, the scenery widens, and the cars—an orchestra of boxer sixes, V8s, and electric whirs—start to sing in harmony. Down to Trento, then up again through a symphony of hairpins that seem to trace the driver’s heartbeat in real time. By the time the convoy descends into Riva del Garda, the pulse of the day has been set: fast, fluid, and utterly intoxicating.
Lunch is taken on the terrace of the Lido Palace Hotel, where sunlight dances off polished bodywork and carbon fiber. Later, as evening falls in Bolzano’s old town square, aperitivi and laughter flow as freely as the torque earlier in the day. Dolce vita, meet driving ecstasy.
Day 2 — Dolomites: Emotional High
If the first day was a love song, the second is an operatic aria. Roughly 290 kilometers and five hours through the Dolomites, this is where the Porsche DNA truly shines.
From the city’s edge, the route climbs toward rock cathedrals that scrape the clouds. The road strings together a who’s-who of legendary passes—Niger, Karer, Rolle, Cereda, Duran, Pordoi, Sella—each one a stage for precision, feedback, and that visceral human–machine dialogue.
This is where the 911 Carrera T and 718 GT4 show their purity, where a Taycan Cross Turismo proves that passion doesn’t need petrol. Each corner is a confession of devotion, every straight a deep breath before the next emotional plunge.
The day ends at Chalet Gerard, perched above Wolkenstein, where the Alps seem close enough to touch. Over a late lunch and panoramic views, the conversation turns to tires, torque, and the thin air of contentment. By the time the cars glide back into Bolzano, hearts are full and brakes are warm.
Day 3 — Austria: Curve Hunt
The final day pushes north—280 kilometers of high-speed meditation. The Penser Joch and Jaufen Pass set the tone, sweeping and scenic, before the convoy crosses into Austria for the crown jewel: the Timmelsjoch.
Nicknamed the “Queen of Alpine Roads,” the Timmelsjoch delivers an epic finale of rhythm and range. Vast panoramas open up—more lunar than pastoral—and every car, from vintage 356 to modern 992 Turbo S, finds its moment of magic.
Lunch comes with a Bond-worthy twist at ice Q, the mountaintop restaurant above Sölden that doubled as a villain’s lair in Spectre. From there, it’s one more blast across the border, through Hafling and Jenesien, before Bolzano reappears like the end of a dream.
Engines tick cool. Smiles linger. For three days, the Alps became the ultimate circuit—no lap times, no trophies, just the pure, shared joy of motion.
Amore Motore
The Gipfeltreffen isn’t about competition; it’s about connection. Between enthusiasts, between eras, between driver and machine. It’s a reminder that, in the end, passion doesn’t wear a badge—it lives in the way a steering wheel feels in your hands, the way a pass opens up before you, the way a Porsche—any Porsche—makes a mountain road feel like home.
And for those who missed it, next spring, the exact routes will be available on the Porsche Roads app. Three countries. Three routes. Infinite memories.
That’s Amore Motore—the love of driving, distilled into every curve.
Source: Porsche