1° TAPPA
Sarche – Monte Terlago
2° TAPPA
Monte Terlago – Vezzano
3° TAPPA
Vezzano – Vigo Cavedine
4° TAPPA
Vigo Cavedine – Pietramurata
5° TAPPA
Pietramurata – Sarche
1° TAPPA
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1° Tappa: ELEMENTS OF PARTICULAR INTEREST
Sarche
This hamlet of the Sarca Valley is located at the entrance of the Limarò gorge, right at the foot of the south-eastern face of Monte Garzolet. This location has always been a crossroads between the road that leads to the Giudicarie area and the one that leads to Lake Garda and is characterized by the presence of numerous vineyards and the majestic Lake Toblino. It attracts many sporty people from all around the world due to its cliffs, via ferratas and hiking routes for all tastes.
Toblino Lake
It is perhaps the most fascinating and evocative of the lakes touched by the path, formed by an alluvial cone created by the Sarca river at the exit of the Limarò gorge. It is an environmentally protected lake. It is surrounded by the presence of a typically Mediterranean vegetation, thanks to the presence of the mountains around and the mitigating influence of Lake Garda, which offers an ideal habitat for migratory birds and many fish species.
Castel Toblino
This very special Castle seems to emerge from the lake as if from a dream. It is said that fairies and other fantastic creatures lived there and there are numerous legends and stories linked to this place, especially in reference to guests and personalities who passed within these walls. The Castle is built on a rock spur that overlooks the body of water and one of the best ways to enjoy an excellent perspective is to walk along the wooden walkway that runs along the shores of the lake. The castle, which was owned by the vassals of the Prince Bishop of Trentino since the 12th century, has a quadrangular shape with a very interesting circular keep. A crenellated wall delimits the entire complex, including a large park that directly overlooks the lake. Currently the castle is private property with the possibility of visits, upon reservation.
S. Massenza hydroelectric power plant
The Santa Massenza Power Plant came into operation in 1952 and is part of an articulated and complex system of tunnels, penstocks and other hydraulic works that allows water to be brought from the Adamello peaks to Lake Garda. This is the most powerful water system in Trentino, with a spectacular turbine room and a volume of over 150,000 cubic meters dug into the rock at a depth of 600 metres. It is possible to visit the power plant by consulting the Hydro Dolomiti Energia website.
Santa Massenza
Santa Massenza is a very characteristic village, counting only a hundred inhabitants, scattered among alleys and old houses, and an enormous wealth of history and traditions. It lies on the shores of the lake of the same name, which takes its name from the mother of San Vigilio, patron saint of the city of Trento. The environment is still human-sized, in an idyll that unites the mountains, the land and the water. Famous for ‘grappa’ (type of aguardiente), with the very high concentration of distilleries managed by heirs of the historic Poli family, and for the Hydroelectric Power Plant of Hydro Dolomiti Energia. This village offers fascinating views and guarantees the safeguarding of tradition with festivals and celebrations (among all the ‘Night of the Stills’ in the Immaculate Conception and the ‘Pessati’ Festival in May). In the center of the town stands the Church of Santa Messere, which traces date back to 1200; the style is neo-Gothic with the bell tower positioned to the north. In 1520 the renovation works on the original building were completed by the Celestine congregation.
The village of Santa Massenza has just over a hundred inhabitants and 5 distilleries, which in the 60s were around 13. Brandy has been at home in these areas since the 16th century, when it was produced by the bishop’s table, and it is this is why the wording “Valle delle Grappe” stands out on some road signs. Santa Massenza is the capital of stills with its distilleries which from generation to generation have marked the history of the alleys of this village. This well known Grappa is distilled with the discontinuous bain-marie method, single variety but also aromatic. Worth mentioning is the ‘Night of the stills’, which falls during the Immaculate Conception holiday. An event which leads one to discover even more details and curiosities about this local production.
Lake Santa Massenza, is the result of glacial erosion and, connected to Lake Toblino by a canal, collects the waters of the Sarca river and Lake Molveno to operate the hydroelectric power plant. The fish fauna in the area is wide and the area around the lake is characterized by vineyards and olive groves, with the production of grappa, broccoli and black truffles. While maintaining an undoubted charm, this basin has been profoundly transformed following the construction of the power plant, which brings there the very cold waters coming from the Adamello, Presanella and Brenta mountains.
Fraveggio
This village is located at the foot of Mount Gazza and was once part of the extensive territories of the Episcopal Principality of Trento, a semi-independent entity of the Holy Roman Empire. It is worth getting lost in the streets of the town, admiring the beautiful houses and well-kept vegetable gardens full of aromatic herbs. The Church dedicated to San Bartolomeo is characteristic, with a façade that recalls classical temples and with a square in front from which you can admire Lake Santa Messere. The history of this town is linked to the canal that cut through it and along which numerous mills operated.
Lon
It is a village with just over a hundred inhabitants. Arriving at the center of the town, one can up till the Church, dedicated to Sant’Antonio Abate, protector of the town and animals. In the past people would bring cattle over there to be blessed. This breathtakingly beautiful Church dominates the valley. The church has a single nave with three altars dating back to the 19th century, a wooden crucifix above the tabernacle, some statues and a modern via crucis hanging on the walls in ceramic tiles.
Ciago
The town of Ciago was historically characterized by the presence of mills that marked the history and economy of the area, with signs that still remain today in the testimonies but also in the toponymy. The village is crossed by a part of the “Val dei Molini”, crossed by the Rio Castin and the canals today tell stories of a distant but still evident past of the milling art of which there are traces since the beginning of 1300, among factories, forges and millstones, which exploited the energy of the river’s waters. The presence of mills has been confirmed here since 1387. The town develops on a sort of natural amphitheater, facing south-east and therefore very sunny. The ancient nucleus of the town is made up of large stone houses arranged on a series of terraces supported by dry stone walls, surrounded by fields and vegetable gardens. In a dominant position above the houses of the village there is the ‘curaziale’ church of San Lorenzo, built between 1866-1888 and characterized by the beautiful pictorial decorations of the artist Vittorio Bertoldi. The current sacred building was erected on a previous 14th century Church, dedicated to Saints Dionisio, Rustico and Eleuterio, of which remains only the bell tower with Romanesque mullioned windows. In the town one can find a paved road which leads up to the Bocca and Passo di S. Giovanni (1673 m), where the Ciago pastures are located; it was a route widely used in ancient times as a connection between the Valle dei Laghi and the Molveno area.
Covelo
The name of this village derives from the “coveli”, i.e. the rock ravines that in the past were used to build houses. In the town of Covelo, the Church of ‘San Giacomo il Maggiore’ stands out, located on a rocky hill and present in some documents from the early 15th century. The bell tower appears to have been built on the remains of an old Roman watchtower, subject to many renovations throughout time.
Sentiero dei Mulini di Covelo
It is a ring itinerary, which goes between alleys and houses, vegetation and panoramas, offering truly evocative views. The two historic mills that meet represent a distant past but give these places a timeless charm. As also illustrated by the ‘Bondone Reserve Network’, it is important to underline the presence of many springs. In fact, along the road that leads to the old mill, an ideal situation has developed for the development of a particular type of moss which, thanks to the presence of the phenomenon of dripping and the hardness of the water, has given shape to a very particular structure that extends on the road.
Sentiero di San Vili
The ‘Sentiero di San Vili’, opened in 1988 by the SAT, ‘Società Alpinisti Tridentini’, and it consists in a long route from Madonna di Campiglio to Trento, for a total of around a hundred kilometres. It retraces the footsteps of San Vigilio, the first Bishop of the city of Trento, who followed this route on one of his evangelization journeys in the western lands of the region. The legend says that this journey retraces the one taken by the Christians who brought the body of the bishop of Val Rendena back to the capital after his martyrdom. The path passes through various villages and landscapes, offering exciting views of the valleys crossed.
Monte Terlago
The town was born in the past, when during the summer the inhabitants of Terlago brought their livestock to graze in these areas and slowly, towards the end of the nineteenth century, began to build farms for permanent settlement. A few kilometers from the town, we find Lake Lamar and Lake Santo, once united in a single lake but today separated by a band of land created by sediments over the centuries.
