Hikes in Pedemonte

A surprising and enchanting loop hike in the heart of the Upper Valdastico in Pedemonte. From the rushing karst springs of Gorgo Santo to ancient 18th-century legends, Marco Martalar’s spectacular Land Art installations (The Dragon’s Egg and The Nest), and the medieval history of Brancafora, this itinerary encompasses a truly unique variety of landscapes and culture over just over 4 km—perfect for everyone.

This is a splendid itinerary that leads from Forte Belvedere, a museum of the Alpe Cimbra fortified line, down the cart track between crags and rock jumps overlooking the Val d'Astico below. Combined with CAI path no. 597, it leads to the bottom of the valley at Pedemonte.

Historical path that descends the valley of the Rio Torto, an ancient connection between Val D'Astico and Alta Valsugana. It was mainly used by emigrants, smugglers, and, close to the Great War 1914-1918, by patrols controlling the border between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy. In case of heavy rains, crossing the stream is not recommended. 

A walk through the Cimbre mountain pastures

The pilgrimage church of the Cimbri

From Lastebasse, where we park, we go up the paved road for a short distance until we find a nice shrine on the right and signs to cross to the other side of the Astico stream. We go down to the stream bed and cross over via a narrow but sturdy bridge. We then turn right and follow the left bank of the river, ascending slightly and then descending decisively toward the part beyond Lastebasse. After traveling a good stretch of downhill road, we reach the small village of Ciechi and, although the route I traced continues a bit further, we decide to climb among the houses and take a mule track that, first gently and then increasingly steeply, rises decisively, quickly gaining altitude. After several stops to wait for everyone, catch our breath, and enjoy the sun that has come out and warms our bodies, we finally see Forte Belvedere (Gschwendt), majestic up there at the top. Our four-legged friend, Rocco, also happily roams around, never sated with freedom. The fort is very large and certainly gives an idea of the firepower it could unleash. The fort covers an area of 200 by 100 meters and served as a hinge-like connection along the entire Austrian frontline on the Plateaus. It was completed in 1912, just before the outbreak of the conflict, and suffered heavy bombardments by Italian artillery. After the May 1916 Strafexpedition, it was abandoned as the front moved toward the Asiago Plateau. The fort, as evident, was preserved from post-war looting due to intervention even by the then King of Italy Vittorio Emanuele III, but the upper domes and part of the metal cladding were removed near World War II. In 2002, the Municipality of Lavarone, having become its owner in the meantime, began restoration and reopened it as a public museum (since 1966 it had been a private museum). We eat on the roof, beside the armored domes, enjoying the absence of wind and the sun that seems to inhabit a September day. We then head down the road leading to the village of Oseli and from there, following ancient roads as the itinerary's title states, we arrive at the gates of Gionghi and then bid farewell to the Lavarone Plateau to return to the valley. The descent, which includes discovering the Covelo del Rio Malo, the small and charming village of Piccoli (how fitting the name is), and the Sas de le Mitrie (a meadow where three large rocks symbolize the ancient border between the three bishoprics of Trento, Padua, and Feltre), is not as hard as the ascent and soon we retrace our morning steps back to the parking. Excellent post-hike refreshments at the Prealpi bar in Lastebasse, just across the street. Technical Data: 16 km covered in about 7.5 hours (I did not stop the timer at lunch—about 1 hour plus breaks) with 860 meters of elevation gain. Rating: E/M due to the steep initial climb.

From the center of Luserna, the capital of the small Cimbrian world where ancient customs and the local German-speaking language are commonly used daily, we first climb a path and then through the forest, to some huts that we find closed, up to Malga Millegrobbe di sopra. From here we start climbing again towards the Fort, which we visit before and after eating.  Fort Luserna stands on the height of Cima Campo at an altitude of 1549 meters above sea level, just above the homonymous village. For its construction, at the end of 1904, the Imperial Royal Ministry of War purchased a large piece of land that, due to its position, dominated Vezzena and much of the eastern territories of the plateau. With a construction authorization of January 31, 1905, under the direction of Captain Lacom, on July 15, 1908, the construction of a work that for its characteristics could be defined as one of the marvels of military engineering of the time began. The fort consisted of a main structure, which, together with Fort Verle, was supposed to control the head of Val d'Assa, and two outposts: Viaz (with a Fixed Armored Dome, at 1507 meters above sea level), to the east, with a monitoring function over Malga Campo and Val Torra, and Oberwiesen (Battery with position for Under Armored Infantry Combat, at 1517 meters above sea level), to the west, from where control of Val d'Astico was maintained; the three structures were connected to each other through galleries several hundred meters long and walkways controlled by guard posts. While the outposts were small armored positions, the main structure consisted of a partially underground block, excavated in living rock, with three emerging floors and a concrete anti-breakthrough cover more than 3 meters thick. With a volume of over 200,000 cubic meters - compared to the 51,000 of Fort Verle and about 100,000 of Fort Belvedere-Gschwent - it was one of the most important works that the Empire had built to defend the borders of the ancient province of Tyrol. To prevent infantry assaults, the surrounding territory was covered with wire fences and trenches up to 10 meters wide and 4 meters deep were dug, with a counter-scarp work equipped with machine guns. The fort's dormitory was designed to house 218 soldiers, with a shelter that could accommodate another 77. There were also 6 housing units for officers. The fort had an autonomous power plant, fuel and water deposits, and a pumping system capable of delivering 1200 liters/hour for supply from the Viazzi spring (accessible via a covered walkway). Finally, communication with other Austro-Hungarian fortifications took place through an external telephone with the switchboard in Monterovere, in addition to direct lines with Fort Verle and the Fortified Observatory of Cima Vezzena; there was also a telephone for artillery. The main structure was connected with the outposts through underground lines and the fort could communicate with the Monte Rust Observatory, the Belvedere-Gschwent, Cherle-San Sebastiano (from Oberwiesen), Verle and Cima Vezzena forts through mechanical optical signaling devices. Several hundred men (including many local workers) were employed for the construction of the fort until October 20, 1912. With an initial budget of 1,605,400 Crowns, after over four years of work, the structure was completed at a cost of 2,259,648 Crowns, comparable to a current currency value of several tens of millions of euros. From the fort we descend for a gastronomic visit of much satisfaction to Malga Campo, during which we witness a thunderstorm from which we save ourselves by entering the Malga.  Then, by a partially paved road, we return to the village. Given the early hour, we go to visit (very beautiful) the Luserna Documentation Center - Dokumentationszentrum Lusern – ONLUS. The Documentation Center is a Non-Profit Social Utility Organization aimed at research, development, collection of historical testimonies, and their enhancement. The foundation collects and preserves historical documents of various nature related in the past to the village of Luserna and, through exhibitions and guided visits, promotes the knowledge and cultural enrichment of visitors.  In conclusion, 13.3 km traveled in 3.40 hours/elevation gain 354 m. Personal Rating E/F

Al punto di partenza c'è un bel parcheggio. i sentieri sono ben segnati e puliti. consuglio di fare il giro in questo senso perché il sentiero di ritorno vi regal un ottima vista ed è ben illuminato.

Facile giro sempre su strade sterrate ben visibili. La parte verso Luserna percorre il sentiero dell immaginario e oassa per un punto panoramico verso la val D'astico bellissimo. Volendo, e noi volevamo, ci si può fermare a Rifugio malga Campo per una pausa veloce o un ottimo pranzo.

Partendo dalla valle dell Astico precisamente da Pedemonte dove c'è un ampio parcheggio si sale verso malga Laghetto, da li si rientra verso Lavarone passando per quel che resta del Drago del Vaia. Dal fianco del forte Lavarone si comincia a scendere lungo il fianco del monte fino a Pedemonte. PS. breve deviazione per mangiare al ristorante Belvedere.