Hikes in Susegana

Our route on the Traumpfad Munich-Venice (Grassler-Route) in July/August 2021 with various variants

Mill, Wine, and Castles A wonderfully charming area is the northern back corner of Veneto. Its gentle hills shine in lush green and offer us one last breather before finally descending into the busy Venetian plain. Even today, many kilometers of road stretch out stubbornly under the mountain bases. For a short break, the pretty little mill Molinetto della Croda is suitable. However, we would wait with the extended lunch break until the Trattoria al Molinetto or Refrontolo: The Prosecco of the region is delicious and widely known. A little cheerfulness on the way to Collalto can’t hurt either: it’s 17 road kilometers to Ponte della Priula on the banks of the Piave, past Collalto's impressive castle ruins. Unfortunately, the currently only accommodation in the main transit location lies directly on a heavily trafficked road. An alternative can be found in Susegana (see variant) at the 4-star Hotel Astoria in the middle of vineyards. The only downside is that you have to get to Ponte della Priula on the road the next day anyway: this is very convenient in 5 minutes by the bus, which runs very frequently on weekdays (only 3 times daily on Sat/Sun/holidays); however, on foot, the 3 km on the busy road is very dull. Other accommodation options are available in Conegliano, reachable by bus in about 20 minutes.

This hike begins at the northern end of the Prosecco region. This sparkling wine, which takes its name from a small town about 10 km outside of Trieste, has become a culinary symbol of southern joie de vivre in Central Europe and is a staple at virtually every event. And so, in Arfanta and Refrontolo alike, the vineyards dominate the landscape and lift our spirits. Incidentally, it’s most beautiful here in the fall, when the vine leaves turn colorful, creating a striking contrast to the gray rocks behind us. So, pretty hills await us—they’re the last ones before we finally descend, just before Ponte della Priula, into the lowlands, which lead about 40 km south as the crow flies to the Adriatic coast.> We start at the Arfanta01 parking lot, right in front of Hotel Da Tullio, and either head directly south toward the church, then turn left below it and continue down the road, or walk clockwise around the hotel and, once behind it, keep to the right on the narrow road leading downhill. It winds its way 1 km through the pretty vineyards down into the valley to a crossroads. Here we turn right onto Via Molinetto, where we now stay just to the right of the stream for quite a while, ignoring all side paths.If you’ve stayed at Agriturismo Le Noci, hike directly from there along a trail southward to the aforementioned gravel road by the stream and continue to the right there, following our directions.Walking partly on asphalt and partly on gravel, we make our way down the idyllic little valley in the cool of the morning. Wooded sections alternate with farmland, and we eventually reach a quiet asphalt road, where we continue to the left. Continuing straight ahead, after about 800 m and a slight descent, we reach the entrance to the Molinetto della Croda02 on the left.The mill is today’s cultural highlight; dating back to the 17th century, it offers a wonderful photo opportunity perched on a small rocky outcrop (Croda) and also serves as a great spot to rest. The swans, paddling pensively in the water, add to the idyllic atmosphere. The small kiosk is usually open during peak season. Back on the road, we continue to the left and follow it for a longer stretch. At first, we walk not far to the left of the Torrente Lierzo; later, we pass a cluster of houses. Shortly thereafter, as the landscape opens up, our Via Molinetto ends at a sharp curve in Via Costa. Here, we continue straight ahead on Via Costa, which winds gently uphill and leads us to the town center of Refrontolo03. At the central piazza of this Prosecco-growing town, we find a fountain on the left and a bar right next to the path. To continue, we turn right briefly onto Viale delle Alpini and, after 30 m, turn right again onto the main road, Via della Vittoria. After 300 m, we leave Via della Vittoria to the right onto the narrow alley Cal de Pos, where we take a shortcut to avoid a long detour. Once at the bottom, we rejoin the main road SP86, which we now follow for just under a kilometer. Caution: the road is very busy and has no sidewalk! After about 10 minutes, we pass the beautiful B&B Alle Zagare. About 100 m after that, the heavy traffic is finally behind us. At the major fork, we continue straight ahead on the left side of the road, while the main road turns right. We ignore Via Boschi, which branches off to the left shortly thereafter, and continue south on Via Casale, passing several wineries along the way. After about 1.5 km, we approach a large intersection. Here, we first keep to the left for a short while, then cross to the right side of the street at the crosswalk and proceed straight through the underpass beneath the SP38 expressway. After the underpass, we continue on Via Fornaci di Collalto.The road turns southwest and leads us gently up the hill. After crossing a bridge, it becomes Via Toti dal Monte. From there on, we ignore all side roads and keep going straight ahead as we walk leisurely through the sparsely populated residential area.In Barbisano, Via Toti dal Monte ends in a right-hand curve and becomes Via J. F. Kennedy. Here, we walk just a few meters to the right and then immediately turn left onto Via Santa Croce, continuing directly south in the direction of travel. A short while later, at a chapel, we continue straight ahead and find ourselves on Via Francesco Petrarca, which leads us in a narrow loop around Barbisano to the main road, Via Piave.On this road, we take a sharp left turn and, 300 meters later, reach another intersection where we turn left again. We are now on Via Lierza, where shortly afterward we ascend a somewhat steeper slope into the pretty village of Collalto, dominated by an interesting castle dating back to the 12th century. Not far from the first houses, at the stop sign, we can take the narrow road up to the left and, at the top on the right, pass through the impressive gate to finally reach Collalto’s village square04 with its fountain and park benches. (To the left of the gate, the path leads up to the castle.)To continue on our way, we now follow Via di Collalto further uphill. It leads us straight up the hill like an avenue and soon becomes a scenic gravel path that winds gently southward on relatively level ground. We take a path branching sharply from the right just once, but always stay on the main trail. The final stretch takes us back through dense forest along the wide path, after which it ends at the paved Via Tombola. Here we turn right and climb briefly up the hill to the parish church of San Daniele05. The view to the south is truly lovely, and you can enjoy it from the stone benches in front of the church entrance or at the Ristorante/Bar Da Checco, about 50 meters further down the hill. This is our last hill before we head down into the valley.Via Tombola, which we’re now descending, later becomes Via San Daniele and then continues straight ahead as Via Francesco Baracca. After a long, perhaps somewhat melancholic descent following all the amazing mountain experiences of the past few weeks, we reach the main road SP34 in Colfosco. We cross it and continue along Via Loschi for about 150 m to the Piave flood embankment, which we then follow to the left. Continuing straight ahead, we reach the large bridge over the Piave, partly on grassy paths and partly on small paved roads. Turning left here, we’ll reach the roundabout in the heart of Ponte della Priula06 in just a few minutes.

Piave River PromenadeThe Ponte della Priulas bridge over the Piave is very busy with traffic and thus not very pedestrian-friendly, but it is the only one in the entire area. Once we have crossed it, we walk downstream along the river. Over the next two days, we will stroll about 40 km along its bank to Musile di Piave – sometimes right by the water, but mostly on service roads and dikes running parallel a few hundred meters away. Gravel plants, vineyards, and nurseries characterize the scenery along the path. However, the warmly run Hotel Colombo in the small village of San Bartolomeo is a reason to look forward – especially its promising menu of food and wine.

Canale Castelletto-Nervesa - View of the Piave - San Daniele Tombola

With a length of 220 km, the Piave is one of Italy’s major rivers. It rises in the south of the Carnic Alps on the border with Carinthia and flows from there in a wide arc through Longarone and Belluno to its mouth near Jesolo. In the Middle Ages, the Piave was used, among other things, to transport timber, and thriving small trading centers sprang up at the former transportation hubs. Despite the Piave’s economic use, it has retained much of its natural course, giving us the opportunity to encounter beautiful views time and again along and near the riverbank. And so, as we hike across the plain, we are surrounded by a certain cheerful, idyllic atmosphere.> From the central roundabout in Ponte della Priula01, we walk along the SS13 highway—which is called Via 4 Novembre here—heading southwest and soon reach the bridge over the Piave. We cross the river on the left (!) side of the road, only to turn sharply left immediately afterward and head back toward the river. Just before the riverbank, we turn right onto a fairly wide but quite overgrown path. It ends just before a railroad bridge, under which we continue climbing on medium-sized, worn stones, always staying close to the riverbank. Caution—it can be uncomfortably slippery here, especially when wet. After the bridge, the stones end and a narrow trail begins. Here we need to be careful again: The trail runs just to the right of a drop-off into the riverbed. As we cut through the underbrush, the trail gradually widens and improves. At a fork, we continue straight ahead and, a short while later, take a path coming in from the right. This means the most difficult section of the day is already behind us. The path, now wide and partly covered with coarse gravel, leads us beautifully through the open scrub and woodland landscape. Starting out still close to the Piave, we soon turn slightly to the right and, after a longer stretch, reach a gravel pit. Here we follow the road to the right past the pit and come to a rather inconspicuous flood control dam, where another road joins from the right. On the levee, we continue to the left along the narrow grass path. After a good 2.5 km, during which we’re treated to beautiful views of the Piave and its tributaries, we leave the levee at a war memorial and walk along the road, passing under the highway. We then continue slightly to the right on the road and quickly reach a fork. Here we keep to the left and hike along the Strada delle Grentine through beautiful orchards and vineyards. Occasionally, we get a refreshing spray from the irrigation sprinklers. The road soon turns into a gravel road. After about 1.5 km, we take the left fork again at the junction onto the Via dei Fanti and walk straight as an arrow past a sports field until our path ends a little later at Via Spartaco Lantini. Continuing left here, we reach the SP92 and follow it briefly in the direction of travel before our little road veers off to the right. Staying on it, we pass the Al Glorioso Piave hotel and restaurant and shortly thereafter arrive at the Piave River at another war memorial in Salettuol02.Here we once again come upon the flood embankment along the Piave. We walk to the right across the parking lot and, after passing it, continue along the road parallel to the embankment. It narrows into a beautiful meadow path at the edge of the vineyards. We come to a road crossing and continue first to the left and then to the right, once again enjoying the beautiful river landscape. In front of a gravel pit, the path turns right and, near a cluster of houses, becomes the melodiously named Vicolo Medaglie D’Oro (“Gold Medal Alley”). On this street, we keep to the left at first and then turn right at the T-intersection, before walking along long curves until we reach the first houses of Candelù03. If we continued straight ahead for 100 meters from here, we would reach a small square with a lovely bar and a fountain.However, our route turns off onto an embankment before we reach the village, as we branch off to the left onto the narrow Via Brigata Caserta. We now walk straight ahead for just under 3 km, passing more farmland, before—after a right turn at a traffic light—we reach the main road SP57, Via Argine Piave. We cross this road, then walk straight ahead along Via delle Casette to its end, and then turn left onto the slightly wider local street, Via Molinetto. This street quickly turns right, passes a pharmacy, and, after another right turn, reaches an intersection. Here, we turn left onto Via Massimiliano Davanzo and, a few minutes later, arrive at our destination for this stage: the town center, near the Church of San Bartolomeo04.

From the large parking lots near the Castle of San Salvatore through streets and paths between Susegana and Collalto. There are no signs but with a bit of orientation everything is easy.

Easy hill hike between the castles of Susegana and Collalto

A turn that is as easy as it is long. The beauty is that often the round trip sections are close to each other, making it easy to shorten a lot. I'm not sure, but it can also be done on a mountain bike because the roads are almost always dirt tracks. To see: San Salvatore castle, ruins of the Collalto Castle, many vineyards and plenty of nature.