Castello d'Avio route

 Surrounded by a typically pre-Alpine landscape and crowned by the impressive Castello di Avio, the town of Avio in Trentino is a worthwhile destination.

Those traveling south along the Brenner motorway have surely already seen the castle in Avio. Hikers rarely venture into this area, otherwise the markings would be better. We start at the cemetery in Avio, cross the bridge, and hike alongside the power plant upstream along the creek. The clear water was formerly used to operate the mills. Even today, many traces of this old craft are visible. There are no markings here, and with a slightly uneasy feeling, we wonder if we are on the right path.

 I recommend following my track as there are no markings. At first, you walk along the creek, then shortly uphill to a vineyard, which we cross before ascending a trail until we come to a fork with a no-entry sign on the right. We take this right path uphill on a forest road. The ascent continues steadily until we reach the water pipe corridor of the power plant. We go under this corridor and walk gently under the "Punta della Piagù," up and down, until after about an hour we spot the first marking for path no. 686 and follow this path to the castle. You can choose the forest road here, but we prefer the woodland path. Soon we reach Castello di Avio, one of the oldest fortifications in Trentino, offering a beautiful view over the valley basin.

 Visiting the castle becomes our highlight of the day. High walls, very well-preserved frescoes, and the old tower show that this fortress is well maintained.

We refresh ourselves at the Locanda inside the castle with local wines before continuing under the castle past the hamlet of "San Antonio" along the panoramic path (above the village of Avio). This path on stone slabs is a welcome conclusion to our hike and leads us back to our starting point, the cemetery.