Walk along the Valle dell'Agno (02/01/2019)

As I still had a day left in Vicenza I decided to join my aunt who was driving to the town of Valdagno for work. After getting off the car in the city center I started my hike down south hoping to enjoy the great weather of the day and hiking through some small towns and the countryside. I started at the Duomo di San Clemente, the town's cathedral, built in the neoclassical style over a previous church. I then walked further passing through the main square and then onwards along the old town, dating mostly to the 18th century. After the old town, I passed among a large residential area as Valdagno became famous when the Marzotto family founded a textile industry in 1836 that brought richness to the city still to this day. As I exited the town I walked along the nice bicycle route built along the Agno river and taking me all the way to the town of Cornedo Vicentino. Here I walked through the city center, passing by the nice 16th century Villa Trissino, the seat of the city's library. Then uphill I reached the small isolated church of San Sebastiano dating to the 15th century with a nice and elegant facade. From the terrace, in front of it, I had a nice view of the valley and surrounding hills. As I walked back downhill and exited the town, I continued along a countryside road surrounded by beautiful verdant fields. Despite it being winter the fields were quite green already and some trees still held leaves. After crossing the Agno river I reached a small hamlet where the Pieve di San Martino is located. The church, built around the 12th century in a Romanesque style, is the oldest of the valley and was an important feature for the Longobards living in the area. It is now surrounded by a cemetery and unfortunately was closed as I attempted to visit it. So after a bit more walking I passed through the town of Brogliano and continued on along the hills. After some time I reached the small town of Trissino and noticed immediately the large 18th century Villa Trissino Marzotto as I approached. As I passed by I noticed it was closed, though it usually can be visited as it possesses a nice art collection and a splendid garden. Next to it was the church of Sant'Andrea dating to 1530 and with a large cupola. A terrace granted an amazing view opening out to the south making it seem like if it were already springtime. After a long walk through a vast countryside, I approached another series of hills which I walked up and down until I reached the first houses of Arzignano. A little further on I then reached a highpoint where the castle was located. Built around the 11th century it was later destroyed during the Magyar invasions.  Another was built in its place the following century and enlarged and refurbished during the later periods. It now consists of a set of walls, of which just the northeastern part remains, surrounding some houses and the parochial church. At the southwestern side stands the imposing keep made out of black rock and red brick. From here I could clearly make out the outline of the old town below. Funnily Arzignano, sitting close to Vicenza, is the town I was born in, as at the time the hospital was well known and a convenient point to give birth. After reaching the city center I walked through the pretty streets and arrived in the central square Piazza Libertà. Here I met again with my aunt and her friend, who had just arrived and were waiting for me, and together we went to eat a small restaurant called Osteria alla Cedrara which served good food. Once filled and happy I then headed to the car with my aunt who droves us finally back to Vicenza after a long 24km walk.

The Villa in Valdagno

The Villa Trissino in Cornedo Vicentino

The church of San Sebastiano in Cornedo Vicentino

View from the church's terrace

The Pieve di San Martino

The church of Sant'Andrea in Trissino

The villa Trissino Marzotto

Arzignano's castle

Selva di Val Gardena (27-29/12/2018)

After a nice christmas back in Vicenza we decided to head to the mountains for a bit of skiing and hiking in the area of Selva di Val Gardena. After checking in at our hotel Pralong, we decided to head to the city center and walk a little bit before heading back to the hotel where we had dinner. After that, we headed to sleep as we were hoping to get up early to start the day. After waking up and having a filling breakfast we all left to ski by heading to the nearest chairlift. The first ride brought us up the ciampinoi slopes and then another brought us right below the Sassolungo, a beautiful dolomite mountain which is an unmistaklable landmark in the area. It's name means long rock due to its form and reached a height of 3181m. After skiing for a while around its perimeter we decided to stop and have lunch at one of the many huts located on the ski slopes. After a filling lunch we skied some more and enjoyed the beautiful views of the surrounding lanscape which included the Scillar mountain group and peaks further away. After a long day my legs felt the strain and we decided to relax in the hotel room before heading downstairs for another tasty dinner. The following day, the weather promised a bit of clouds and feeling a bit unsure regarding my shoulder and another full day of skiing I decided instead to hike a little. My aunt, Davide and Giacomo decided to join me while my brother went skiing instead. After leaving the town and reaching the northen part of the valley we parked the car and started our short hike. We walked along the ski slope of Col Raiser and after going through a bit of woods we reached the Sangon hut where we stopped and relaxed in the sun while having some lunch. At one point Davide decided to head to ski a little bit while my aunt, Giacomo and I instead decided to walk back to the town through another way. We reached the Juac hut located at 1905m above the sea level and from there descended through a path winding its way through a forest and taking us all the way to the town of Selva. After reaching the hotel we decided to take advantage of the sauna and relax for the rest of the evening followed by another dinner and an early sleep. The next day while the others went skiing again I decided to hike another day as the sun was shining bright again. I headed northwards from the town and through a thick pine wood, following a path that led me right below the first mountain to the north of Selva. Due to the unusual weather conditions, only the town, which is in the shade for most of the day, had some snow on the ground, while as I walked north and upwards I found the area lacking in snow. The path was in fact in complete sunlight and due to the higher temperatues than average any snow that might have fallen in the previous days was completely gone. As I started my ascent of the mountain I stopped halfway to have a snack and observe the view and to my surprise I spotted a young chamois grazing very close to me. I slowly approached him to take a photo but after spotting he trotted away and up the rocks as if it were plain flat ground. After the short break I continued my hike and reached the top of the mountain which finally had some snow. As I walked around the flat top I admired the beautiful 360 degrees panorama, spanning from the Sassolungo mountain, to the Sella mountain group and down the Vallunga which I had hiked the previous year. It was a marked contrast to the last time I was here as I remember I had to give up after I reached the end of the valley due to the impressive amount of snow. After admiring the panorama, I hiked a little more along the side of the mountain until I reached the Stevia hut, located at 2312m. Due to its remoteness this hut was closed and only opens for the summer season. I found a bench next to the hut's wall and layed there soaking in the sun and having the lunch I had brought with me. I relaxed for about an hour and half while reading a book and then decided to head back through the way I came. First though I hiked up the nearby hill which provided an incredible view of the Sella mountain group. As I had sat on the bench the temperature was pleasant enough for me to lay with just a shirt one while after leaving the bench and walkingn up the hill a strong wind created a sharp cold contrast. Turning back on my tracks I walked onwards and descended back down the rocky outcrop I had previously climbed this time making it extremely hard as without snow the stones and steps had turned into a thin ice which made it incredibly unstable and slippery at each step. After finally reaching the end of the downhill part I walked through the forest once more and reached the town of Selva where I had a long and relaxing sauna in our hotel while waiting for the others to come back from skiing. After all had arrived we packed out stuff and then left for Vicenza after a great three days in the mountains.

View of the Sassolungo

Another view of the Sassolungo from the slopes

The southern part of the Sassolungo

The Sassolungo and the town of Selva di Val Gardena

View of the Scillar mountain group

View of the Vallunga and the mountains around it

The Stevia hut

View of the Sella mountain group