Tom`s travels: Cammino Fogazzaro Roi (15/06/2019)

On a sunny weekend in June, I decided to go on a day trip and walk along part of the long-distance walk called Cammino Fogazzaro Roi. About 80km long, from Montegalda to Tonezza del Cimone or vice versa, this walk is meant to be tackled in four days. It was created to touch upon sites, villas, and other locations sung by the local novelist Antonio Fogazzaro and visited by his great-grandson the Marquis Giuseppe Roi. I decided to walk the first part by heading to Tonezza del Cimone and start from there. I asked my mother if she could drive me there, as there was, unfortunately, no public transport at that moment of the day to that location. After getting dropped off in the main square of this little mountain town, I waved goodbye to my mom and started my hike. I first entered the church of San Cristoforo, the main parish which has quite a complicated history. First built around the 15th century it was rebuilt around the end of the 18th century and then again in 1867 due to the fact the parish had grown and the building was too small. Unfortunately, as the area and mountains around had been one of the major theatres during world war I, the church was completely destroyed and had to be rebuilt between 1919 and 1921. Thus its interior was quite simple and modern but inviting and bright. From there I then set myself on the path following the typical red and white striped stickers signaling the way. The path winded its way through a beautiful pine forest typical of that mountainous landscape and then past the last hamlets of the town. From there it then descended down along what was once the main road to Tonezza from the valley below, now turned into a bike/pedestrian path. Once in a while, among the trees, I was able to gaze at the valley below, the Val d'Astico, named after the river flowing through it. The small town of Pedescala was easily spottable as well, and right above it a great view of the western end of the Altopiano di Asiago, the mountain plateau comprising of seven ancient towns, with the town of Rotzo famous for its excellent potatoes. As I reached the valley down below I then crossed the Astico river and followed a bicycle path that continued on through a nice forest. I met some runners and cyclists on the way and also stopped to admire the Torrione di Pedescala, a medieval tower built in this bottleneck of the valley due to its strategic importance. A little further on I then reached a locality called Contra' Pria, a small hamlet made famous by the river which here creates a series of pools that have been taken advantage of by locals and others in order to transform the place into a kind of beach among the mountains. Here I set down my bag and decided to test the frigid waters coming directly fresh down from the mountains. The crystal clear water was amazing to look at but as soon as I entered the little pool with my legs I started to feel strong pain and numbness which promptly forced me to jump out. I took another tip up to my upper legs and then came out once again to lay on the rocks and enjoy the hot sun for a while. There we some people enjoying their weekend on the beach as well as some occasional thrill-seekers diving in and rushing out from the cold. A sign had to be put in recent years on the little bridge set right above the main pool as many people still enjoy diving down from up there eventually resulting in common serious accidents. I even spotted two people wearing neoprene and scuba gear descending the pool and exploring its mesmerizing recesses. After the short break, I decided to set myself on the path again and continued on southwards. The path the ended into the main roadway in a locality called Seghe, where I decided to stop at a place called Trattoria all'Isola to have a sandwich for lunch. Then I continued on and eventually reached and stopped to have a look at the Pieve di San Giorgio, a medieval church containing the oldest fresco in the area of Vicenza dating to the 11th century. Unfortunately, it was closed so I was not able to admire its interior. I continued on and followed the old railway connecting the town of Arsiero to that of Piovene Rocchette now turned into a beautiful pedestrian/cycling path. After a little while, I reached Piovene, a small town nestled at the beginning of the Astico valley; I walked through the city center admiring some old architecture as well as some nice city palaces and villas from the outside. From then on the way became straight and boring consisting mostly of soy and wheat fields surrounding by the typical flatlands of the area and occasional industrial areas. As the afternoon started to get hotter, I finally reached the train station of Marano Vicentino from where I was able to take a train back to Vicenza, finishing two legs of the long-distance walk in just one go. I will be ready to finish the rest on another occasion.