Hike around the Berici Hills (25/02/2024)

Ania and I decided to have a walk in the hills south of Vicenza. I asked my mother if she could drop us off with the car in Longare to start from there and skip the whole suburbs of Vicenza. From the cycling path in Longare we reached the nearby town of Costozza shortly after. As we walked through the town we first passed by the nice oratory of San Michele, a 15th century church in a mix of Gothic and Renaissance styles. Behind it behind a wall and fence, is the large park and building of the Villa Trento Carli from 1645. Continuing on we passed below another villa, Villa da Schio, with its beautiful terraced park. From the town, we walked through the countryside until we reached the next town, Lumignano. Here we stopped briefly at a place called Dal Presidente where we had a drink. After that, it was time to head up the cliffside overlooking the town. Following the rock face, shortly after we came upon the first crags and caves which are known to dot the area. One of them was even named the Treasure Cave, though in this case was rather a rock extraction cave and not natural like the others. A little further on we came upon a large section of crag where some climbers were practicing their skills heading up to the top. After a bit of walking through the craggy cliffside, we eventually came out on top of open fields and forest. We walked through the hilly terrain, following mostly a road, until we came in sight of the Fimon Lake from above. We made our slow descent until we reached the lake's southern shore. Here we walked along the western lakeside until we reached the little hamlet where we stopped for a lunch break at the Locanda Trentin. I had polenta and goulash while Ania had polenta with mushrooms called barboni. It was nice and filling and we then had more fuel to continue on our walk. We left the lake and headed northwards and passed the town of Torri di Arcugnano before reaching another town called Tormeno. Here we once again headed uphill, walking through nice streets sided by cypress trees and with views over the surrounding landscape. We walked on the ridge of the hills passing until we finally reached Monte Berico, the hill just south of the city of Vicenza. It was just around sunset and we then eventually made our way back to the house in the center. 

The church of San Michele Arcangelo in Costozza

A view of Costozza

The crags around town

The hermitage built inside the rock

One of the caves

Another cave

The crag climbing

A view of Tormeno and its surroundings

Val di Funes hike (28/12/2023)

On our way back from Brunico, my parents, my brother and I decided to do a little snowshoeing trip in Val di Funes, in the mountains between Brunico and Bolzano. We drove past the village of Santa Maddalena and reached the Malga Zannes where we parked the car for a fee. Our trail started from there, heading eastwards up the valley. There was quite some snow on the ground but the trees and the rocky faces facing south didn't have much. We didn't need any snowshoes as the snow was flat and not fresh so we just used our normal winter boots. Along the way, we met some people going both up and down as the area is a popular site for many hikes and loops. As we advanced further up we came out of the shade and into a nice clearing with warm sun. Here we came upon the Malga Kaserill which had already some people sitting out and enjoying a drink or food. To the south, we admired the beautiful rocky face wall of the Odle mountain group with their beautiful dolomite pink and gray. My brother and I had thought to continue up to the Rifugio Genova while my parents would wait for us at another hut. However, we decided instead to stay with them and shortly after walked to the Malga Gampen. Here we stopped for lunch, where I had a sausage with krauts and a canederlo, and a tasty kaiserschmarrn as dessert. After eating, we got back on our feet and followed the trail, starting our slow descent. As we headed down the valley, to our left we continued to admire the imposing figure of the Olde peaks. The trail continued on through a forest, zigzagging its way down. Some skiers passed us along the way, and eventually, we reached the parking once again. After getting in the car we decided to stop along the way to check out the small church of San Giovanni in Ranui just outside the village of Santa Maddalena. Due to its location, in an open field with the Olde mountains as its backdrop, it is one of the most popular and photographed sites. Built in 1744 in a baroque style it features a typical onion-shaped bell tower and a nice frescoed facade. The view, even with the clouds coming in and the sun setting was really mesmerizing. Finally, after that, we got back in the car and drove home.

A hut along the path

The stream flowing through the snow

A mountain hut with the Olde mountain group in the background

Some more huts

A view of the Olde group

View of the valley

Another mountain hut

The church of San Giovanni in Ranui

Another view of the church

The church with the Odle group