TThe Rifugio Segantini is a mountain hut located at 2,373 metres in the Italian Alps. It is constantly shifting and revealing glimpses into the magnificent Brenta Dolomites: a patch here, a craggy ridge there. The view is tantalising and a couple times I ran outside in a sort of peekaboo farce, hoping to see it all, only to have it pass behind clouds once again.
The refuge – cosy, wooden-clad and packed with hikers – is named after the Italian landscape painter Giovanni Segantini, who was inspired by these mountains. The walls are covered with his portrait and the lace curtain is embroidered with his name. The refuge, a simple stone building in Val d’Amola with blue and white shutters, is dwarfed by the rugged surroundings, including Trentino’s tallest peak, the 3,556-metre Presanella. Guestbook entries are all from locals.
The eastern Dolomites are known to most British hikers. This includes the Tre Cime di Lavaredo or Lago di Braies towards Cortina. This part of Adamello Brenta is a rare sight. Few people visit Trentino. This is, according to my mountaineer Nicola Binelli, the wild part: Less explored, with fewer tourist, and provoking “bigger emotion”. (He first climbed Presanella at the age of six.)
I’m here for the launch of the Via delle Valli – a network of fifty hiking routes that covers 50 of Trentino’s mountain valleys. It stretches from Madonna di Campiglio all the way down to Lake Idro. Along the way, it passes the Brenta Dolomites, Italy’s biggest glacier and the Adamello Dolomites. There are many different types of trails, some are family friendly and others are challenging climbs that require a mountain guide. The trails can be walked within a single day or linked together to form a multiday trek. Mountain huts and bivouacs are available in the area (open between June and September). The whole route can be explored over a period of weeks, months, or even years.
They were previously separate trails, but have now been unified into the Via delle Valli. They are updating their signage, and have updated maps and GPX data. made available onlineThe “Valley Passport”, which encourages hikers to return, has been introduced. Each valley has an ambassador who is there to share their love of and knowledge about the area with others.
Loredana Bonazza is the local tourist board’s manager and the person behind the initiative. She was inspired by Spain’s famed Camino de Santiago. The idea behind the initiative, according to Bonazza, is to lure mountain-lovers from hotspots like Madonna di Camiglio and Val Genova towards less-known trails. She says, “Every valley has its own uniqueness.” “We forget all that,” she says. [in the mountains]Stress, work, family issues. You feel connected to the mountain. The result: per scoprire; per scoprirsi. To discover; to discover yourself.”
My focus is on two contrasting valleys – the rocky, rough Val D’Amola and neighbouring verdant Val Nambrone, where we begin by exploring one of its jewels: the breathtaking (literally) Lago Vedretta, at 2,600 metres. Rifugio Cornisello (newly remodeled and made of wood and glass) is the next hut we reach. We walk through lush alpine meadows to a rocky lip where, in its full glory, the lake can be seen. The landscape is still frozen in late summer, with sheets of blue ice melting into the water. It’s easy to mistake this for Patagonia rather than Italy.
Around 100 bears live in Trentino. There are also wolves, falcons, eagles, and chamois. On the way back to our refuge where we will be spending the night we make a detour to see the fluffier residents of the mountains: the marmots.
Debora, the first woman forest guard and ambassador of Val Nambrone in the region, assures us that there will be plenty up here. We follow Debora Rambaldini up a green spur, dotted with wildflowers. In silence, we listen to the sound of rushing waters. Rambaldini presses a finger against her lips. There is a marmot, bushy-tailed, with a reddish flush on its fur. Another marmot sunbathing below us, watching us suspiciously, was even better.
The next day we drive to Val D’Amola. We follow the route around the inky Lago Nero to the Bocchetta de l’Om Pass, with our backpacks full. Val D’Amola, only a few kilometers away, is a completely different world. It is Lord of the Rings is more Lord of the Rings. The water – grey here, not blue – thunders rather than babbles. After lunch, it is our climb up to Quattro Cantoni, a steep ledge that leads to the next valley. This is where we see the wilder side of the mountains. The cloud hangs low and thick, and apparently a storm is coming – soon. Above, the sky is rumbling. This route is challenging: I must scramble over rocks and tiptoe on ledges while crossing patches snow. After reaching Segantini safely, I’m elated. And the storm will never come.
As we eat our polenta-based mountain meal in Segantini the clouds part. From Cornisello these jagged teeth-like Dolomites looked pastel pink at sunset. Now they are slate grey, foreboding and topped with snow. The Dolomites fill the entire horizon. On their black sides, twinkling lights from another hut, a huge Tuckett that sleeps 120, appear as the sky dims.
I feel my heart racing as I climb into bed. The six-bed room has a window facing back in the direction we came. The room is often illuminated by distant flashes, which disturb the darkness and silence. Sleeping – and waking – above 2,000 metres, though, is special. The ordinary life below the cloud line feels like a long distance away. The time slows down, and you are only able to focus on what is happening right now, your company, or the view. After my trip, a part of me will remain here at Segantini. It is there that I will wait to explore these wild mountains again and learn more about the Via delle Valli.
The trip was organized by Trentino Marketing You can also read about the local tourist board. Dorm rooms are available at Rifugio Cornisello €65 B&B or €90-€100 half-board, and €85 Half-board is available at Rifugio Segantini. Visit this website to learn more about the Via delle Valli. campigliodolomiti.it
