I love sparkling wine, so a trip to the land of Prosecco in northeastern Italy was perhaps inevitable. This circuit hike focused on a component of the mix that can constitute a Prosecco cuvee, the Verdiso grape. The village where it began and ended, Combai, is a real cheerleader for this varietal: having fought to gain IGT status for its wines made exclusively from this grape.

As I approached the village by car through the lovely uplands of the Veneto Region, I noted the extremely high hills Combai was located in. High hills mean great views, and this trail offered many. Even approaching the trailhead from the main square, the view down the valley toward the town of Miane was spectacular.

Also from that perspective, I noted only tall, majestic trees on the massive south-facing mountains north of the village. A vineyard hiking trail should showcase some vineyards, yet not a vineyard was in sight. But that concern was misplaced. Once through the woodlands east of the village, the trail quickly entered vineyards, which are to be found, not unusually at these elevations, on the south-facing sides of gentler hills.

The trail began with a steep descent along a beautiful, hard-surfaced road though woods, coming out into vineyards before heading up through more woods and into more vineyards. This would be a hallmark of the trail: multiple ascents and descents, passing between cool, quiet woods, and busy vineyards. It was an ideal situation for a warm, sunny day.

 

The multiple ascents and descents are also ideal for fit cyclists, and this trail shared some of its sections with a bike trail. It has sometimes been my experience to have a trail used by bikes be more torn up than usual. Here though, the bike itinerary stayed only on the hard-surface sections of this trail, so the trail surface overall was in very good shape, even after a heavy rain the day before. Kudos to the designers of both trails!

As the village disappeared behind a ridge, the named vineyard areas began in earnest. These slopes looked south. The last foothills of the plains of the Veneto came into sight. It was a serene, soothing scene compared to the wild beauty of the mountains on the other side of the village. Such a contrast was unexpected. Yet both were equally beautiful in their own ways. This was another attractive feature of the trail: changes of views that never ceased to inspire.

 

 

Coming back into the village on a late Saturday afternoon, an eerie silence had descended upon the town square. Combai had apparently shut down for the day. It was a rare chance to photograph without worrying about cars or people. Sadly though, neither that day nor the next would provide me an opportunity to taste a Verdiso varietal wine. I have already decided to return next year to the annual E Verdiso Festival, which showcases Combai’s wines, and maybe try the bike trail – which gives me a whole year to get in better shape.