The Traisental is the newest and smallest Austrian DAC region, and one I had never heard of. I decided therefore to visit the region’s trails and wineries. I quickly identified a great trail, the Korkenzieher. Korkenzieher is “corkscrew” in German, and the name of this trail derives from a monumental corkscrew rising above the vineyards, with a viewing platform overlooking much of the Traisental vineyard area. Perfect for a wine-themed hiking trail through this region!
Trail Name: Korkenzieher Themenweg
Trail Type: Short distance; variable surfaces, i.e.: leaf and grass, hard-packed earth, and paved; mostly well maintained, but the route itself is not marked.
Length: total: 7 kilometers/ 4.4 miles
Convenient to: Traismauer, Sankt Polten, Austria
Marking: None
Itinerari Tra I Vigneti 3: Yet another wine trail in the Swiss Canton of Ticino for me to rave about. This one is a twin (actually a triplet) to the one I wrote about earlier: Itinerari Tra I Vigneti 1. (See it here.) Although the two trails share many characteristics, there are enough differences to make each uniquely enjoyable.
Itinerari 3 is a multinational trail! While the trail begins in Rancate, Switzerland, it weaves through the Italian village of Clivio, Italy, before returning to its start in Rancate. Thus, it provided me another opportunity to visit the Italo-Swiss lake region. This trail has water views, unlike the other trail which is set close to, but on the other side of the ridge from, Lake Como. An especially memorable view was from on high of Lake Lugano: a stunning blue gemstone set amidst a spring-green landscape. It was a surprise, a delight, and above all, an unforgettable treat.
Trail Name: Itinerari Tra I Vigneti 3
Trail Type: medium distance circuit; mostly paved, some path, mostly well maintained, and marked in some places.
Length: total – 16.8 kilometers/10.45 miles
Convenient to: Chiasso or Lugano, Switzerland; or Varese or Como, Italy
Marking: Purple stylized grapes on a light background. (May be seen in conjunction with white stylized grapes on a purple background – the marking for mountain bikes.)
Continue reading Itinerari Tra I Vigneti 3 – Trail in a Nutshell
There is nothing like Italian sunshine to chase away the winter blues. And in vineyards in March, the sun melts the snow faster, and the vineyards begin to show hints of life earlier, making a March hike through the Piedmont countryside a true delight.
Add to this the opportunity to taste a light, sweet wine, with sweet summer berry flavors, and dreams of summer flood the senses. In this case, the wine was Malvasia, and the countryside was around the Piedmont village of Casorzo, homeland of the DOC Malvasia di Casorzo.
Trail Name: Sentiero del Malvasia
Trail Type:
Mid-distance; paved in the urban area, dirt, loam or grass in other parts; somewhat maintained, but the route itself is not well marked.
Length: Total – 10 kilometers/ 6 miles
Convenient to: Asti, or Casale Monferrato, Italy
Marking:
Rectangular sign with red and white stripes overwritten “2” (or not)
If there is any grape that wine-lovers consider the quintessential grape of Germany, it is Riesling. German Riesling is unique, with fairly high natural acidity (that mellows nicely over time), a great fruity character, and yet generally speaking, a light and refreshing wine. So, coming across a hiking circuit trail in the Pfalz, by Wachenheim in the Mittelhaardt wine district, I decided to hike it, and experience some of the Rieslings from local producers.
This hike, like the wine, was unique and easy to do, with just enough elevation to get the heart going. Like the wine, it could be a fun trail to hike with friends on an early summer day, although I was there in winter, which was fine too. Being a circuit, one could begin anywhere, but I began at the north end of Wachenheim, so that I would have the climbs out of the way first, and the wine-tasting opportunities later.
Trail Name: Rieslingtour (AKA: Weinwanderrundweg 10)
Trail Type: Short distance circuit; much is paved, some hard-packed earth, some stairs: well maintained, but the route itself is only fairly marked.
Length: Total: @8 kilometers/ 5 miles
Convenient to: Bad Duerkheim, Neustadt or Mannheim, Germany
Marking: A “10” in black, on a round white background
Wine is a great European tradition. The Way of Saint James (“The Way”), a pilgrimage route to the far northwestern corner of Spain, is another. The two combine magnificently on this short hike.
Around the year 1000 A.D., people across northern Europe began to undertake pilgrimages to the shrine of Saint James (the Greater). The routes they took to northern Spain tended to converge in France, just in front of the Pyrenees, which they would cross in groups, before continuing the long trek across northern Spain. Of course, for northern Europeans, there was no one route, rather a series of waypoints (mostly small towns or large monasteries) that lead to the Pyrenees’ passes. Most of these waypoints were a day or so apart, where those who hiked The Way (and that was most of them), could find food, shelter and safety for the night. The routes today, if not strictly identical to the ones in medieval times, still follow that precept. Hiking in Germany, northern France, even Switzerland, The Way routes are seemingly ubiquitous. It is now popular to hike in stages over the years, culminating finally at Santiago de Compostela.
Trail Name: The Way of Saint James (Chemin de Saint Jacques de Compostelle)
Trail Type: Long distance; much of it paved (in this section), well maintained, and fairly well marked.
Length:
Total – Approximately 2000 kilometers (to reach Santiago de Compostela, Spain, from northern Alsace)
Segment – 7.5 kilometers/ @4.5 miles
Convenient to: Colmar, Alsace, France
Marking:
“Chemin de Saint Jacques de Compostelle” (Stylized cockleshell of yellow rays on a blue background)
Continue reading Alsatian Way of St. James: Trail in a Nutshell
