Category Archives: Hiking

Germany, Hiking, Wines

Wines Notes: Franconian Steigerwald

 

What I Learned:

The Franconian Wine Region in Germany has three distinct wine districts: the famous Maindreieck passing Wuerzburg, the Mainviereck, and the Steigerwald. Unlike the first two, the Steigerwald wine district is not located along the Main River. This means that the climate-moderating effects of a river do not apply here. And since here is in south-central Germany, winter weather can last for longer, with spring weather arriving later, and fall weather arriving earlier, than elsewhere in this region.

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Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Weinsteiger: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Weinsteiger

Trail Type: Long distance; well-maintained and almost exclusively paved, marking on the trail

Length:

Total – 42.5 kilometers/26.4 miles

Segment Covered Here – @19.5 kilometers/ 12 miles*

Convenient to: Kitzingen, Schweinfurt, Germany

Marking:

Square with the word “Weinsteiger” in black on a white background, with a smaller square composed of light and dark green beneath the word. Sometimes seen on directional signs as well.

Signage: Weinsteiger

 

Directional Sign, with Weinsteiger Logo

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France, Hiking

Vineyards under Snow

 

It snows in many wine making regions. Maybe not as much as it snows in New England over the past couple of weeks, but it does snow, especially in the Sued Tirol and Alsace. Snow and cold temperatures are actually beneficial for vines, even if it is less than optimal for hiking. Thus, I found myself in Alsace two years ago, ready to hike, but wishing I’d brought my snowshoes.

The trail was called Parcours du Vigneron, a 13-kilometer hike through the vineyards on the slopes surrounding the small town of Rosheim. The vineyards, as well as the well-preserved town walls and gates, and some impressive Romanesque architecture, are the chief attractions of the town. This cleverly designed trail, provides ample opportunity to admire it all, and from a couple of different perspectives.

Rosheim: Three of the Four Evangelists

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France, Hiking, Nutshell

Parcours du Vigneron: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name:  Parcours du Vigneron

Trail Type: Mid-distance circuit; well-maintained with mostly hard (paved or packed earth) surfaces; signage for this itinerary mostly good.

Length:

Total – 13 kilometers/8 miles

Circuit du Terroir : 8 kilometers/5 miles

Circuit du Savoir Faire : 5 kilometers/3 miles

Convenient to: Strasbourg, France

Marking: Trail name in black letters, on a white rectangular background with a line drawing of a vintner.

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Germany, Hiking

A Good Witch

 

Kappelrodeck’s witch is a good one, IMHO. She brings happiness and casts an enchanting spell over the little town and its surroundings. Her spell succeeds in charming and beguiling all who make their way through the relatively narrow pass climbing along the Acher valley at the foot of the Black Forest Mountain range.

Certainly, the landscape bewitches with its fascinating geology and natural beauty! Hills mound about like lumps on the landscape. Most of their slopes contain vines. These face the sun at different times of the day. The sun, along with the rain (and snow in the winter), make these incredibly green. The tops of the hills are often covered with pines: Tall, dark and majestic. Behind them the Black Forest begins.

Vines Against the Black Forest Pines

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Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Durch Die Weinberge: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Kappelrodeck – Durch die Weinberge (Through the Vineyards)

Trail Type: A mid-distance circuit itinerary; well-maintained, and on mostly paved or even, hard-packed surfaces; marking on the trail is directional to the next itinerary point and not specific or exclusive to this itinerary.

Length:

Total – 10 kilometers/6 miles

Convenient to: Baden-Baden or Karlsruhe, Germany

Marking: None specific to the trail, but a series of sign posts will indicate the way to the next one along the itinerary (See itinerary below).

Weinberge Itinerary Signage

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Hiking, Italy

Hiking Valtellina’s Vineyards II

 

Because I sometimes wonder whether I appreciate wine enough, innumerable tastings notwithstanding, I will occasionally take the time to hike multiple stages of some of the longer European wine trails. That is the case with the Via dei Terrazzamenti (Terrace Way) in Italy’s Valtellina wine region. Set just south of Switzerland in the Lombardy province, this Alpine region is as awesome as it is daunting. I appreciate a physical challenge, and while the trail is not as difficult as it could be, given the rugged nature of the terroir, there are literally several breath-taking ascents. These sometimes seem to climb endlessly, but rejoice in it: the higher the climb the more expansive the views. Then there are the descents that will leave your legs feeling it.

Straight Up Shooting, from the Trail

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Hiking, Italy, Nutshell

Trail in a Nutshell: Via dei Terrazzamenti II

 

Trail Name:  Via dei Terrazzamenti (Terrace Way)

Trail Type: Long distance; well-maintained, with a hard-packed, but occasionally uneven, surface; usually good marking on the trail

Length:

Total: 70 kilometers/43 miles (Morbegno – Tirano)

Mine: 14 kilometers/8.5 miles

Convenient to: Sondrio, or Tirano, Lombardy, Italy

Marking:

The words Via dei Terrazzamenti, accompanied by a logo resembling a four-leaf clover on a yellow arrow; sometimes the same logo is on a white bar over red bar rectangular sign (See the featured photo above, and the photo below.)

Via dei Terrazzamenti Trail Marker

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Hiking, Italy

Valtellina Vineyards I

 

Strung together like a string of pearls, the vineyards of Valtellina occupy terraces along south-facing mountainsides in this spectacular Italian wine region. The vineyards climb vertiginously away from towns along the Adda River, up to villages clinging to the side of the mountain.

From the Adda to Montagna in Valtellina

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Hiking, Italy, Nutshell

Trail in a Nutshell: Via dei Terrazzamenti

 

Trail Name:  Via dei Terrazzamenti

Trail Type: Long distance; well-maintained, with a hard-packed, but occasionally uneven surface throughout, usually there is good marking on the trail, but it tends to disappear in villages and towns.

Length:

Total: 70 kilometers/43 miles (Morbegno – Tirano)

Mine: 14 kilometers/8.5 miles (Chiuro – Ponchiera)

Convenient to: Sondrio, or Tirano, Lombardy, Italy

Marking:

Words “Via dei Terrazzamenti” on a white background with a four-leafed clover design inside; sometimes associated with a metal yellow arrow.

White over red horizontal bars indicate a hiking trail generically

Note: The photo below shows all of the above, with the addition of an extra sign on the yellow arrow, (with a number thirty), indicating a different trail as well.

Signage: Via dei Terrazzamenti

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