The town of Klausen, known as Chiusa in Italian, lies at the bottom of a river valley. The Eisack River runs from near the Austrian border to Bozen, where it joins the Etsch River. During its southward flow, it runs along the west bank of Klausen, surrounded by some of the most impressive Dolomite peaks in this area. But, key in this description is the “bottom of the Eisack river valley.” Therefore, most hikes in this area will experience some serious ascents at some point.
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.
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.)
Continue reading Trail in a Nutshell: Via dei Terrazzamenti II
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.
Winding down the side of the mountain, from a basilica through the vines to the wines of Schioppettino di Prepotto, is what this hike was all about in a nutshell.
But the sum of a hike is more than its trailheads. In this case, the trailheads themselves were impressive. The first, (or possibly the second if following the trail uphill) is the Sanctuary of Castelmonte. Visible for miles from below, with views for miles from up top, the site has deep layers of history and archeology as far back as the Iron Age. But today’s sanctuary has served as a prominent pilgrimage church for this corner of the Province of Udine in northeastern Italy since about the sixth century. However, what is visible now dates to even later than that. Architectural magnificence aside, the site itself is dramatically sited and gorgeous.
Trail Name: CAI 748 (AKA: Vigneti dei Colli Orientali)
Trail Type:
Mid-distance trail; surfaces from asphalt to rock to dirt, well-maintained in places, but not throughout; the route is fairly well marked.
Length: Total: 11 kilometers/ 6.8 miles
Convenient to: Cividale del Friuli, Italy
Marking: Red and white rectangles, with 748 in black superimposed
See featured photo above, and…
Prosecco is a wonderful sparkling wine from northern Italy. So, when passing through Valdobbiadene, famed for its Prosecco, I decided to complete the eponymous circuit, which incidentally, touched on some of the finest vineyards known in the world of Prosecco.
I must confess though, both this circuit, the towns, and even the famous vines of the Cartizze, are a bit remote, and relatively unknown to most wine hikers. What a shame! This is primarily an agricultural area, rather rural and a bit wild, backing onto some of Italy’s most rugged mountains outside the Dolomites. This creates in part an atmosphere of isolation, but for those determined to visit, it is only about 90 minutes from Venice, in a district known as the Marca Trevigiana, today practically identical with the Province of Treviso.
