Walking in Italy's Stelvio National Park. Gillian Price
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chalets and barns crafted with bulky tree trunks intricately notched together. Stained red with age, they stand witness to the valley’s agricultural heritage. All around extend manicured emerald meadows, on impossibly steep slopes where mowers must be fitted with spikes to enable farmers to harvest the hay without slipping. Pastoral activities have been key to the economy since as early as the 17th century, when 20,000 sheep were sent to graze from as far afield as Verona. Vast forests of larch and pine provide shelter to both red and roe deer, and feed the sawmills of the flourishing timber industry.
Traditional timber farms in Ultental
The tourist office, supermarket and ATM are located at St Walburg/Santa Valburga, about halfway up the valley. The highest village is St Gertraud/Santa Geltrude. Served all year round by SAD buses, it is the start of Walk 1. There is a grocery shop, café-restaurant, a scattering of hotels and a centuries-old Venetian-style sawmill driven by water. Fully operational until the 1980s, the Lahnersäge now doubles as a Park Information Point. A stroll away stand the Urlärchen, three ancient larch trees that have been there for over 2000 years. A trifle battered and damaged by lightning strikes, they are still the oldest conifers in the whole of Europe. The road ends further uphill at Weissbrunnsee/Lago Fontana Bianca (Walks 2 and 3), one of the many lakes dammed in the 1960s for hydroelectricity to capture the glacier melt.
Forming the southernmost edge of the Stelvio National Park, Val di Sole lies wholly within the Italian-speaking region of Trentino. Although sole means ‘sun’ in Italian, the name is derived from the Celtic goddess of waters, found in abundance here. It runs due west–east from Passo del Tonale beneath glaciated ranges and alongside apple orchards. Malè is the key railway station (FTM Ferrovia Trento Malè trains from Trento to Marilleva), while all the district’s bus services (Trentino Trasporti) fan out from here. Its charming historic centre hosts markets, a wealth of gourmet food shops, hotels, ATMs and a tourist office.
Two beautiful side valleys branch north off Val di Sole; both correspond to geological faults and are rich in mineral waters (a bottling plant operates at Peio). Mining was once widespread, and traces of the activity live on in place names such as Fucine, meaning ‘furnace’.
On the Saent waterfall route in Val di Rabbi (Walk 7)
Val di Rabbi forks north from Malè. San Bernardo is the first sizeable village with tourist information and an ATM, as well as hotels. Not far along is the low-key spa resort of Rabbi Fonti (with a Park Visitor Centre and hotels), the end of the bus line and the perfect base for Walks 4–9. The attractions of this lovely valley – free from ski infrastructure – include the fascinating Segheria Veneziana sawmill, the spectacular Saent waterfalls, the varied wildlife and the active dairy farms that play an important part in the economy. Summer shuttle buses organised by the National Park serve the side valleys.
Val di Peio, or Pejo, forks northwest off the Val di Sole at Cusiano. A string of old alpine communities that thrive on tourism and a mineral water bottling plant are centred around Cogolo (Park Visitor Centre, ATM). Here the valley forks – north leads up the narrowing thickly forested valley to Malga Mare, gateway to a refuge set opposite the Cevedale and cascading glaciers (Walk 10).
The other fork goes west to Peio Fonti, a renowned spa resort that makes a first-rate base for walkers, with a jumble of hotels, groceries, ATM and cable car. Walks 11–13 are accessed from here, including spectacular Monte Vioz. Buses from Malè serve Peio Fonti before continuing up to the pretty village of Peio Paese, a peaceful spot perched on the sunny hillside with lovely views, food shops and accommodation. Its 15th-century bell tower boasts a remarkable 7m tall fresco portraying St Christopher. A minor road proceeds west along Val del Monte (Walk 14) as far as Fontanino di Celentino (Walk 15).
Peio Fonti spa resort (Walks 11–13)
Located in Alta Valtellina, the bustling alpine township of Bormio is an excellent starting point for visiting the western Lombardia slice of the Stelvio National Park. It has a charming centre with medieval buildings that testify to the town’s strategic importance at an alpine crossroads, and in winter people flock here for the extensive ski domain. There is a decent range of accommodation and facilities (supermarkets, ATM, park and tourist information). Bormio is easily reached by public transport: Perego buses are plentiful from Tirano (on the rail line from Milano as well as St Moritz in Switzerland and the spectacular Bernina Express). At a sunny confluence of valleys, it is dominated by a striking limestone crest, Reit. Bormio is handy for Walk 23; moreover, the dramatic Stelvio Pass road strikes out north close to the Swiss border, providing access for Walks 24 and 25.
Branching east from Bormio is Valfurva; here the village of San Nicolò marks the opening of wild and wonderful Val Zebrù, explored in Walk 20. From there it is a very short trip to the resort village of Santa Caterina Valfurva (bus, hotels, groceries, ATM, tourist information) and Walks 16 and 21. A convenient base in itself, it acts as the gateway to Valle dei Forni and Val Cedèc, which offer high-altitude refuges and magnificent glaciers. At their confluence stands historic Rifugio Forni, a wonderful place to stay, especially if you plan on Walks 17, 18 and 21.
Entry to the northeast section of the National Park is via Südtirol’s Vinschgau/Val Venosta, home to the handy Meran–Mals train that runs through apple orchards. At Spondinig/Spondigna a road heads southwest to the junction of Gomagoi. Here Suldental/Val di Solda slices south to the sun-blessed resort of Sulden/Solda, which offers a host of hotels, a tourist office, ATM, supermarket, year-round SAD buses, chairlifts and a cable car. The spectacular presence of the glaciated giants Ortler and Königspitze make every outing here breathtaking – Walks 29–31.
The famous Stelvio road on the Südtirol side
From Gomagoi the road continues southwest up Trafoiertal/Valle di Trafoi, steep-sided, narrow and edged by a stunning line-up of glaciers and soaring peaks – the setting for Trafoi (Walks 27 and 28). This tiny village serves the great Stelvio Pass, and is the destination of the road and the summer SAD buses. In winter when the road is closed the village’s 80 residents enjoy peace and quiet with no through traffic. The name comes from the ancient Ladin language spoken by the original inhabitants. Sources link the meaning with ‘clover’ or ‘three springs’, in view of the much-visited Drei Brunnen sanctuary nearby (Walk 28). It is home to the 1970s Italian ski champion Gustav Thöni of ‘Valanga Azzurra’ (‘blue avalanche’) fame. It has an ATM, groceries, a fair sprinkling of hotels as well as a camping ground and well-run visitor information centre.
Martelltal/Val Martello turns south off Vinschgau and the train line at Goldrain/Coldrano, not far from Latsches/Laces (tourist office). This magnificent unspoilt alpine valley is a superb introduction to the nature and glacial environment of the Stelvio National Park and it has a good scattering of hotels and guesthouses. The lower–mid reaches are occupied by thriving settlements of shepherds and farmers who have branched out into growing strawberries, while further up the slopes are heavily wooded and home to deer and chamois. A great bonus is the absence of bulldozed ski slopes and lifts.
Year-round SAD buses run via Gand to the lively village of Martell Dorf/Martello (shops and ATM). Here a side road goes on to terminate at the renowned family-run Stallwieshof and start of Walk 37 to Orgelspitze.
From Gand a summer extension serves the upper valley via Waldheim (Walk 38) as far as Gasthof Enzian. This cosy establishment makes an excellent base for Walks 32–36, which wander up paths to natural belvederes taking in waterfalls and glaciers in the shadow of the majestic Cevedale.
Getting there
By plane
Handy airports are located at Milano (Linate and Malpensa www.sea-aeroportimilano.it), Bergamo (Orio Al Serio