ITINERARIES

Altopiano dei Sette Comuni (Asiago Plateau)

Mountain Environment
M. CENGIO, ASIAGO, M. ZEBIO, M. ORTIGARA,
M. FIOR, SASSO, VALSTAGNA

The Alta Via high altitude Great War hiking trail climbs from the Torr di Pedescala at Forte Corbin to reach Monte Cengio and the Granatiera mule track (named after the Sardinian Grenadiers who used it), partly in tunnels and partly sheer above the Astico. The path that follows goes down to the Tresché Conca visitor centre to join the Strada del treno, which connected the Asiago plateau to the plain and continues to the centre of Asiago.
The road that the train used to take passes near the Mounts Lemerle, Magnaboschi and Zovetto ecomuseum, named “Sacrifice and Remembrance”. In this area, near the Cesuna visitor centre, you will find the former Italian, Austro-Hungarian and British war cemeteries and a big Great War documentation centre.

From the Cesuna visitor centre, still on the former train route, you will get to Canove, where you will find one of the most important Great War museums on the plateau. A short walk takes you to the Asiago visitor centre and the war memorial with a museum inside it.

From the centre of Asiago, the trail winds through the districts of the northern part of the town as far as Monte Rasta, then it ascends to the Italian Forte Interrotto and along the former military road as far as the former Austro-Hungarian war cemeteries, Monte Mosciagh 1, 2 and 3. From the Austro-Hungarian lines on Monte Mosciangh and Monte Zebiothe itinerary passes through the Un anno sull’Altopiano (“A Year on the Plateau”) ecomuseum; from here we reach the monument standing where a mine exploded near the shepherd’s hut.

The path proceeds along the former military road to the fork that leads to Monte Colombara and Monte Zingarella. In the neighbourhood of Monte Colombara is the memorial stone to Captain Santo G. Negri, while there are old Austro-Hungarian ovens on Monte Zingarella. Continuing on the old military road, you get to the Galmarara shepherd’s hut, where there is a former Austro-Hungarian war cemetery; from there the trail continues northwards to the Mecenseffy fork and the Italia fork until you reach the Austro-Hungarian strongholds.

Now you continue on the former Arciduchi military road to enter the route of the Monte Chiesa, Monte Campigoletti, Monte Forno and Monte Ortigara ecomuseum to Monte Lozze and Cima Caldiera. This ecomuseum is named “The Battlefield”.

The Great War trail goes on by Prà Campofilone to the Fratte shepherd’s hut in the locality of Campomuletto, where you find the Sentiero del silenzio – the “Path of Silence”. Across the old military road you reach the I luoghi della Guerra e della letteratura (“The Places of War and Literature”) on the Melette di Foza, Monte Castelgomberto and Monte Fior to the Slapeur shepherd’s hut, where there is a former Bosnian cemetery. After leaving the museum, you get to Monte Lora with a former Italian war cemetery and continue on the Italian Alpine Club path to the Foza visitor centre and a Great War museum.

From Foza you descend by a former military road to the visitor centres of Stoccaredo and then Sasso, where there is a monument to Roberto Sarfatti on Col d’Echele and the Tre Monti Museum (the three mountains are Col del Rosso, Monte Valbella and Col d’Echele).

The trail continues from Sasso as far as the eastern edge of the plateau across Val Scausse, along Italian Alpine Club CAI 800 to Col d’Astiago and, across Sentiero del Vù, previously Italian Alpine Club path CAI 775; when it, arrives at Valstagna it ascends again towards the Grappa massif along Italian Alpine Club path CAI 935 of the Val delle Ore.