A route for expert hikers, from Valmaggiore to the mountain hut Malga Torrezzo, with spectacular views over Lake Endine.
C.A.I. (Italian Alpine Club) trail n°: 620
Difficulty: EE – Expert hikers
Starting point: Valmaggiore (Endine Gaiano)
Destination: Valmaggiore
Minimum height: 370 m
Maximum height: 1,319 m
Total ascent: 949 m
Duration in hours and minutes: 6 h
Availability of water on the route: uphill stretch to Rumignano
Approach: from the state road S.S. 42 in the municipality of Endine Gaiano, follow the signs to the hamlet Valmaggiore
Parking: below the square in Valmaggiore
Route:
From the car park, walk up to the square in front of the parish church and cross the historic hamlet of Valmaggiore towards the right, going past the old stone bridge in the Valle dei Fondi valley. From here, a steady ascent on a forest road leads to the hamlet of Rumignano (582 m a.s.l., about 1 hour from the start). After a short flat section, the track continues uphill to end at the hamlet of Masoni (708 m a.s.l., 1 hour and 30 minutes). From here, continue along the path into the Valle dei Cerri valley, through chestnut forests. Once you have reached the head of the valley, the track becomes steep with numerous hairpin bends until you get to the ridge where, amidst small clearings, there are hunting lodges, including the Gazini roccolo (bird-trapping installation, 1,137 m a.s.l., 3 hours). Continue along the ridge, progressively passing the steep crags that crown the entire left-hand side of Val Cavallina, with protection provided by metal cables, wooden steps and posts. When you come close to a hunting post, you can admire the sheer drop overlooking Lake Endine. Continuing to the right, you reach a dirt track which, ascending to the left, leads in a few minutes to the Malga Torrezzo mountain hut (1,319 m a.s.l., about 4 hours from the start). Continue along the dirt track that descends on the southern slope, ending at a barrier, and then follow the concrete road that goes down to the left, almost in the opposite direction, as far as the second house where you turn left, following a signpost for Clusone. Once past the ridge, take a path that goes down into a wood with an old charcoal kiln. Some large beech trees mark an old roccolo, now converted into a hunting hide. In due course you will reach the Sícolo pastureland (just over an hour from the Torrezzo mountain hut), a splendid terrace facing east towards Val Cavallina and Val Camonica. Continue downhill along the meadow and, near a ruin, take a path to the left that crosses the forest. The track descends in hairpin bends, and you should avoid taking branches on the left leading to a large farmstead, heading instead towards a mule track that runs at the edge of the wood and leads to the foot of the meadow. Go downhill along the dirt track leading towards the valley, and leave it by turning left onto a road marked with signs. After crossing the Valle del Ferro stream, turn left towards a small equipped leisure area and then, following the Percorso Vita (Fitness Trail) of the municipality of Endine, cross a small wooden bridge to take the road that, from the hamlet of Tironéga, leads to the hamlet of Valmaggiore.
Credits: Cooperativa Sociale l’Innesto Onlus and Consorzio Servizi Val Cavallina.
