Here’s why you should hike the Path of Peace this summer for a crowd-free experience of one of ... [+]
During World War I, the mountain ridges in the northern Trentino region of Italy were a battleground. Soldiers fought two enemies; an advancing army and the snow, ice and avalanches of the extreme environment.
Today, the front line has been transformed into a hiking trail known as the Path of Peace (Sentiero della Pace in Italian). The route stretches for 495 kilometers across the alpine region, signposted by the symbol of the dove. Along the way are key landmarks of the WWI battles between the Italians and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The trail has just been given a comprehensive revamp and a new app has launched where hikers can find maps and information about the route. Here’s why you should hike the Path of Peace this summer for a crowd-free experience of one of Italy’s lesser-visited regions.
How To Hike Italy’s Path Of Peace
The Path of Peace is divided into seven sections, to be covered in 35 stages. If you want to tackle the entire route, you can expect to be walking for around 30 days. The route is well signposted and you can look out for the symbol of peace, the dove, to guide you. The best time to embark on the Path of Peace is from late spring to fall. You can follow the route using Va’ Sentiero map, found on the visittrentino.info portal.
The departure is from Passo del Tonale, where you immediately tackle some high-altitude sections and cross the Adamello-Mandròn glaciers. Hikers will then walk along hundreds of kilometers of mule tracks and trenches, passing dozens of strongholds and fortresses, lookout posts, anti-aircraft battery positions, tunnels and barracks on the challenging heights of perennial glaciers. En route, there are also small cemeteries and various museums spread across the valleys of Trentino. Hikers can stop overnight in Rovereto, known as the city of peace and filled with historic buildings.
From Colle di Miravalle, where the Bell of the Fallen tolls each evening, you climb towards Mount Zugna and the "sacred area" of Mount Pasubio. Then you tackle the Cimbrian plateaus and the red rocks of the Lagorai chain to reach the fortified ridges in the Marmolada mountain. After more than thirty days of walking among mountains, woods, alpine lakes, streams, and waterfalls, the Path of Peace ends on the Marmolada glacier in Val di Fassa.
Walking the route is a rollercoaster of emotions as you pass remains that bear witness to the cruelty of war and loss of life a century ago. At the same time, the route offers peace and natural splendor with fauna-filled woods, verdant mountain pastures of flocks and herds grazing, roaring streams and waterfalls, and peaks shrouded in silence overlooking the valleys.
