Depart: from Londa di Valstagna
Arrive: Col d’Astiago 1240 metres a.s.l.
Elevation gain: 1,100 metres
Walking time: 4 hours
Difficulty: challenging path suitable for expert, physically fit hikers
Recommended period: preferably autumn or spring. The base ring can be walked all year round but the high part may have snow in winter.
It is a route that follows the tracks of the tobacco smugglers and the guards who pursued them, when the masiere (terraces) were mainly used for growing tobacco plants.
Dedicated to Albino Celi, aka El Vu, because he used the Voi form of Italian with everyone alike, a legendary “recuperante” or collector of war detritus, who inspired the film, “I recuperanti” by Ermanno Olmi and the book “Giacomo’s seasons” by Mario Rigoni Stern. It follows the defence lines created during the First World War, known as the ‘linea di sbarramento delle stelle e dei terrazzi’- defence line between the trees and the terraces- (stelle for ‘stele’ or “stee”=tree trunks, and terrazzi because of the masiere of Valstagna). The line with strongholds at Col d’Astiago (a junction on the plateau), Valstagna, Carpanè, Col Moschin (on Monte Grappa), with behind the other main line of resistance of Monte Campolongo (Rubbio, Altopiano), Tovi (Oliero), Case Gennari (Grappa), which had to cover and provide maximum resistance if the ‘Tre Monti’ lines were breached in Gallio during the ‘Strafexpedition’ and control and defeat the Brenta and Val Frenzela valley bottom in the event of sorties into the valley. For war needs an aqueduct was prepared from Oliero (from the cave springs) to Col d’Astiago, on whose traces the current water supply was built, carrying water on the Asiago plateau.
