Walks, Hikes, and Via Ferrate in the Alta Val Camonica, Brescia (Lombardy)

Located northeast of Milan and west of the Dolomites lies Val Camonica, a valley in Lombardy that’s one of the largest in the Central Alps. It stretches about 90 kilometers between the provinces of Brescia and Bergamo, from Lago d’Iseo to Passo Tonale, Passo Aprica and Passo Gavia. The entire valley is crossed by Fiume Oglio, the fifth largest river In Italy, starting a few kilometers above Vione in Ponte di Legno where two streams meet. At the southern end it empties into Lago d’Iseo, with its waters eventually joining the Po River. The largest rock art site in Europe, with more than 300,000 petroglyphs spanning 8000 years, is found in the lower and middle portions of the valley, which in 1979 was designated Italy’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. With limited time and high summer temperatures, I left exploring this fascinating pre-Roman and Roman history for another visit.

Staying at an Airbnb apartment located in the village of Vione at 1250 mslm, for four weeks I walked, hiked, and climbed via ferrate in the upper (alta) end of the valley, an area I had driven through once in 2018, but had never visited. Portions of two major parks, Stelvio, and Adamello, are found above the Alta Val Camonica, which provided the impetus for my sojourn here. I was doubly fortunate in having my brother and sister-in-law join me for 10 days and a few of the hikes. It certainly took some effort to reduce the nearly 400 photos to some semblance of a reasonable blog post. Enjoy!

Ponte di Legno confluence. This lovely town about 7 km north of Vione was a bit touristy, though I expect nothing like during the winter skiing season.

*Val di Cané* stream and house. This valley, one of numerous side valleys radiating from Val Camonica, was directly behind Vione, and a popular location for both hikes and picnics.

*Laghetti di Pietra Rossa*, above *Val di Cané*, taken on my second hike from this valley.

A frog I spotted at the pond in the previous photo

Vista from *Bocchette Val di Cané* to *Val Grande*. This pass was the turnaround point for my second hike from this valley.

Horses seen on a loop hike to *Bocchette di Val Massa* from *Val di Cané*, my third from this valley.

WWI stone wall at *Bocchette di Val Massa*. The Italian-Austrian front lines were along many of these mountain passes.

The hamlet of Case di Viso, several kilometers above Ponte di Legno, and the starting point for our hike to *Rifugio Bozzi* where we had lunch.

My brother, Mark, walking at Trincee, old World War I fortifications, adjacent to *Rifugio Bozzi*

Mark above Passo Paradiso, a hike that started with taking a cabinovia (gondola lift) from Passo Tonale. We went “off-piste” for a bit of scrambling away from the crowds on this hike.

The Vagabond Hiker relaxing above Passo Paradiso

Presena Glacier and sign mentioning the geotextiles covering it, in a futile attempt to halt the melting. Note Presena Bar 3000 at the upper left. The cabinovia line to the top is not really visible here.

Mark and Norma on a short hike from Bar Presena 3000, at the top station above Presena Galcier. The glacier on the right is the Adamello, the largest in Italy.

Moss campion and granite. Unlike most of the limestone Dolomites to the east, much of these mountains are granitic.

A cottage near Sant’Apollonia, starting point for our challenging hike to the three Laghi di Monticelli

A pano taken at the third lake, the highest of the three

View toward Monte Gavia from the third Laghi di Monticelli. Mark can just be spotted on the right side of the lake here. Less than two weeks later I would attempt to climb Monte Gavia.

The Alta Val Camonica above Temù. Walking in the Camonica Valley proper was a great way to enjoy an “off” day.

A stream on the trail from Val Bione on a *Rifugio Petitpierre – Corno d’Aola* loop from *Rifugio Valbione*

Tall yarrow. Most were white, but some a vibrant pink like this example.

Monte Gavia and Monte Gavia “Sud” (on the left) from the trailhead at Passo Gavia. At 2650 mslm, this pass is the highest vehicular pass above the Val Camonica. (NB: the “Sud” appellation is my own invention).

Monte Gavia “Sud” summit view back towards the trailhead and Lago Bianco.

On the summit with Monte Gavia background. After recent rains, an icy descent to the col connecting them convinced me to defer the higher peak to another day.

My last two excursions of note were both Via Ferrate (VF). Here is the less than exciting start to the *VF Alpini & Austriaci* on the north side above Passo Tonale.

Edelweiss. This single plant near the beginning of the *Via Ferrata Alpini* was the only one I saw the entire month I stayed in Vione.

The remote Cocchiale basin with three (unnamed) alpine lakes

A local I encountered on the route . . .

. . . and the rest of this Ibex’s family

Up close with some moms and kids. I saw Ibex three days, but on the *VF Austriaci* I finally managed some decent photos.

Screenshot from the PeakFinder app, taken from my balcony. The two labelled peaks on the *Via Ferrata Dei Fiori* in the Adamello Mountains are circled in red. Pardon the elevations in feet rather than meters.

Another less than exciting start on *Via Ferrata dei Fiori*, from Passo Paradiso.

View from the Passo del Castellaccio. Some major wooden structure was built here during WWI.

Plank bridges aid this traverse, with two climbers seen in the V-notch on the right. Neither this nor the previous day’s *Via Ferrate* were all that difficult, provided one doesn’t suffer from vertigo!

Several climbers heading up to Panorama Point, about the only actual climbing on this VF route

A selfie view north on the *Via Ferrata dei Fiori*

The first Passerella, a VERY long cable suspension bridge

Looking back on a dramatic vista with the second Passerella

Glacier buttercup. Yes, there were some flowers in this land of rock and ice. Hence perhaps the name *Via Ferrata dei Fiori* has some justification.

View along the *Via Ferrata dei Fiori* towards Presena Bar 3000

My lunch view from the *Corno di Lago Scuro*. Note *Bivacco Passo Lago Scuro* (bivouac) at the lower right.

*Punto di Lago Ghiacciato* (upper left) with *Bivacco Passo Lago Scuro*. From here it was a 45 minute walk to the top of the cabinovia at Bar Presena 3000. Altogether a fine, if a bit crowded (even mid-week) ferrata.

And the obligatory mountain sunset photo. Alpenglow from my balcony in Vione. The amazing views made returning to my apartment each afternoon a pleasure.

Following a brief stay in Hastings, I will depart on Sunday for Minehead in Somerset to embark on another installment of the Southwest Coast Path. Seven days’ hiking west from there will bring me to Westward Ho!, where the challenge of completing this long distance trail started for me more than seven years ago. Stay tuned,

The Vagabond Hiker

Walks, Hikes, and Via Ferrate in the Alta Val Camonica, Brescia (Lombardy)

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