Maureen Pies
Hikers and mountain bikers
Rifugio Pernici at 1600m is popular with both hikers and mountain bikers.
The restaurant has a small menu of hearty fare. We ordered the poetically named stranglolapreti (priest stranglers) and apple strudel, both were excellent.
To get there we parked our car at the end of the surfaced road in Val Sorda. This spot could be good for free overnight camping, as there is running water, you would need to pack up your tent first thing in the morning. The 402 trail passes through Val Sorda via Bocca di Trat to the Rifugio. This route is steep and unrelenting with 700m of ascent on a poorly maintained trail. The 403 may be an easier option. However towards the top there is the opportunity to pick wild raspberries.
From the Bocca you can continue past a World War I military outpost to the cross on Mazza di Pichea. There are a number of caves, windows in the rock for monitoring the pass below and a war memorial. Plus the Rifugio has a striking display of unexploded ordinance. Mountain loving history buffs have discovered that an Austrian Captain Ludwig Riccabona was stationed here in 1916.
Reaching the summit cross at 1879m is not especially difficult with only the last 20m requiring a cable for assistance. But when you view the cross from the Rifugio it looks to be an astounding feat, the highest point of a towering, rocky outcrop!
After the arduous descent we cooled off with a swim in the nearby Lago Ledro. The lake also has a long history. In 1929 a drop in the water, due using the water to generate hydroelectric power, revealed a 4000 year old Neolithic settlement of houses built on stilts "palafitte".
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