From the Due Pozze car park, head uphill to the right along the road following the signs for the Fiori del Baldo Refuge and Bocchette di Naole. The trail passes a few metres below the ridges and continues on to Rifugio Chierego at the foot of Cima Costabella, which offers an incredible panorama.
Comune: Ferrara di Monte Baldo
Monte Baldo’s biodiversity
The flora and fauna of Monte Baldo is largely divided into four characteristic belts: the Mediterranean, mountain, boreal and alpine. The vegetation in the first belt includes characteristics similar to those on the Garda shore. Plants include holm oak, downy oak, hop hornbeam, rosemary, laurel and caper. Moving on to the mountain belt, there are numerous forests of beech, lime, silver fir and larch, which represent the natural lung of the district. In the boreal area, we find spectacular blossoms of white crocus, Gentiana and Baldo anemone. The trees include the mountain pine, juniper, rowan and heather. In the last, alpine belt we can find the so-called Garden of Europe. This area is made up of rocky vegetation with a few visible species, the rhododendron and the potentilla being examples. As far as fauna is concerned, there are many mammals such as roe deer, chamois, ermine, marmot, badger, squirrel and deer. The avifauna includes the golden eagle, little owl, eagle owl, raven, hoopoe, woodpecker, capercaillie, chaffinch and lark.
Helpful information
Ferrara di Monte Baldo, VR, Italia
Tunnels and trenches dug into the rock of Monte Baldo
During the First World War, the heights of Monte Baldo became important for the positioning of strategic points of a visual advantage over the enemy in the valley below. One example is Monte Vignola, located on the opposite side of the Monte Baldo Natural Park. In these positions of strategic advantage, Italian troops built more military installations such as tunnels, anti-aircraft artillery, barracks and large basins for collecting rainwater. The Battaglione Volontari Ciclisti e Automobilisti (Biker and Motorist Volunteers Battalion) operated on Monte Altissimo, leaving behind countless roads, shelters and military trenches. In its ranks there were important figures of the Futurist movement: Marinetti, Boccioni, Sironi and Russolo.
Helpful information
Il Sentiero Delle Trincee (Novezza), Strada Provinciale 8, Ferrara di Monte Baldo, VR, Italia
The evocative Baldo memorial
The recently designed memorial is located in the area of the municipality of Ferrara di Monte Baldo. Built in 1982 by the Associazione Combattenti e Reduci (Combatants and Veterans Association) together with the Provincial Federation of Verona the shrine is a highly evocative place and it is no coincidence that it is located in the area of Monte Baldo that has witnessed important military operations throughout history. In fact, there is no shortage here of the remains left by the fighting armies.
Helpful information
Sacrario del Monte Baldo, Ferrara di Monte Baldo, VR, Italia
Vajo dell’Orsa, a route through woods and alpine pastures
The Vajo dell’Orsa route begins by descending from the centre of Ferrara di Monte Baldo and taking the asphalt road no. 656. At the first hairpin bend, you turn into the woods on the trail no. 674, which is full of conifers and with slight ups and downs, you get a wide view of the south side of Monte Cor. In the last part, you quickly reach the valley in the wide clearings of Malga Orsa. From the Malga, rejoin trail no. 75, which descends through the woods with a few hairpin bends to the stream, arriving at the junction with trail no. 74, which descends to Brentino. From here, after about a hundred metres, you reach the Tibetan bridge.
Helpful information
Vajo dell'Orsa, Brentino, VR, Italia
A beautiful church in the heart of the mountains
An ideal destination for those seeking tranquillity and spirituality, the Santuario Madonna della Corona is the perfect combination of history and natural beauty. Suspended between heaven and earth, the sanctuary is hidden in the rocky heart of Mount Baldo, where the presence of hermits is confirmed in medieval documents as early as in the year 1000. In 1974, after countless structural changes over the centuries, the sanctuary was entrusted to architect Guido Tisato with the task of demolishing and rebuilding the entire structure while retaining the most important original parts. In addition, the sanctuary contains a large collection of important sculptural and architectural pieces of art.
Helpful information
Santuario Madonna della Corona, Vicolo Santuario, Spiazzi, VR, Italia
Hortus Europae Poject in Novezzina
A refuge for floristic species, the Novezzina Botanical Garden attracts many visitors every year, passionate about the mountain of the same name for its 700 plus plant species. Its special feature is recreating micro-environments and ecosystems as similar as possible to the original ones.
Helpful information
Orto Botanico del Monte Baldo - Rifugio Novezzina, Strada Graziani, Ferrara di Monte Baldo, VR, Italia
The Garda public astronomical observatory
The Monte Baldo Astronomical Observatory Angelo Gelodi is the first public observatory in the province of Verona to be entirely managed by the municipality of Ferrara di Monte Baldo. Since 2001, the observatory has been involved in scientific publications and the organisation of visits to the facility. It is named after a general involved in alpine military communications who also collaborated in its construction. Mountain and astronomy enthusiasts can indulge their passions in this observatory located near the botanical garden of the Refuge Novezzina.
Helpful information
Osservatorio Astronomico Monte Baldo "A.Gelodi", Ferrara di Monte Baldo, VR, Italia