Route Tour of the Malghe di Cima Larici - Asiago Plateau

Hiking and walking itineraries: Itinerary - Excursion to the Malghe di Cima Larici

INTRODUCTION TO THE ROUTE FOR THE MALGHE TOUR OF THE LARCH TOP

Cima Larici is located between the Portule and Herdriolomountains, at the end of the chain located north of the Plateau overlooking the Valsugana.  The access routes are many: from the "Monuments" in the Valley of the Portule,from Vezzena,from Valsugana and from the Val d'Assa. Theonly way to go, however, is the Val Renzola road,a small convalle that divides the Portule from Cima Larici and from which flows much of the water that is drunk in the central hollow of the Plateau.

To get there you will travel several kilometers of dense fir forests,broken here and there by some beech patch. The origin of this valley is clearly visible: the ancient ice sheet has excavated with one of its tongues this furrow in a sweet and continuous way giving the classic shape to "U",until, with the move to the south, just before Camporovere,the erosion from glacial has become river and therefore the engraving between the mountains is deeper generating a "V" shape.

Climbing up to about 1660 meters above sea level, a basin, called Val Formica,opens, with large pastures surrounded by coniferous forests that become denser on the tops of the mountains. The area has recently been redeveloped and has returned to being a well-known ski area.

The path is passable all year round: Spring allows you to enjoy the tender colors of nature that awakens, flowering meadows alongside shady corners that still retain a few snowstorms. teneri colori Summer, on the other hand, allows you to fully grasp the sense of the Pasture; all the huts are open and active, the meadows are colored by a thousand different flowers and the paths are all practicable,free of snow and ghaccio. Autumn allows you to see the clearest and most colorful views whileWinter covers everything with a magical halo:the snow softens the lines of the mountains, makes an almost unnatural silence descend and creates beautiful games of light and shadow.

HOW TO GET TO THE STARTING POINT

Starting from Asiago you follow Trento towards the terminal section of the SP249 "of Cost". You cross the village of Camporovere by taking the narrow Val d'Assa,a 20-kilometre-long furrow that connects the Asiago conca with the Vezzena plain.

A few kilometers before theAncient Term (14 km from Asiago), you leave the provincial for the Val Renzola,which after a dozen hairpin bends opens on the conca dominated by Cima Larici. The route begins near the junction for the first farmhouse. Near the start there are pitches to safely park the car and continue on foot according to the route.

THE ROUTE OF THE EXCURSION TO THE LARCH TOP MALGHE

The route begins where the asphalt gives way to the dirt road, shortly after the junction for Malga Larici. Being a circuit you can follow the preferred direction but in case you do not know the area or you have doubts about how to orient yourself, it is preferable to follow the route as described here.

The first section follows the passable to Porta Manazzo,so you will have to pay attention to the detours to the Larici Refuge (on the right) and to the Val Formica Bay (on the left) trying to stay on the main road. At about halfway you will notice the works of water channeling: austro-Hungarian rearways were used that resided here from the Summer of 1916 until the end of the Great War.

On the pastures around there are both spruce and larch, and the mugo pine and dwarf juniper begin to make room here. If the day is particularly quiet, it is not uncommon to see several inhabitants of these mountains such as roe deer and chamois. Much more frequent is thesighting of the cute marmots,especially those that have their lair near the paths: they are so accustomed to the presence of man that they do not even whistle anymore to give danger. Obviously if someone gets too close they run away quickly in the den but just a little patience and after a few minutes they resume their life always.

Arriving at the junction of Porta Manazzo you take a short detour to see the actual step from which you enjoy a breathtaking view,while then you descend into the eponymous farmhouse for a first taste of good cheese. If you arrive at the appropriate time you can admire the master dairy that turns the milk into the prized Asiago of malga,or the production of the tosella or cottage cheese.

In the pastures you can see the burlines,native cows ofthe Alto Vicentino,very rustic and suitable for high-altitude grazing: at first glance they look like frisone (the classic black and white) while in reality they are smaller and squat. Other breeds that can be seen in these pastures are the Bruna,the Red Pezed and the Rendena; not all suitable for grazing in the same way. If you continue for Malga Mandriolo you will encounter meat cows raised with the cow-calf system, that is, the calf is left to graze with the mother to be weaned naturally, but this involves an innate instinct to defend the mothers who might get nervous with passers-by.

From Malga Porta Manazzo you continue to the east,you cross a pasture and a grove where the track is not always clearly visible. At this point you can see the next stage of the route: Malga Dosso di Sopra. The building is now in use at the parish of Asiago for the summer camps, while the pastures are used by the nearby huts that can be glimpsed from here and can be reached: Malga Dosso di Sotto (where we recommend a stop to taste and buy the Asiago Dop Cheese)and Malga Laste di Manazzo.

Here the route becomes subjective, and depending on the time available you decide whether to cut through the meadows and touch both pastures, or continue the tour using the main road. At the end of the pastures of the Formica Valley you can take a shortcut that crosses the forest or use the forest road and return to the cars.

For those who want to resume the journey, you can continue to Porta Renzola and there choose whether to climb to Cima Larici or Cima Portule, two paths rich in charm both from a historical and landscape point of view but requiring adequate preparation, as opposed to the circuit between the malghe doable by all.

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