Mid-May 2024 - Northern Italy: Merano to Lake Garda.

Why this walk?

The walking season in the European Alps is generally said to run from early June until some time in the latter half of September. Exact times depend on the location and, of course, the whims of mother nature.

From time to time, we’ve wanted to do an alpine walk either pre or post the usual season. And we often get asked for recommendations for these times.

This year, we’re ahead of the season. Our schedule had us arriving in the European Alps in the first half of May. As we’d just been on Italy’s northern coast of Liguria, we decided to focus on options in the northern Italian provinces of South Tyrol (also known as Alto Adige) and Trentino.

These provinces are right up in the Alps. South Tyrol is bordered by Austria to the east and north and Switzerland to the west. Trentino is immediately south of South Tyrol and extends down to Lake Garda. Large parts of the Dolomites mountains are located in the two provinces.

After considering many possibilities, we honed in on a walk operator designed walk that starts in South Tyrol’s Merano and finishes in Riva del Garda on Lake Garda. It runs in a north-south direction, cleverly threading its way between mountain ranges without edging too high.

The walking distance is about 95 km and the trip involves six walking days. A couple of transfers and gondola/funicular rides remove some of the valley walking and two climbs.

Briefing in Merano

Self-guided walks compiled by walk operators do not usually involve a pre-walk, in-person briefing. To our surprise, this one does. We’re also surprised when, on the evening before the walk, ten others appear in the Merano hotel bar for the briefing.

We’d randomly chosen a Sunday departure date. It turns out that Sunday is the most popular departure day as it suits Europeans undertaking the walk as part of a week’s vacation.

Our fellow walkers are German, Swiss, Canadian and Australian. The briefing is useful for social reasons. Usually it takes a few days on a trail before you manage to identify others doing your walk and strike up a rapport. Here we’re given a head start.

The briefing is less useful on the information front. Our walk operator rep explains that all we need to know is in the written materials provided and if we have any questions that will probably demonstrate we haven’t read the materials. Needless to say, the briefing was brief!

Which is good because that gives us more time for Merano. Merano is a hidden gem. It’s an elegant spa town full of belle époque architecture. Snow-capped mountains encircle it but it enjoys a relatively temperate climate.

Day 1 - Merano to Nalles

This stage has a distinctly bucolic feel about it. We amble along half-way up a hill on a wide, shaded path that we share with an ancient irrigation channel. Water rushes along the channel, feeding the vineyards and apple orchards on the slopes and valley floor below us. Above us, the slope steepens and transitions to forest. It’s a sunny day of 23C and we’re grateful for the shaded, level path.

Our walking reverie is disturbed by red and white tape across the trail and signage conveying unequivocally that we mustn’t proceed. An arrow points to an uninviting detour down to a road in the valley. We’re reluctant to leave our idyllic path and sceptical about the need to do so. Boldly/recklessly, we duck under the tape and continue on.

A kilometre later, we clamber over a couple of rocks and congratulate ourselves on our perspicacity. Then we round a bend and come across a full-blown landslide; loose boulders and trees strewn all over the place. We’re sure not attempting to cross that. Tails between our legs we retrace our steps and take the dull detour.

Day 2 - Nalles to Caldaro

This morning we fell in step with a lovely German couple, Ursula and Brien. They meander along at a similar pace to us, so we’d been playing leap-frog with them on Day 1. They’d been out to Victoria recently for their daughter’s wedding to an Australian man. The wedding was in Steiglitz, near the Brisbane Ranges. Embarrassingly, given we live in Victoria, we’d never heard of Steiglitz. We later discover it has a population of around 20, so perhaps we can be forgiven.

This stage was notable for the castles en route. In particular, Castle Hocheppan has a dramatic location on an outcrop way above the valley. Behind it, deep ravines and thick forest provide natural protection from invaders. Castle Boymont is less attractive but its massive, intact walls are very impressive. An added bonus is that both castles offer tempting refreshments.

Day 3 - Caldaro to Coredo

The stage begins with a trip on the Mendel cable car up to Mendel Pass. With a maximum gradient of a staggering 64%, you place a lot of faith in the engineers. But an offer of 854m of ascent for nil effort is too good to knock back.

The Mendel Pass marks the border of the South Tyrol province (that we’ve been in until now) and the Trentino province. So, it’s also a language border as German is spoken predominantly in South Tyrol (despite it being part of Italy) and Italian is spoken predominantly in Trentino. This all dates back to World War I. Italy annexed the South Tyrol region from the Austro-Hungarian empire at the end of the war and has held on to it ever since.

It’s all a bit challenging for a simple walker. We’re buongiorno’ing when we should be guten morgen’ing and danke’ing when we should be gracie’ing. Apologies to all!

Wonderful forest walking today. Few settlements, lush woodlands and a steep winding gorge. Towards the end of the gorge, you reach a highlight of the whole walk, being Santuario San Romedio which dates back to 1000AD. An impressive ensemble of chapels that are built on top of each other. It’s a pilgrim site and you can see and feel why.

Day 4 - Coredo to Molveno

So far the weather has been OK. Reasonably sunny on the first two days; a couple of showers on the third. Day time temperatures of 16 - 23. On this day, it was raining when we awoke and it didn’t stop all day.

A shame because, like Day 3, the walk was through appealing woodlands and native pastures. Well we think it was. Raincoats, when zipped up to the chin and hoods employed, operate like a horse’s blinkers. The trail ahead can be seen but not much more.

Happily, the rain didn’t deter the cuckoo birds that we’d heard regularly throughout the walk. We interpreted their characteristic dual note call as encouragement to us.

After a few hours we arrive at a town with a bus connection to our overnight location of Molveno. There’s no question about what we’re doing. For the hour’s wait we sheepishly slosh our way into a bar, leaving rivulets in our wake. The bar seems to be the only sanctuary in town so gradually our fellow walkers appear and the bar takes on the appearance of a ski chalet drying room.

Molveno is a pretty town situated on an attractive forest-lined lake. It cries out to be explored but today the constant rain means our viewing is limited to the lakeside outlook from our hotel window.

Day 5 - Molveno loop walk

We had two nights in Molveno because stage 5 is a high altitude loop walk that starts and finishes in Molveno. For the less manic, it could be a rest day or a stroll around the lake.

Manic or not, the loop walk is very enticing and who knows when we’ll return. It takes you up high into the Brenta Dolomites. The Brenta Dolomites massif is the western most portion of the Dolomites mountains. Like its brethren, this massif is distinguished by its numerous thrusting jagged peaks.

Usually, the high altitude loop walkers get a free assist by virtue of a gondola from Molveno. We’re just ahead of the season opening for the gondola, so we have to work for all our altitude. Our early season arrival also throws up a few obstacles at the higher levels, eg a washed away bridge and a snow drift that hides the track for a couple of hundred metres.

Sadly, too, the string of appealing rifugios that are sprinkled along the trail are all still closed. No espressos at 1,600m today.

Apparently, there are bears in the Brenta Dolomites. We pass a couple of signs with instructions on what to do if you meet a bear. Even though we’ve read that there are not many and they live in the very remote regions of the national park, our eyes roam constantly and probe the undergrowth in the thicker forest areas!

Day 6 - Molveno to Riva del Garda

This morning starts with a transfer to the Lomomon Valley, which puts us in striking distance to our end point - Lake Garda. The transfer includes all the walkers who started on the same day as us from Merano. We’ve all had opportunities to get acquainted by now, so it’s quite a chirpy group that sets out on this final day.

The Lomomon Valley is a mixture of woodland beech and red firs, plus natural pastures. It’s all very tranquil and we barely notice the gradual climb to Passo Calino, the exit from the valley. From there, promises of views over Lake Garda lure us a bit higher to Refugio San Pietro. However, there are no views on offer today. Whilst it’s fine up high, below is a sea of mist.

From the rifugio to Lake Garda involves a descent of 950m. We plod down, gradually becoming aware of the Mediterranean plants appearing - olive groves, orange trees and oleanders.

Eventually, we reach Riva del Garda. The walk has been excellent and this town provides a fitting conclusion. Its grand lakeside buildings and piazzas have a distinctly Venetian flavour, as do the narrow lanes of the old town precinct. It buzzes with activity as walkers, cyclists and sailors rub shoulders and the busy ferries come and go. Restaurants, cafes, bars and gelaterias abound meaning a walk completion celebration of any description is possible.