Category: Trekking

The smell of the olive trees, the birds singing, the rustle of the wind touching your skin. You are crossing the Santa Lucia trail! One of the most exciting strolls.

This trail was the ancient communication route between Lake Garda and the Adige Valley. The history of this wild dale among the overhanging Penede rocks and the Brae ridge (quoted from the book Torbole Nago by F. Martinelli) is fascinating: for centuries, it was the main connection between Lake Garda and Nago. It takes its name from a small niche in Roman Empire style dedicated to the saint from Syracuse.

A bronze tablet remembers the story connected to this place: the brave feat carried out by the Venetians led by Sorbolo da Candia in 1439. Once up the Adige River in Ravazzone, they made huge galleys and many boats come down the uneven path until Torbole, where they were put into the water, launched and used in the famous Ponale battle. 

This trail, winding through an olive grove, is perfectly considered “family-proof”; it can in fact be listed among the best hiking itineraries for mum, dad and kids! (actually, to me it is also very romantic… remember it, loving couples!) Thanks to this easy and panoramic stroll, children can learn, love and be astonished by Mother Nature’s work.

As real masterpieces, twisted hollowed and punched olive trees smell of nature,but also of history: big personalities from the past have walked here: from Saint Vigilius of Trento to kings and emperors. But if you think there are tourist businesses and it is possible to buy souvenirs here around, you are wrong! The one and only gift is the one Mother Nature makes us in this relaxing and silent place, overflowing with history and beauty.

Here you can breath the real Lake Garda Trentino, the soul of a place in peace with the past and with a closer look to the future. With Saint Lucy’s blessing!

Live your dream by booking a holiday at Toblini Apartments.
Book now Residence Toblini
Book now Casa Toblini al Lago

Lake Garda is the perfect holiday destination for hundreds of Italian and international tourists.
No matter if you just need to relax or practise outdoor sports, Lake Garda – and even more at its northern side – offers everything you need to spend an unforgettable holiday: sailing and windsurfing, wall climbing, panoramic cycling or walking.
If you love walking, Lake Garda and especially Torbole gives you the chance to try a lot of often easy paths where you can stare at beautiful views. Well, the fabulous landscape of a huge lake surrounded by green mountains can bewitch everyone going for a trek.

From Residence Toblini, very close to the lake, and Casa al Lago, situated at the beach, you can leave for various trekking courses. Here our Top 5 and, when you are back, you can get relaxed even more in the swimming pools of Residence Toblini or by watching the restful panorama of Casa al Lago.
And, if you are a gourmand, the heady fragrances from the restaurants of Torbole will be the best way to end your day without feeling guilty thanks to the long calorie-burning walks!

Busatte-Tempesta.
About 400 steps to get a breath-taking view over the whole Lake Garda. It is called the “balcony over the lake”. Five thrilling kilometres that cannot be missed. You can also leave from Tempesta and get to Torbole then go back by bus or viceversa. This trek takes half a day or even a whole day, but don’t worry! At Busatte you can have lunch in an excellent restaurant!

Walk to Castel Penede.
A course from Torbole in Piazza Vittorio Veneto of about one hour. Walk up towards Nago on an old panoramic 1-kilometre road, then through a green park – illuminated at night – until the ruins of Castel Penede. Finally, the amazing view over Lake Garda.

Marmitte dei Giganti.
What are the “marmitte”? They are boulders vertically digged in the ice age (130,000-10,000 b.C.) in the living rocks. You can reach the main wells from the left side of the main road from Torbole to Nago or walking on a path leaving from the end of Via Strada Granda in Torbole and arriving at Marmitte (1.5 km). A unique landscape, it seems like being on the moon!

Torbole- Altissimo.
The real trekking experts will love this path. Altissimo is the highest mountain of Baldo in Trentino (2,090 metres) and to walk to its top from Torbole it takes about five hours (path no. 601), but you can drive until Doss Casina then walk for about two hours. This path is one of the most beautiful ones – you can see ruins of foxholes, sheltered walkways and artillery posts of the First World War. The boundary between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy passed here. Nature and history, what a legendary combination.

From Torbole to Monte Brione.
Nice walk along the north shore of Lake Garda from Torbole to the harbour San Nicolò, in Riva del Garda. You can leave from the harbour of Torbole and walk along the lake until the mouth of river Sarca, towards Riva. The keep walking along the climbing walls of Monte Brione until the harbour, where you can find pretty boats, coffee bars and restaurants. Here you can decide if walking up to Monte Brione – it is a wonderful biotope where there are many historical proofs of the First World War – or walking back to Torbole. Walking to the mount – you will climb many wood steps through the wood – takes about one hour. From the top, the view is simply amazing!

From Torbole there are many courses you can take, but you will need more than your leg muscles: open your eyes and heart and let the beauty overwhelm you! You just need to book your dream.

387 steps, a breathtaking view, a thick vegetation among blue, sky and stones. Where are you? You are treading the Busatte – Tempesta path! A path for those who are not afraid of heights, but rather love them as well as the garish colours of the unspoiled nature. Opened in 2005, this wonderful 4-km semi-flat path passes over two ridges: Corno di Bò and Salt de la Cavra. It is the ideal choice for those who love to walk in order to work out heart, mind and soul overlooking the biggest lake in Italy.

STARTING POINT

You leave from the Busatte parking lot where the slightly-sloping path starts among trees (mainly Holm oaks) that are about to shed in this period, turning the route yellow. In autumn, this path is perfect because it is low and so you don’t run the risk to be cold; the mild temperatures and the still shining sun make it rather enjoyable despite the physical effort on the three stairways. Nevertheless, families with kids can also take on this adventurous walk because the route is undemanding and also marked.

Because of the steps it isn’t suitable for buggies, but the little ones could enjoy the fabolous view in any case, maybe in dad’s backpack (mums will relax their shoulders at least this time!!). You will cross many highly-panoramic spots with benches from where to take pictures (it is in fact one of the most suitable paths for photography enthusiasts!) or to rest if you need to. But we are stoical and… we keep on going on our path!

JUMPING OFF THE EDGE: THE 400 STEPS

Let’s brave our first descending stairway now. A green metal structure that enables you to cross the rocky parts along the path. A feeling of vertigo starts to seize us! It seems like walking among the rocks hanging on the lake. A thrilling emotion for those of us who challenge the heights with a bit of fear. But it’s known that fears are made to be suppressed. And so, let’s go on to brave other two stairways.

Perfect training for both buttocks and legs, if carried on with a fast pace it’s a route that can be trodden in one hour and a half round. If you rather prefer to walk enjoying the view, it will take you one hour and a half to go from Busatte to Tempesta (just one way, though)! (Here you can see some pictures!). You can also choose to come back by bus (but we won’t do it, will we?!) or to cover the same path challenging the about 400 steps, but ascending this time!!

SUGGESTIONS

It’s not necessary any specific clothes, but the suggestion is to be careful with the steps that could be slippery during autumn. If you have some hiking shoes, use them, otherwise also sneakers will be fine. My hint? Carry a lot of water with you! Along the path there aren’t any fountains and the only bar (well-equipped and surrounded by trees) is exactly at the starting point, Busatte.

Once back with our backpack on the shoulders, we feel our head light, our heart full of goodwill thanks to the beauty around us and in the small simple things of life. Things like a hiking day on the Busatte – Tempesta path, a bear hug closely connected with mother nature.

blog.gardatrentino.it