There is a new route through the Prosecco hills for lovers of slow tourism. Its inventor, journalist and hiker Giovanni Carraro, tell us about it.
by Marco Muggiano
On 9 October 2020, I was given the task of creating a trail project in the area designated by UNESCO. I was required to identify 39 walking routes throughout the 29 municipalities of the Core Zone, the Buffer Zone and the Commitment Zone, through hilly areas, mountain areas, lowland passes and typical urban areas.
Rain, snow or shine, I dedicated each weekend continuously, from October 2020 to June 2021, to combining the most disparate paths into viable routes. However, my task was not only logistical. I also explored topics related to the Great War, as many of the trails pass by trenches, tunnels, command posts, museums and war cemeteries. There were also geological topics, distinguishing the tectonic origins of the UNESCO Core Zone from the glacial formations that close the area towards the plains in the south. Topics related to medieval history, with the two famous abbeys in Vidor and Follina and churches of great interest, such as the parish church of San Pietro di Feletto, with the famous Sunday Christ and works by Francesco Da Milano, Cima and Titian.
There are also monumental trees, such as the Sophora Japonica in Vazzola, and the bonsai museum, with the world champion beech tree. The ancient coal mines, the Caglieron Caves, the urban works of the illustrator Štěpán Zavřel and the street of murals from Fratta to Colmaggiore. The numerous impressive and magnificent Venetian villas, such as Villa Toderini, Villa Lippomano, Villa Morosini-Lucheschi and Villa Donà Dalle Rose, which houses the tomb of the only doge buried on the mainland. And charming villages, such as Collagù or Borgo Malanotte.
But the main focus of all the work is the paths, which will soon be available from the official website of the Unesco Hills, together with downloadable GPS tracks and QR codes for locating the starting points.
=
THE PROSECCO TRAIL
The icing on the cake is the Prosecco Hills Trail. I linked up some of the 39 routes to create an trail that would cover the entire Core Zone, traversed by the characteristic hilly ridges known to geologists as hogback hills, which originally inspired the UNESCO commission to declare the World Heritage Site in 2019.
There are four stages on foot from Vidor to Vittorio Veneto. Four days to simply unwind. It could be said that the Prosecco Trail offers, on a small scale, what people experience on the classic pilgrimage routes, where the physical effort enters into perfect synchronism with their internal rhythm. It is a small journey that unwinds along the crest of the hills, constantly offering incomparable views. In addition to the starting and finishing locations, it also passes through Colbertaldo, the southern heights of Valdobbiadene, Col San Martino, the Farra di Soligo lookouts, Premaor di Miane, the three bridges of Follina, the Cison area with Zuel di Qua and Zuel di Là, Arfanta, Tarzo, Nogarolo and Serravalle, combining portions of some of the 39 individual routes.
Along the 51 kilometres of the trail, the hiker passes through the infinite beauties of the Treviso prealpine area: from steep slopes, to gentle strolls through the fields, and from valleys flowing with water to the sharp crests of the ridges. There are numerous cultural features, thanks to centuries of history in a territory with a wealth of villages, castles, abbeys, churches and a rich local tradition.
The trail is of average-to-low difficulty but nevertheless at hiking level, with a positive rise in altitude of 2,265 metres. Some sections are more challenging, such as the final part of Monte Comun and Monte Baldo, which have a difficulty rating of EE. For this reason, an optional North variant has already been planned, which will circumvent this segment and provide an easier route.
All my work is summarised in a new book of hiking trips through the hills, called “Discovering the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene”. In 39 itineraries plus the Prosecco Trail, it covers 405 kilometres of paths, equivalent to 69 GPS tracks (40 basic paths plus 29 variants), with 41 cultural boxes and 83 scenic interest points.