They are snowshoes snow rackets. In the past they were built with wood and braided rope, today they are generally made of plastic and are used for walk easily on fresh snow, almost as if you were floating on that white blanket. Precisely with snowshoes on your feet you can experience magical excursions surrounded by enchanted winter landscapes, discovering a new dimension of slow, evocative and fascinating hiking. There are many snowshoe itineraries offered by Vacanzattiva, the first Italian outdoor tourism network. Itineraries truly suitable for everyone.
With snowshoes (a term that comes from the Ladin language of the Val di Non), young and old alike discover a new way of exploring nature. The nature of the low and medium mountains, which surrounds trails for snowshoeing. At first it is best not to exaggerate with the kilometers: Snowshoeing requires around 50% more effort than a traditional walk, and it is also important Protect your ankles by wearing high trekking boots., winter and waterproof. With the proper precautions, and with a little feeling of fatigue, wearing a pair of snowshoes allows you to live unique experiences. As in Val di Non, where for more than forty years The Ciaspolada is the most important race of this type in the world., with cross-country athletes, Olympians and amateurs called to travel together the 8 kilometers from Romeno to Fondo. This is a "goal" that can be achieved after a good workout.
For everyone else, there is scenic trails to enjoy meter after meter. For example, not far from Bolzano, Val Sarentino offers a route that contains magic. We are about 2000 meters away, in the land of Stoanerne Mandln, those "stone men” which are columns sometimes even taller than a man. These buildings seemed to be shepherds' pastimes, but in some of them engravings dating from the Stone Age or the Middle Ages were found: were they objects of worship? After all, there are many legends that revolve around them: the grassy hill on which they are located was considered the secret lair of a sect of witches dedicated to black magic in the Middle Ages. Today those same places, with their history and mysteries, can be explored by snowshoeing. Leave the car in Sorentino and go up to the Sarner refuge, where the forest path that leads to the height begins. In just over an hour you reach the Auner refuge and then the Auener Joch; From here, in another half hour you will reach the stone men, located right at the top of a hill surrounded by the plateau.
This is just an example of what you can see while snowshoeing in Italy. There are many mountains that can be experienced like this, in different regions of Italy. About himPlateau of Asiago – territory that was the bloody scene of the Great War -, a circular route allows you to admire the karst landscape, between snow and fir trees; in it Simbruin MountainsI, with snowshoes you reach the top Assembly Author with its impressive panorama, while a circular itinerary - bound for the top of the Montegrappa, in the Venetian Prealps, tours the places where the Italian army, during the First World War, resisted the advance attempts of the Austro-Hungarian enemies.
Then there are the The Dolomites, with the path in the forest starting at brione – a small village at the foot of Dos de Laven, in the Valley of the Churches in Trentino – and reaches Malga Rive, with a unique panorama of the Brenta Dolomites. And then him Monte Cagno, in Abruzzo, a little-known place but offering a beautiful view of the L'Aquila basin, the mountains of the region and Gran Sasso; or, in Basilicata, crossing the forest Cugno dell'Acero, in the territory of Pollino Newfoundland, where the coexistence between beech and fir trees leaves you enthralled. Because, from the north to the south of Italy, the itineraries to follow with snowshoes are endless. They pass through history, legends, allow you to explore forests and mountains, experience stunning views and a priceless sense of peace. But, above all, they allow you to explore a new dimension of ecotourism, capable of building indelible memories.
In collaboration with Vacanzattiva
