Upward Ho! Val di Melo is in Rhaetian Alps on the Swiss border. Photo by Andrea Smith.
By Andrea Smith
Published: 2010-07-25 I 'm not the first to say that Val di Mello reminds me of Yosemite. Why? Perhaps it's the glacier-scraped, granite mountainsides with narrow waterfalls dropping hundreds of meters before forming torrents that join the river on the valley floor. Or maybe it's the climbers weighed down with ropes and clamps, hurrying along the wide, almost flat trail on their way to tackle vertical rock faces with names such as Precipizio degli asteroidi, Precipice of the Asteroids, and Trapezio d'argento, Silver Trapeze. Like Yosemite, the valley welcomes children and campers, but it also offers wild areas with difficult treks where only experienced hikers should venture. Val di Mello is a small side valley without roads at the end of Val Masino, which runs north from the Valtellina valley. It's in the Rhaetian Alps (Alpe Retiche), a range that Italy shares with southeast Switzerland. From Milan, my husband and I drive north on state road 36 to Colico where, following signs for Sondrio, we turn right into the Valtellina. At Ardenno, seven kilometers after Morbegno, we go left at signs for Val Masino. We take road 404 for 16 kilometers to San Martino (923 meters) at the end of the valley. There's pay parking in town, but we turn right and drive over the bridge to a free lot near the sports centre. The drive takes two hours. We walk back across the bridge and turn right into an asphalted road. The Masino River is on our right. The road becomes a trail. The fast-flowing river changes into a roaring torrent of clear water gushing over boulders. Leaving the houses behind, we hike in leafy woods. Immediately, we spot one of nature's June gifts — wild strawberries. The fragrance teases as I slip a tiny berry into my mouth. Its sweet tang explodes on my tongue.  Precipizio degli asteroidi.
After 15 minutes, further up the trail, a green bridge appears. Soon afterwards, the path comes out on a road. The asphalt turns to cobblestones. We pass stone houses and soon reach the "Gatto Rosso" (1,061 meters) trattoria, which offers rich local dishes including some of my favorites — pizzoccheri, buckwheat tagliatelle with butter, cheese, cabbage and potato; crespelle, buckwheat crepes with bitto cheese; sciatt, deep-fried, breaded cheese balls; and polenta taragna with grilled meats. We then take to the Val di Mello trail, an easy, two-hour walk on the valley floor to Rasega (1,148 meters), our destination. We keep the rushing water on our right. At one point the trail is washed out for 30 meters so we clamber over rocks to avoid wading through knee-high water. After this stretch, the trail leads away from the streams and through Swiss-like meadows to Cascina Piana. Early morning mountaineers are already halfway up a sunlit rock face. Above them, craggy peaks await. Farmers cut alfalfa with scythes. Women rake. Campers sit at tables outside the agriturismo, Alpe Val di Mello, and the rifugio, Luna Nascente. A climber sits on top of a domed outcrop watching her partner rappel down. The trees now are dark green coniferous firs. Here and there, dramatic, long yellow sprays hang from poisonous laburnum trees. The trail returns to the river, limpid and transparent. Light plays on water rippling over stones. On the left a sign marks a steep path for Valle di Zocca, the Rifugio Allievi (2,385 meters) and Sentiero Roma, a high Alps, five-day trail from Val Codera to Val Masino for hardy trekkers. Later, we pass the entrance to Val Torrone with its peaks of Pizzo Torrone, Torrone's Needle and Cleopatra's Needle, named after London's Egyptian obelisk. These peaks jut above 2,500 meters where glaciers never reached. |
Trail 1 to MonterossoHiking from Levanto to Monterosso gives you a bird’s eye view of the Cinque Terre.  To Como's eastIl Sentiero del Viadante, the Wayfarer's Trail, is a lakeside walk that takes you through seasons. To VarziOltrepò Pavese in Lombardy has medieval feel, with gullies and gunners to boot. Beyond St. MoritzIf you want to hike cross-country ski far from the madding crowd, try Swiss Val Roseg. Change of airThe Resegone straddles Lecco and Bergamo, its razor-like Dolomite ridges sharp as teeth. More The Hiker |
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September 9, 2010 | Rome, Italy | Partly Cloudy, 19°C
