Ferrata al Sentiero dei Fiori

Overview

The Sentiero dei Fiori is a historic high-altitude route that blends a rich wartime past with a sweeping mountain hiking experience. It unfolds as an equipped ridge traverse, following the positions of the Italian front from the Great War, and offers generally moderate technical difficulty, with a few more challenging sections concentrated in the final sector. The trail delivers exceptional views over the Presena and Pisgana glaciers.

Access is from the Passo del Tonale, on the border between Trentino and Lombardy. The pass can be reached via the SS42 from Bolzano (about 2 hours) or from Brescia (about 2 hours 30 minutes), or from Valtellina via the SS39. The recommended parking is near the cable car to Passo Paradiso, on the Lombard side.

Approach

From the valley station, take the cable car up to Passo Paradiso (2585 m). After getting off the lift, skirt the small lake following the clear trail markers for CAI 44, which climbs toward Passo del Castellaccio. Ignore an unmarked junction with faint tracks branching off to the left, instead continuing along the well-defined path. This easily crosses a few rocky steps in a classic high-mountain environment, characterized by moraines and outcrops of crystalline rock. You then reach Passo del Castellaccio (2963 m) in about 1 hour 15 minutes from the top cable car station. Here, gear up with your via ferrata harness, leave the CAI 44 which descends toward the Narcanello valley, and prepare to tackle the equipped route.

Via Ferrata

From the pass, head south, following the numerous tracks and markers. The route immediately takes on an undulating, continuous rhythm, with few flat sections. The first equipped section is a long ledge with constant ups and downs, not technically difficult but very panoramic and at times exposed, running along the eastern side of the ridge. Continue along this ledge until you encounter a series of wooden walkways. Just beyond, on the left, you'll notice some stirrups climbing steeply toward a peak: this is the detour for the Nido dell'Aquila, a panoramic point of wartime origin that merits a short 10-minute diversion. Descend the same way, then rejoin the equipped route as you approach the most iconic feature: the Gendarme di Casamadre.

This distinctive rocky pinnacle, a granite monolith that interrupts the ridge, is overcome thanks to two long and stable suspension bridges-the first to reach it and the second, after a short connecting section, to bypass it. Alternatively, you can avoid the bridges by taking a tunnel dug during the war, a more sheltered but cramped passage. Once past the gendarme, follow a ledge that skirts a corner and descends slightly, in a section that presents no particular difficulties for experienced hikers but maintains an airy character.

You then arrive at a section where snow can persist even late in the season, a shaded gully or hollow. If the fixed rope is buried, crampons, ice axe, and a rope for roped progression are essential. The trail then continues, always at high altitude, with moderate difficulty thanks to the shaping work done during the war, which created a route that is often wide and walkable. The equipment reappears near a short rock face and some small crags, then ends again. Proceed by climbing and descending over sometimes unstable boulders, until you reach, via a comfortable path, the Bivacco Amici della Montagna (3160 m), generally open in summer. This point is reached about 1 hour 15 minutes from the start of the ferrata, for a total of about 2 hours 30 minutes.

Continuing, you lose altitude to a junction that represents an escape route: turning left descends toward Capanna Presena (about 1 hour with equipped sections) to take the cable car down. Continuing straight on the main trail, you tackle a traverse section with some boulders to climb without great difficulty, then descend along a war trench to the Passo di Lagoscuro (2970 m), where a wooden chapel stands. You arrive here in about 30 minutes from the bivouac, for a total of about 3 hours.

From this pass, you can end the hike by descending left toward Lago Scuro (about 1 hour), then climbing left to Passo di Maroccaro (30 minutes), and finally descending over the snowfield of the Presena glacier to Capanna Presena (30 minutes). This descent route from Passo di Lagoscuro takes about 2 hours, bringing the total to about 5 hours.

If instead from Passo di Lagoscuro you decide to continue, head south toward Cima Payer. The trail alternates ledges and rocky steps, staying on the western side of the ridge crest, with no particular technical difficulties but a constant up-and-down rhythm. You reach the summit cross of Cima Payer (3056 m) in about 20 minutes from the pass, for a total of about 3 hours 30 minutes. From here, you can return to Passo di Lagoscuro and descend as described (total about 6 hours), or continue toward Passo Payer.

This second option significantly increases the difficulty, raising the ferrata to a level considered difficult. The character of the route changes, becoming more vertical and technical. Descend over some rocky steps and slabs in down-climbing, until you reach a ridge crest that narrows, then tackle very exposed descending traverses and some small crags. You thus reach Passo Payer (2978 m) in about 30 minutes from Cima Payer, for a total of about 4 hours. For the descent, take the trail to the left that drops steeply toward Rifugio Città di Trento al Mandrone (2449 m, about 1 hour). Just before the refuge, turn left onto the CAI 209 trail that climbs to Passo di Maroccaro (about 2 hours from Passo Payer) and finally descends to Capanna Presena (about 2 hours 30 minutes from Passo Payer, total about 6 hours 30 minutes).

The final section continues from Passo Payer to Passo del Lago di Pisgana (2933 m). This is the most challenging and distinctly alpine sector of the route. Climb equipped rock steps and granite slabs, supported by chains, then traverse an airy and very exposed ridge that requires attention and excellent control of exposure. Reach Punta Pisgana (3088 m) in about 1 hour from Passo Payer (total 5 hours) and finally descend to Passo del Lago di Pisgana in another hour (total 6 hours). From here, descend left on a faint trail to Rifugio Città di Trento (about 1 hour 15 minutes, total 7 hours 15 minutes), then climb back to Passo di Maroccaro and descend to Capanna Presena (total about 9 hours 30 minutes).

Descent

The Sentiero dei Fiori offers several options for interruption or descent variants:

• From Passo di Lagoscuro (reached about 2 hours after the start of the ferrata): descend left toward Lago Scuro, climb back to Passo di Maroccaro, and descend over the snowfield to Capanna Presena (about 2 hours from the pass).
• From Passo Payer (reached about 3 hours after the start): descend toward Rifugio Città di Trento, take the trail to the left before the refuge for Passo di Maroccaro, and descend to Capanna Presena (about 2 hours 30 minutes from the pass).
• From Passo del Lago di Pisgana (reached about 5 hours after the start): descend left toward Rifugio Città di Trento, reach it, then climb back to Passo di Maroccaro to descend to Capanna Presena (about 3 hours 15 minutes from the pass).

Useful Notes

The actual difficulty of the route is heavily influenced by the presence of snow, as it develops constantly around 3000 meters, on north-facing slopes that retain the snowpack for a long time. It is strongly recommended to bring the necessary equipment to manage possible snow (crampons, ice axe) and the sudden weather changes typical of these altitudes. The technical difficulty of the full circuit, especially in the section between Cima Payer and Punta Pisgana, is greater, exposed, and demanding, meriting a higher rating and requiring alpine experience.

After a maintenance intervention completed in 2022, new signs have been installed suggesting that the route be traveled in the opposite direction to that described here, starting from the second station of the gondola at Passo Presena. Via ferratas are generally passable in both directions, but this situation can create encounters with other hikers, requiring particular attention and courtesy in giving way. For cartography, the map dedicated to Adamello and Presanella is recommended.