Overview
The Ferrata del Centenario offers a moderately difficult equipped route set into the majestic southwest face of Resegone. The route unfolds primarily within a deep and spectacular limestone gully near Passo Fò. A distinctive feature of this via ferrata, quite rare in the Lecco area, is its generous provision of metal stirrups and handholds that make progression easier, giving it a more assisted character. Its strategic position makes it ideal for combining with other equipped routes on the massif, allowing for the creation of more complex and physically demanding circuits.
Approach
The starting point is the large parking lot at the valley station of the cable car for Piani d'Erna, in Lecco. After reaching the city via the Valtellina expressway, exit after a tunnel, follow signs for "Piani d'Erna," and drive up the road to its end in the square. From here, you have two options to reach the start of the via ferrata. The first option is to take the cable car up to Piani d'Erna. From there, take Sentiero 5, a trail that runs along the base of the mountain for a long stretch. At the junction with Sentiero 1, continue straight, ignoring the turnoff for Rifugio Azzoni, and head instead toward Rifugio Ghislandi. After passing the refuge, continue in the direction of Passo Fò, where you will find signs for the start of the via ferrata. This approach takes about 50 minutes from the top cable car station. The second option, entirely on foot, starts from the right side of the parking lot (facing the lifts), where Sentiero 1 begins its ascent. During the climb, ignore the turnoff for the Ferrata Gamma 1 and continue to the junction with Sentiero 6, which you follow toward Rifugio Ghislandi and Passo Fò. Once you reach the pass, you can easily spot the signs for the start. This approach on foot takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes from the parking lot.
Via Ferrata
The route starts at the mouth of a narrow, recessed gully. You immediately face a vertical wall that is overcome with the help of several stirrups, tackling two steep sections for a total height of about ten to fifteen meters. The terrain changes with a traverse to the right, still aided by foothold stirrups, before resuming the vertical climb as you enter the main gully, flanked by tall, polished limestone walls. This is the most exposed section of the entire route, where the verticality and the cut of the rock amplify the feeling of exposure. After exiting this section, you follow a ledge to the right before resuming the vertical climb. Once past this passage, which is not particularly difficult but still exposed, you emerge onto an equipped trail that introduces the second part of the via ferrata, entering a new gully. The pace becomes more continuous, and the progression remains vertical, though the rock is more slanted than in the first meters, offering wider footholds. You climb up the gully, initially on its right side and then moving to the left, aided by distinctive metal bars for your feet. The ascent alternates between sections on sloping slabs and others on simpler rock, all generously equipped with stirrups, ensuring a smooth and technical progression that is not exhausting. After exiting the narrowest part of the gully, you continue on an easier equipped trail in the final phase. You tackle a few short rocky sections and one final wall that marks the exit onto Pian Serrada. After walking a stretch of trail and climbing the last rocky steps, you reach the end of the via ferrata. The time for the equipped route is about 45 minutes, for a total of about 1 hour and 30 minutes from the top cable car station.
Descent
At the end of the Ferrata del Centenario, on the right, a sign indicates the nearby Ferrata del Caminetto (or Buco della Carlotta). There are several options for the return. To conclude the hike, you can climb up the obvious track through the meadows until you intercept Sentiero 1, which you take to the left toward Piani d'Erna. At the junction with Sentiero 5, to return to the cable car, continue on Sentiero 5 keeping right (about 1 hour from the via ferrata, total 2h 45'). To descend directly to the parking lot, instead, stay on Sentiero 1, passing by Rifugio Stoppani (about 1h 45' from the via ferrata, total 3h 45'). Alternatively, you can continue the activity by climbing Sentiero 1 toward Rifugio Azzoni to link up with the more challenging Ferrata Silvano de Franco; its start sign is visible from the junction at Pian Serrada. Finally, you can opt for the descent along the Sentiero Attrezzato del Caminetto, following the sign at the arrival. This equipped gully, not difficult but with a loose, scree-covered floor, then allows you to return to the cable car or descend toward Rifugio Stoppani and the parking lot (about 2h 15' from the via ferrata, total 4h 15').
Useful Notes
Compared to other via ferratas on Resegone, the Ferrata del Centenario stands out for its high number of stirrups that support progression, giving it a more "secured" character than a purely climbing one. The feeling of exposure, pronounced in the initial section inside the narrowest gully, gradually lessens as the gully opens up. It presents no significant technical difficulties, making it more a route of endurance and continuity than pure technique. It is essential to pay maximum attention to avoid dislodging rocks during the ascent, as the route's development within a closed gully makes this a real danger for hikers below. Along the route, the marks of the original trail are clearly visible, which was certainly more challenging and less equipped than the current one, offering food for thought on the evolution of equipment. The route is ideally suited to be combined, on the ascent, with the Ferrata Silvano de Franco or, on the descent, with the Sentiero Attrezzato del Caminetto. An interesting alternative is to climb to Piani d'Erna via the Ferrata Gamma 1, thus linking it to the Centenario. For fit hikers with excellent physical preparation, there are possibilities for longer circuits that can involve other equipped routes in the area, such as the Sentiero Attrezzato della Giumenta or the Sentiero Attrezzato del Canalone Bobbio, though this requires careful assessment of time and energy.
