Sentiero Attrezzato della Val Sorda

Overview

The Sentiero Attrezzato della Val Sorda, in the province of Verona, winds through the narrow gorge carved by the Rio Mondrago stream, offering an immersive and scenic experience. While it lacks any major technical passages, the route is defined by consistently slippery terrain due to persistent humidity, demanding careful footing throughout. It's an ideal choice for a first taste of equipped trails or for hikers with moderate experience.

Approach

Access begins near Fumane, in the Val di Fumane. Heading up the valley, you pass the turnoff for Molina and the hamlet of Ca de Gottolo until you spot a pink bar just before a left-hand curve. On the right side of the road, there's a large parking area; at the curve, an information panel describes local itineraries, including the one for Val Sorda.

From the sign, take trail CAI 238, marked for Val Sorda. After a short stretch, you reach a fork: to the left, the trail branches off toward Molina, a potential return route. Continue straight, following signs for Mondrago and Val Sorda EE. After crossing a simple iron bridge, another junction appears. Staying straight into the woods leads toward the Ponte Tibetano and the Covoli di Marano, another possible way back. For our itinerary, turn left toward Molin de Cao, reachable in just a few minutes.

Past the mill, you encounter the last junction before the start: a left-hand path leads to Grotta di Campora. Ignore it and continue straight, skirting the Rio Mondrago until the obvious beginning of the Sentiero Attrezzato della Val Sorda, reachable in about 15 minutes from the parking area.

Via Ferrata

The route plunges into the spectacular gorge of the Rio Mondrago, which alternates between wide sections and narrow chasms. The environment is constantly shaded and damp, with a pervasive slipperiness underfoot that affects the entire progression. The trail begins on the right bank of the stream, over rocks polished smooth by water, then crosses to the opposite side to tackle a few rocky steps with the aid of ropes. Approaching a waterfall, the path narrows onto a tight equipped ledge that leads to a metal ladder. After climbing it, a short traverse brings you to a small bridge to cross the watercourse again.

You then enter an especially narrow section where light barely filters through. The gorge's morphology becomes more vertical, but the trail runs along a flat floor, continuously lined with ropes for balance. You cross a couple of bridges, admire a second waterfall, and use several short ladders to ascend otherwise tricky passages.

After the ladders, the trail widens slightly, passing near rapids and crossing an iron bar that serves as a bridge. The itinerary maintains a varied rhythm, with constant short ups and downs that are exposed, while the views inside the gorge remain continuously striking, inviting photo stops. You descend a ladder with alternating rungs until you reach, about 45 minutes from the start, the most distinctive section. Here, the Rio flows inside a cave, and the trail, at the same level as the stream, climbs the opposite side through a tight, cramped passage, using ropes and stirrups.

This passage through the cave is doable in summer and autumn, but may become difficult or impossible in winter and spring due to higher water flow. During those seasons, a simpler variant is available on the right side of the cave, which scrambles over boulders and, via a small bridge, rejoins the exit of the inner passage. Continuing, the trail finishes its most rugged and equipped portion after about 1 hour from the start, at a junction marked for Malga Biancari.

The Sentiero Attrezzato della Val Sorda continues straight, offering ever-interesting panoramas, though with gradually diminishing technical difficulty. Brief equipped sections on unstable terrain persist, but the real technical challenges can be considered over. The equipped route ends definitively when you merge onto a gravel road, after about 1 hour and 40 minutes from the start (roughly 2 hours total from the parking area).

Descent

From the end of the equipped trail, you have three options for returning to the parking area:

The quickest return is to backtrack along the Sentiero Attrezzato della Val Sorda. This takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes from the gravel road, for a total of roughly 3 hours and 30 minutes from the start.

The longest option involves following the gravel road toward Mondrago and, just before entering the village, turning left onto trail CAI 252, which leads to Spiazzo Sant'Anna, with a short stretch on pavement (about 45 minutes from the end of the equipped trail). From Spiazzo, follow the CAI 252 signs for Molina. After about 20 minutes, you reach a junction marked for Vajo delle Scalucce; take this, descending into this new gorge. Following signs for Molin de Cao, you rejoin the approach route and then backtrack to the parking area. This option takes about 2 hours from the gravel road, for a total of roughly 4 hours.

A third option uses a suspension bridge built in 2012, which spans the gorge about fifty meters above the stream (visible during the ascent). From the end of the equipped trail, follow the gravel road to Mondrago. Once in the village, follow the signs for trail CAI 231, which runs along the roadside to Malga Biancari. Here, clear signs lead to the suspension bridge, keeping right at a marked junction. After crossing the stream, descend the opposite side until you reach Molin de Cao. This variant takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes from the gravel road, for a total of roughly 4 hours.

Useful Notes

Given the nature of the route, telescopic trekking poles are strongly recommended to help maintain balance on the slippery sections. It's essential to carefully assess the flow of the Rio Mondrago stream, which can become substantial after heavy rain or during the spring snowmelt, making some passages difficult or dangerous. The via ferrata presents no major technical difficulties and remains an excellent introduction to the world of equipped trails in a highly evocative setting.