Hike to Cima Vezzena with snowshoes

From the article by Andrea Pizzato on his beautiful blog “Mountain of Travel”.

One of the most beautiful winter excursions to do with snowshoes in Trentino is located on Alpe Cimbra and more precisely in Passo Vezzena. I had already told you how the excursion to Pizzo di Levico or Cima Vezzena takes place in the summer, this time, I will tell you about it in winter with a slightly different route.
I had the pleasure of doing this walk during the weekend of the Ciaspomagna Cimbra, a group snowshoe hike that takes place in the evening, 6 km long, with various stops where you can taste the local specialties. An event that I recommend you participate and book in advance because it is always sold out! Here I leave you the link:
https://www.alpecimbra.it/it/ski-area-alpe-cimbra/ski-area-alpe-cimbra/ciaspomagna-cimbra/548-4644.htmlTherefore therefore the excursion to Cima Vezzena becomes a preview of all the walks that will await me in this 3 days on the Alpe Cimbra.

IT STARTS FROM THE VEZZENA PASS
Once the car is parked near the Vezzena hotel, I follow the road that leads to Fort Verle, one of the 9 forts that made up the steel front to defend the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Here I stop to admire the fort from the outside (you cannot enter it) and follow the path getting closer and closer to the Cima Vezzena side.

NB. If you want to know more about Forte Verle, read my post dedicated to the Forts Great War Alpe Cimbra.
After about 30 minutes from the parking lot I find on the left the CAI indication for Pizzo di Levico, path 205, the one made in summer. I don’t take it and I keep going straight, almost flat, in the woods on a forest road, until I find, at the height of a tight curve, the indications for Cima Vezzena.

MILITARY ROAD
This stretch of path is part of one of the many military roads that were used to allow the transport of building materials, artillery and ammunition to the forts. From an engineering point of view, military roads had to respect precise construction characteristics: slope not exceeding 10%, average width of 3 meters and radius of the curves of 10 meters.
So here is that walking on the snow in such a way is really perfect and simple. Certainly not at the time, given that they had to transport very heavy materials, even in the most adverse conditions!

Once you have taken the road, always uphill steadily inside the woods until you almost reach the Pizzo di Levico. Once out of the woods you will only have a few hundred meters to the top, you can see it for the large cross.

ON THE TOP
From the top you can admire one of the most beautiful panoramas in Trentino! Beautiful in summer but equally in winter! The lakes of Levico and Caldonazzo in the foreground with the Brenta Dolomites in the background. Behind me, however, the whole Alpe Cimbra and the highest peaks of the Asiago plateau with Cima Portule. Very beautiful. Allow two hours to get up here and 500 meters in altitude!

Since there are no dining options, I set up well before leaving. Today I had the pleasure of trying for the first time Bivo Ready To Use, a complete and balanced food ready in a few seconds. It is ideal at any time of the day and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or in situations such as today where there are no places to eat or you don’t have time to prepare a packed lunch, thus avoiding eat the usual quick and unhealthy foods. A bottle of Bivo contains all the macronutrients of a normal meal, following the nutritional proportions of the Mediterranean diet with the flavors of capuccino and vegetable.
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BACK TO PASSO VEZZENA
Once the ritual photos are taken, I begin the descent towards the Pazzo Vezzena following the same path of the outward journey. Allow less time for the return as it is downhill.
If you are interested in other outings to do in the area, read my post winter hiking on the Alpe Cimbra.

WHERE TO EAT AND SLEEP
Here on the Alpe Cimbra stay at the Galeno farmhouse in Luserna, a typical alpine-style farmhouse with bright rooms, warm rooms with lots of wood and an excellent breakfast. If you are looking for a quiet, cuddly and somewhat isolated place, this is the one for you!

For dinner, however, I recommend you go to the Rivetta restaurant, near Passo Vezzena, here you will find truly abundant dishes such as potato tortel, dumplings and grilled cheese with mushrooms and polenta. The ideal way to recover energy after a long hike in the mountains!

For more information, visit the official website of the Alpe Cimbra

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Link to the original article in the blog Montagna di Viaggi:
https://www.montagnadiviaggi.it/2020/02/cima-vezzena-pizzo-levico-escursione-inverno-neve-ciaspole.html?fbclid=IwAR3SgFsh4StetSQSdwjOXTKsCnbb3iIW6PK2uQ2uZLS716T-BfVYgfDG2jY