Three panoramic walks in Riva del Garda, three itineraries with breathtaking views from Santa Barbara to the Sentiero della Ponale up to Monte Brione, read the post.
Riva del Garda it is a bit like this, halfway between lake and mountain and halfway between breathtaking and lazy views up to the lookout.
Three in particular are for me the scenic walks most beautiful, or should I say trekking. So if you have a nice pair of sneakers, that's better for you. And, if you are great little athletes with a great desire to train and try new stimuli, all three courses can be done in running mode, with due attention.
Santa Barbara
The walk / trekking that leads to the church of S. Barbara is the first of these beautiful panoramic routes and leads to about 625m above Riva del Garda.
Santa Barbara was built in 1935 by the miners who worked on the construction of the pipes of the hydroelectric power plant on Monte Rocchetta. From Riva del Garda you can see it from afar, immersed in the woods, high up and almost tiny.
To reach it you can start on foot from the city center going up from Via Monte Oro, at the corner of Via al Bastione (there are also other access points). Following the first hairpin bends, the quietest part of the route thanks to the paved road, you will arrive at 200m where you will cross the imposing XNUMXth century Bastione di Riva, a fortress built in defense of the city. From its terrace you can take some very nice photos of the lake and enjoy a little rest.
The path from there will continue to climb between dirt paths, steps and other types of terrain, becoming a little steeper. Arrived at about 570mt, you will not see the small church yet but you will meet the Santa Barbara hut, a refuge where in the summer you can also eat a good homemade meal with a panoramic view. Finally at 625mt, after a last flight of steps, you will reach the church of Santa Barbara and the gift, there at the top, will be a wonderful panorama overlooking the lake and the hinterland of the Alto Garda.
Ponale path
The Ponale is the second of these scenic routes, less tiring, but just as beautiful. It is a path, partially unpaved, and interrupted by a system of tunnel fortifications, consisting of ancient corridors and trenches dug in the period of the First World War directly overlooking Lake Garda, in an incredible position.
To reach the path, also in this case, you can start from the city center, following the State Road n.45 bis towards Limone which runs along the lake and climbing on the right, shortly after the hydroelectric plant, on the old road to Valle di Ledro . Going up on foot (or even by mountain bike if you are equipped) be surprised by thinking that until less than 50 years ago cars and even public buses passed us on this narrow path.
Continuing along the path, the road becomes asphalted and you can follow it, climbing some small bends, up to Pregasina where a white statue depicting a Madonna will wait for you looking at the lake. This road was inaugurated in 1851 and was finally reopened only for tourist and sports use in 2004. The itinerary, about 11 km long, crosses tunnels dug into the limestone cliff overlooking the lake. The travel time is about 2 and a half hours but even less if you have good legs and want to sweat a little. I guarantee you that the view will fill your eyes.
Monte Brione
The route on Monte Brione is the last of the three main panoramic walks that I recommend in Riva del Garda. It is a luxuriant hill that divides Torbole su Garda from Riva del Garda, almost as if it were a wall, standing out on the northern tip of Lake Garda. The route starts from here, where Riva is about to meet Torbole, more precisely from Porto San Nicolò, where there is a military fort built by the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1861.
Just in front of the port and the fort, crossing the road, you will find a small path that begins to climb the hill, first through the wooded slopes and then along the terraced olive groves. The path climbs from the south bank of the small mountain with a panoramic view of the lake, along the path of Peace and up to Fort Garda and some other fortifications dating back to the First World War. Once at the top you can climb to the top of a large boulder that covers the hill and you will almost feel like you can embrace the whole lake.
