Mount Cavallaccio
Introduction
Mount Cavallaccio is an interesting viewing point at the turn of the Valley of Trafoi, the swiss Valley of Tubre (Taufers) and the high Valle Venosta (Vinschgau). It is located exactly on the Swiss-Italian border and is an important orographic node along the chain from the Stelvio Pass (Stilfser Joch) degrading to the Venosta Valley South to North oriented and with several peaks at an altitude of between 2800 and 3000 meters, such as Rose Peak and Piz Minschuns.
The hike to reach this peak is very interesting for the historical setting, with some findings of the First World War as well as rememberings of smuggling including, on the very top, a former barracks of the Financtial Police now disused, testimony of the period between the end of the Second World War and the eighties, when this police was fighting with the smugglers exercising their traffic between Italy and Switzerland, often engaging real chases with them.
Description
From Refuge Forcola signs indicate the beginning of the trail (track Nr. 4) in a comfortable way to natural background that heads east and then turns north by Northeast at the point where from it another trail (track nr. 17) departs leading to the fraction of Stelvio, high on the national road 38. The road continues north, looses some height and reaches a vast shelf, with a wonderful lookout on the Ortler, enclosed by fences and benches. Now we need to take the path (still denoted by the No 4) which continues to move toward the northeast while the road, with a sharp bend, continues in the direction of the pasture Campo Piccolo (Little field). Always with a wide view , go on with very little gradient in costs a steep slope known as the "Rada" overcoming some forts of the First World War, approximately at an altitude of 2250 m. and coming to a crossroads where some signs point to a branch on the right for the Stelvio pasture. Instead, continue on the left track walking a large circle to the left (west) and slow climb, never tiring, almost on a slight slope. It thus crosses the whole side of Muttes and crosses the spur which, seen from far ago looks as a backdrop of Mount Cavallaccio arriving in a large debris basin (called the "Trament"), near a small pond, at an altitude of 2320 m. approx. Here the trail starts to climb more steeply in the direction of a saddle on the left of the peak of Cavallaccio. After crossing a stream, while continuing with a broad semicircle from left to right, go up the valley until you reach the crest of the border a few tens of meters to the left of the fork (2600 m.) which is then easily reached. From here, turn right along the ridge, very easy to walk with some passage between rocks and you get the wide top surmounted by a large cross, and near which the now-abandoned barracks of the Finance Police.
The descent takes place on the opposite side to the edge: it briefly crosses the ridge in the direction of the Valley of Tubre and then turn right when you encounter the signs of route nr. 5. It runs well as having the vast southern side of the valley towards the deep gulf of Trafoi and always ahead of the Ortles. Soon the path widens into a small road (there are many on these roadways that connect together the various pastures) even lower curves, with a stroke in the woods to reach the great hut Stelvio (2150 m - about 1 hour and 15 minutes from the peak) and then, always with a beautiful winding road (nr. 2) with another 1.40 hour that carry you to the village of Stelvio (Stilfers) where you finds again the asphalt and the further descent to Gomagoi on the Stilfersjoch national road.
Author
- Check the page of Giovanni Consigli
Bibliography
- R. Armellini: Alpi Retiche - Guida dei monti d'Italia CAI-TCI Club Alpino Italiano, 1997
Cartography
- Gruppo dell'Ortles 1:25.000 - foglio 08 Editrice Tabacco - Udine, 2008
Photo gallery
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