Southern Grigna, from Piani Resinelli

Introduction

A beautiful but tiring route that leads to the summit of the Grigna Meridionale, or Grignetta, starting from the Piani Resinelli. Once at the summit, to fully enjoy the landscape, the ideal is to continue along the Sentiero Cecilia to the Rosalba refuge, and from there return to the Resinelli via the Foppe path. For the complete hike, see also the reports "Sentiero Cecilia" for the traverse and "Grigna Meridionale" by Marco Bonati-Cai 56 (13/05/2008) for the descent from the Rosalba hut. This makes for a beautiful loop tour among the ridges, spires and pinnacles of the Grigna Meridionale. The difficulties are never excessive, but the entire route requires due concentration. There is no such thing as a banal path in the Grigna.

Description

From the car park, follow the tarmac road to the right that leads to Rifugio Soldanella. Continue for a few hundred metres until you find a signpost on a meadow to the left. The path first enters a beech grove, then climbs steeply up the western edge of the Prati della Fontana and continues in view of the deep Canalone Porta, which, with its extension and depth, cuts into the south-eastern slope of the Grigna Meridionale. One crosses it and begins to climb up a steeply winding path that sees the Torrione Fiorelli on the right and the rocky outlines of the Torrioni Magnaghi on the left. You then come to a double rock spire to which a plaque is attached. The track continues through the grass on a steep ascent to a junction with unidentifiable signs, where it is necessary to take the path to the right that climbs steeply and ascends the edge of a secondary gully that joins the Porta, then follows another gully to its grassy crest. Continue along the ridge towards a series of towers. Then along tracks, scree gullies and grassy ribs, continue to climb steeply between towers and spires until you find path no. 3, which comes from the Cresta Cermenati and crosses the Canalone Porta. Ignore the track and continue along the ridge that enters a rocky gully. Finally reach the ridge line that leads, to the left, to the passage known as the 'Saltino del Gatto'. To the right of the path, a cable and some stirrups lead into a steep gully called "Il Gerone", the head of which is climbed up by rocks to the narrow notch separating the Torrioni Magnaghi from the body of the Grignetta. You soon reach the "Bocchetta dei Venti" (2065 m, 2 h). From here the track climbs up the ridge, crosses gullies and climbs up small rocks, sometimes with the help of a few chains. You finally reach "Canalino Federazione" (2124 m), the connection point with the Traversata Alta, from where the last ascent to the summit of the Grignetta begins along the rocky east face, all equipped with chains. You face the first equipped wall to the left until you reach a notch from which another chain starts to help you overcome the second steep wall. You reach a fork from which you must descend to a chimney on the left, again equipped with chains. Don't go all the way down but take the ledge on the right, climbing up a few steps that lead to the last notch from which the chain starts that helps you overcome the final wall, after which you finally come out on the summit of the Grigna Meridionale (2181 m) and, a few dozen metres further on, to the Ferrario bivouac.