Rifugio 'Il Biondo', from Mulino

Access

From Milan to Prata Camportaccio along State Road 36; from the junction, under the railway, turn right and climb up Via della Michela. At a T-junction turn briefly right onto Via Carducci and then left towards the parish church; following a few signs for the "Monti di Prata" take the very steep and narrow Via Mulino until you find parking in a limited space near a bridge over the Schiesone stream.

Introduction

Indicating a mountain hut as the destination of the excursion (which can only be visited after requesting the keys from two shops in Prata), in this case, is simply an expedient to visit an extremely wild valley, very little frequented by tourists and even less by mountaineers. The alpine pasture where the refuge is located (on maps indicated as Prà Baffone, but locally only 'Suta 'l Piz') is dominated by a crown of peaks with steep walls and peaks as sharp as spires: among these, the dominant one is Pizzo di Prata 2727m, on its northern slope traversed by two chimneys. This face has been climbed a dozen times in less than a hundred years, and perhaps as many accidents during the numerous attempts: the "Biondo" to whom the hut is dedicated was in fact a mountaineer who fell from these rocks during a solo climb in 1994.

Description

From the small car park, head immediately to cross the bridge over the Schiesone stream: on the other bank, leave the Pradella forest track after a few metres to take the historic cobbled mule-track that runs close to it; the climb is comfortable but continues along the lovely path that, passing alongside or crossing small hamlets inhabited only on feast days, comes to join the tarmac road at a hairpin bend. Follow a level path that enters the small valley on the left and leave it after a few dozen metres (continuing along the apparently more evident path is useless and dangerous), taking the signs for Pradella again on the right: a last, stepped ascent gives access to the grassy churchyard of the little church of Pradella di Prata (999 m); we find ourselves at the edge of a wide meadowy hollow scattered with numerous huts, all of which have now been restored or are in the process of being converted into holiday homes. Following a track through the grass, we reach the last constructions to the north, where we find the continuation of the path: from here, and for a long stretch, we plunge into a dark fir forest ("Bosco Gualdo"), following a traverse that gradually leads deep into the Schiesone valley. You cross numerous gullies traversed by streams and small landslides, on an increasingly sloping and exposed slope; you climb up a very steep ridge with narrow hairpin bends, which leads to a new up-and-down traverse to the valley floor. All these sections, where necessary, are assisted by safety cables, artificial steps and protective railings. At the end of the wood, descend to the stony riverbed of the Schiesone stream and wade through it (some difficulty in the event of flooding): a short path on the other bank leads to the "Il Biondo" hut 1322m and the other two small huts that make up the alp.
The return trip takes place following the opposite side of the Val Schiesone, still wooded, but exposed to the south and more rocky: the path gradually descends into the pine forest with a few exposed stretches and the crossing of a few rockfalls (one landslide, in particular, which you pass near the detachment niche, appears decidedly delicate). We finally come out on the Corleggia meadows, with a few huts on the slope, and continue - across ever-widening clearings - towards Bonamarcia and Belvedere; in the latter locality, although reached by a forest track, we can still identify the old access path: the descent, rather steep and direct, past the Pradelli houses, leads to the pretty village of Lotteno 654m. The track between the houses leads to an open space with a fountain: here starts the cobbled and stepped mule track that descends towards Dona, a hamlet upstream of Prata; following the tarmac road downhill, you will soon reach the starting point.

Objective Hazard: slides
Exposed Tracts: some crossbars

Objective Hazard: slides