Mouth of Stavello

Introduction

Beautiful excursion of environmental and historical interest: through picturesque forests we reach a secondary pass connecting the mountain pastures of two provinces. The pass itself, and the surrounding ridge, however, takes on interest as the site of conspicuous vestiges of the Cadorna Line: observation posts, trenches, tunnels, a small barracks, large stretches of military road; all fairly well preserved, testifying to works that are now almost a hundred years old, but well planned and well constructed despite the urgent nature of the initiative.

Description

From the car park at around 1200 m, following the signposts, take a wide ascending track through the dense coniferous forest: a gradually richer and more flowering undergrowth accompanies the transition from silver fir, then spruce and finally larch. In spring, the spectacle of rhododendrons mixed with clumps of new ferns is truly worth a visit. You reach the bottom of the valley at a water crossing of the Val di Pai 1480 m (bridge or footbridge, depending on the damage caused by spring avalanches or storm floods); continue by climbing up a steep slope to the left, where the track is ruined by the passage of flocks. In a short time, you reach the huts at Q 1597 (partly accessible) and beyond, in the rich undergrowth, those at Q 1726 (unfit for use); the beautiful trail continues uphill until it reaches a T-junction at the foot of a rocky plateau: follow the well-paved left-hand branch to the huts at Alpe Svanollino 1906 m. Here the evident track ends and you ascend a small valley on the right following a few small stone cairns; you reach a sort of plateau of very stony pastureland, by now in sight of the pass. Continue easily among the rocks and rhododendron bushes until you come to a transverse path that joins the high pastures of Alpe Stavello (to the right, NE) with our destination: follow it to the left, gradually taking you to the base of the final gully of the bocchetta. A series of steep and stony hairpin bends, resting on a slope tending entirely towards a landslide (transverse cracks and slabs of rock now exposed - a delicate and exposed passage) lead to the rocky breach of the Bocchetta di Stavello 2201 m. The passage (on the Lecco side of the Valle Fraina, a tributary of the upper Val Varrone, we continue along a wide military cart-track) is garrisoned by rifle positions; it is worth continuing briefly on the tracks to the right to visit other defence structures: the entire ridge is criss-crossed by well-preserved trenches and, where the rock face becomes more consistent, a beautiful tunnel leads to an observation post. The visit ends with the arrival at a fortified barracks, equipped with slits for light weapons on the perimeter walls. Return along the outward route. NOTE The route is also feasible on skis or snowshoes only when the snow is very well packed.