Description
Via ferrata starting from Monte Pana.
The starting point of the route is the Rifugio Vicenza, which can be reached via path 30 and 525 or the Monte Seura chairlift and from there follow path 525 to the refuge (1 hour).
Follow the signs to the right between the Piza de Dantersass and the Torre del Sassopiatto until the path climbs steeply to the start of the ferrata (45 mins).
The ferrata begins with two very short handrail cables, and then gives way to a long section of easy climbing. This is the characteristic feature of this ferrata: the equipped sections are of medium difficulty, but there are also long, unequipped sections, some of which are a little vertical but never particularly exposed and never more than II° difficult.
Then there is a vertical equipped section and, by means of stirrups and a metal ladder, the section that collapsed a few months ago is overcome.
After more rocks, we reach the last equipped section, the end of which, however, does not indicate the end of our excursion: in fact, we continue climbing on unsecured rock until we reach the summit.
The descent is along the steep path that climbs up from the Sassopiatto hut, and which sometimes gets lost among the stones of the large scree that forms this side of the mountain.
We thus arrive at the Sassopiatto refuge where, I am told, they make very good dumplings. Go down the road to the right and soon take path 527, which descends gently between large open meadows. You ignore the signpost for the Zallinger Hut and further on the one for the Murmeltier Hutte until you come to a fork with an obvious path to the left indicating Santa Cristina. This is the 527A, which passes through the forest and meets the 525 at a lovely plateau with a few benches. From there, follow the road until you reach path no. 30, which leads back to Monte Pana.
This excursion was made on the advice of the owner of the flat where we were staying, who did it without using the chairlift because it 'opens late' (at 08:30) the day before his 75th birthday!
