Mount Baldo and Eastern Garda

Monte Baldo is a mountain formed by Baldo and from Altissimo, divided by “Bocca di Navene”, at Malcesine; its area is well defined between the Garda to the west, the Adige valley to the east, the “Sella di Loppio” (saddle of Loppio) north and the morainic hills with the plains to the south. The Baldo stands then mostly among the western slope towards Lake Garda, steeper and dry and the east side, giving on the part of the Adige valley here is called Vallagarina, greener, cultivated with vines and olive trees. There are various interests that draw on Monte Baldo: the naturalistic, in Novezzina, hamlet of Ferrara di Monte Baldo is the Orto botanico del Monte Baldo (Botanical garden of Monte Baldo), also called “Hortus Europae” (Europe Garden), its herbs are known throughout Europe, there are also the natural reserve “Lastoni – Selva Pezzi”, the area “Dossa and Cassa”, the “ Dorsale delle Creste”, the area of “Monte Luppia and Punta S.Vigilio”, known also for “incisioni rupestri” (stone carvings); the historic for the period of the First World War, with the trenches of Ferrara di Monte Baldo, the tunnels are located in the woods and the Austrian forts in Trentino, the gastronomic with Vallagarina wines and cheeses, honey, chestnuts. There are also about twenty of huts where you branch out various paths and trails on Monte Baldo for lovers of trekking and climbing.

Monte Baldo – ©UdoSm

TYPICAL PRODUCTS OF MOUNT BALDO

TERRITORY OF MOUNT BALDO AND EASTERN GARDA

Province: Verona, Trento

Municipalities: Brenzone (Vr), Caprino Veronese (Vr), Costermano (Vr), Ferrara di Monte Baldo (Vr), Malcesine (Vr), Nago-Torbole (Tn), San Zeno di Montagna (Vr), Rivoli Veronese (Vr), Torri del Benaco (Vr), Brentonico (Tn), Brentino Belluno (Vr), Avio (Tn), Ala (Tn)

Located in the western end of the Venetian Prealps chain of Monte Baldo looks like a solid block rectangle that stretches from the Veronese to Trentino for nearly 40 km along the lake of Garda, its natural boundaries are: Garda west , Vallagarina east, the plain to the south and the step that leads to Nago Mori (saddle of Loppio). The massif is divided into two separate areas one is Mount Baldo that from Punta S.Vigilio get to “Bocca di Navene“, the other is Mount Altissimo di Nago, from “Bocca Navene” to the “Sella di Loppio” (saddle of Loppio). The massif is geologically formed mostly by limestone cliffs that have favored the creation of karst caves and the lack of sources, apart from the “Aryl” the shortest river in the world (175 m). Its highest peak is “Valdritta” to 2218 m.

The peaks (from the north): Altissimo (2078 m), Dos della Colma (1830 m), Pozzette (2128 m), del Longino (2180 m), Valdritta (2218 m), punta Pettorina (2191 m), punta Telegrafo (2200 m), Sascaga (2134 m), delle Buse (2154), Coal Santo (2072 m), crinale di Costabella (2062 m), Creste di Naole (1660 m).

Valleys: Val Vaccara (900-1248 m), Valle Dell’Orsa (300-1582 m.), Val Preafesso (700-1582 m), Val di Brentonico (300-1390 m), Valle Alpesina

Crossings: passo Navene (1630 m), passo Crer (1812 m), passo di San Valentino (1390 m), passo Tratto Spino (1704 m), passo Cavallo (1582 m), passo Naole (1815 m), passo del Camino (2128 m), passo Prà bestemà (924 m) passo Scale (1248 m). Passo di Val Dritta (2207 m), Passo del Camino, Passo di Coal Santo, Passo Tratto Spino

Highlands: highland of S.Zeno (600-900m) a square with a balcony overlooking Lake Garda, where there are the villages of San Zeno di Montagna, Lumini, Laguna, Castello, Villanova, Sperane e Prà Bestemà (known for the cultivation of chestnuts).

Caves: “Tenela” (length 362 m), “Bus de le Tacole” (depth 172 m)

HISTORY OF MOUNT BALDO AND EASTERN GARDA

Until the end of the Middle Ages seems that the name given by the Romans to the mountain was “Polninus”, while later it was “Monte Baldo” by Wald, as found on a topographical map of Germany 1163. Human presence here dates back to prehistoric times, during the Paleolithic (20,000 to 8,000 BC), Mesolithic (until 4500 BC) and Neolithic (up to 2,000 BC), see testimony of “rock carvings” (stone carvings) of the mount Luppia above Garda. During the Roman era this territory were of communication between the Po Valley and Germany, and the fortifications were built at strategic points, such as between Garda and Rivoli Veronese and between Caprino Veronese and Ferrara di Monte Baldo, after which the Romans settled in these places, built lodgings and devoted themselves to agriculture, thus creating the first villages. Then, with the fall of the Roman Empire and the period of the barbarian invasions these places were often plundered by barbarians who moved from north to south, with the Longobards, however, there was a period of stability was completed and the spread of Christianity, were built churches and chapels in every village, some of which still exist, like the church of Caprino, the church of SS. Benigno and Caro in Malcesine and S. Cecilia and S. Gallo in Pesina. Subsequently, with Franks, the territory was divided into fiefs and domains Church until the twelfth century, when the first municipalities were born under the influence of the Scala family until the fifteenth century, took over the long and flourishing Venetian rule which lasted until the eighteenth century, this period was divided as Baldo administration in two areas: the “Gardesana dell’acqua” (of water) and “Gardesana di terra” (of earth) dependent from Caprino. With the fall of Venice, the Venetian territories passed to the Austrians and so is the Baldo until the annexation of Veneto to Italy, however, remain divided from mount Altissimo who was still Austrian. With the First World War, the Monte Baldo was at the borders and was fortified with forts, trenches and tunnels which are various signs (were found more than a hundred kilometers of trenches in the area of Ferrara di Monte Baldo and the woods of the tunnel with slits to control the valleys).