60 – (ITA STAGE 12) – Cismon del Grappa – Bassano del Grappa
| Place of Departure | CISMON DEL GRAPPA |
| Place of Arrival | BASSANO DEL GRAPPA |
|
Length – KM
|
23,3 |
| Nation of the route | Italy |
| Region | Veneto |
| Uphill Gap |
18 m
|
| Downhill Gap |
95 m
|
| CAI (Diff. Escurs.) | E |
| Praticability |  |
Stage 12 Cismon – Bassano del Grappa – It is an easy stage, which winds along the Brenta river, which flows ever wider; it is not difficult to see it traveled by rafting enthusiasts. It is also easily accessible by bicycle.
After a dutiful visit to the military fortifications, especially at Covolo di Butistone, you also leave Cismon del Grappa: having recrossed the Brenta river on the suspended footbridge and resumed your journey, no longer on a cycle path but along a local traffic road, you arrive at the hamlet of Costa, with its beautiful cliff for climbing. The route mainly takes place slightly downhill along the right bank of the Brenta river, and the provincial road must be followed at intervals when the riverside that joins very small inhabited centers along the valley is not passable. The landscape continues to be stupendous, in a valley nestled in the midst of very green mountains. You cross Valgadena, Giara Modon, San Gaetano in succession; then Mori with its gigantic dolomite quarries, and immediately after a competition field for canoeists, Valstagna on one side and Carpanè opposite. From here you leave the road to follow the embankment again after the bridge over the river. (cyclists continue on the road: 1.3 km). Then you will take the road again and then the embankment again; the inhabited centers follow each other with increasing frequency and one more characteristic than the other, such as Oliero with its caves, where once again you have to go back up the provincial road, cross a stream and immediately go back down to the Brenta. Along the river you reach the municipal territory of San Nazario; then in that of Campolongo sul Brenta. The valley begins to widen and we return to walking on the river bank. You enter Contrà Fietto. You cross the village of Campese to return to the bed of the Brenta river. You meet the Church and Monastery of Santa Croce (worth a visit). Still walking along the Brenta (cyclists return to the road up to Bassano) on a beautiful route that ends just before the Bassano bridge. Crossing the wooden bridge you arrive in Piazza della Libertà, the center of the town. With Bassano del Grappa the Po Valley opens up before us.
12 – Points of Interest
Valstagna – The main town in the large canyon of the Brenta Canal. One of the most important activities was the transportation and trade of logs cut on the plateau, the menada. They were lowered along the channel, specially constructed, on the Calà del Sasso, and then tied together to form rafts and set to drift down the Brenta to Venice. Today this is re-enacted with a raft race, the Palio delle zattere, with characters in costume. As a nice walk, you can easily climb up the 4,444 steps of the Calà del Sasso, a historical monument built by Gian Galeazzo Visconti in 1400. The architecture of the town is typically Venetian. In more recent centuries, the most important economic activity was the growing and smuggling of tobacco. The Vu Trail has recently been recovered and restored, running along the First World War emplacements. The famous caves of the Oliero River can be visited in the village of Oliero.
Bassano del Grappa – The local Paleovenetian and then Cimbrian populations (2nd century BC) were subjugated to the Romans (1st century BC). Numerous traces remain of the Roman Empire, such as the centuriation and shape of the old town centre, with its streets that denote the Castrum of the settlement of a Roman legion, strategically located at the opening of the Valsugana. Under the Ezzelini (12th century), the built up area became a fortified town with an impregnable castle. In 1404, it became part of the Republic of Venice. During the First World War, it was the main logistical centre after the defeat of Caporetto and the entrenchment on the Grappa. The most famous monument is the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge), designed by Palladio. Rebuilt by the ANA after the Second World War, it took the name of Ponte degli Alpini. Famous features are the taverns, the grapperias and the small Alpini Museum. It is certainly one of the most romantic and fascinating places in Italy: “sul Ponte di Bassano ci darem la mano ed un bacin d’amor…” (“on the Bassano Bridge we will hold hands and share a kiss of love…”)
The Walk of St. Anthony – Bassano is also the starting point for the Walk of St. Anthony, which leads from Camposampiero to Padua. This route can be considered a valid detour on the route of the Via Romea Germanica, which instead runs along the Brenta
please, see the Official Guide of the Via Romea Germanica (www.guidaromea.eu)
Bold type for structures we already used
Red type for structures we have an arrangement (with Credential*)
(*) Prices might change for special situations: please book early and ask for confirmation
In some places it is difficult to find accommodation only for one night: we suggest you to take accommodation for more nights, using, for your movements, the comfortable and cheap local trains, route Brenner-Trento-Bassano del Grappa.
How to arrive
| From airport (BOLOGNA, VENEZIA, MILANO-ORIO, VERONA) to Padova FS Railway Station | TRAIN – (www.trenitalia.com) Padova FS Railway Station – Primolano-Cismon FS Railway Station; Trento FS Railway Station – Primolano-Cismon FS Railway Station |
Where to eat
Where to sleep
Bike Service
| Cervellin Cicli Sport Europa | Via Pozzetto,26 – 35013 CITTADELLA PD | 049-5970576 | michelecervellin@cervellin.191.it | |
| Bike & Sport | Viale Diaz,22 – 36061 BASSANO DEL GRAPPA VI | 0424-508130/503936 | ||
| Polo Bike | Via Marchesane,170 – 36061 BASSANO DEL GRAPPA VI | 0424-505423 |
Pilgrim Service
| IAT Bassano del Grappa | piazza Garibaldi,34 – 36061 BASSANO DEL GRAPPA | 0424 519917 | iat.bassano@comune.bassano.vi.it | www.bassanodelgrappa.gov.it |
Photos from the Track
