MTB - Val Viola
Host
Miramonti Park Hotel
Via Milano, 50, Bormio
Details
VIOLET VALLEY FROM BORMIO
Bormio - Decouville - Arnoga - Val Viola - Bormio
Total length of the hike: 70 km
Total elevation gain in ascent: 1100 meters
Approximate time of the hike: 5h - 8h
Difficulty: high
Picnic areas along the route: yes
ROUTE:
From the Hotel Miramonti **** follow the road toward Santa Lucia Valdisotto and then toward le Motte. When you reach the fork, keep to the right until you reach Fior D'Alpe and from there follow the direction toward Le torri di Fraele/Cancano. Two hairpin bends below the towers you will find the detour to the Decauville promenade, you have to follow it all the way until you reach Arnoga. From there you take a beautiful path through Val Viola Bormina. To return, take the same route or alternatively follow the state road.
CURIOSITIES/POINTS OF INTEREST:
- The valley is dominated by the mountains that are part of the Cima Piazzi and Corna di Campo group: indeed, towering over it, in an unspoiled natural environment, are Cima Piazzi (3,439 meters), Cima Viola (3,374 meters) and Cima Dosdé (3,280 meters).
- In all likelihood Val Viola owes its name to an error by cartographers who, in the 19th century, exchanged the name "Albiola" (derived from the Latin word albus = white) for "Viola "which remained.
- The route is dotted with groups of typical mountain huts made entirely of stone and wood: the largest and best-preserved settlements are in Dosso, Premoglio, Campo, Prato, Paluetta, Caprena, Stagimel, Caricc and Altumeira where it is still possible to see the dwellings that were used by farmers to spend the summer grazing with their livestock and devote themselves to the cultivation of wheat and especially rye, which is widespread in this area.
- The vegetation of Val Viola is characteristic of high-altitude mountain environments: the flora consists of colorful rhododendrons, fragrant gentians, anemones and numerous alpine flowers.
- As for fauna, in addition to ungulates, the area is heavily populated by marmots, whose sonorous whistles echo throughout the valley.
