Taking route 545 you will arrive straight at the Roda di Vaèl Refuge (due to a detour it is possible that at some point along the route you will end up on path 547, and then return to 545 in the last stretch). At the beginning of the path, you could feel confused between two paths that went in opposite directions. If in doubt, just remember to go straight in the direction of Roda di Vaèl, without being fooled by the blue signs on the trees that indicate the path instead of the red and white ones. In fact, following the blue signs a little further on you will find the red and white ones and our route 545.
The first part of the route is a pleasant walk in the woods. The trail is quite earthy and gives a certain sense of adventure. Further on you end up on a wide, unpaved and slightly gravel road, where you begin to struggle to avoid slipping on the pebbles, because the climbs are gradually becoming less and less gradual, and because you are no longer protected by the woods and you have to walk for quite a while in the sun. But never give up. It is all worth it. After a while, you will arrive at a first stopping point, the Agritur Malga Vaèl, where you can stop for a drink and eat yoghurt and homemade cakes.
Continuing, after a few minutes, you arrive in a stupendous valley (the Conca del Vajolon), half surrounded by some mountains of the Catinaccio group (Croz di Santa Giuliana, Torre Edoarda, Roda di Vaèl, Passo del Vajolon, South and East peaks of the Mugoni) and the panorama that you leave behind, the path from which we arrived and the view on the parts lower. A little further on, before the climb final that leads to the Roda di Vaèl Refuge, opens a rather cinematic landscape: a large lawn strewn with rocks of all sizes, from those of a small table to those of a house, covered in mostly from vegetation and, in the case of more large, from trees. It is worth stopping to rest lie down on one of these rocks, enjoying the panorama over this beautiful valley.
Continuing you start to climb. The road is still dirt and in the sun, and the pebbles continue to pose a certain risk of slips, but now it is just a short distance away and if you get here it is worth continuing. The last part of the climb along a rocky wall (on the right) with niches that from the path would look like caves but are nothing more than small hollows. After passing the fake caves, go up about twenty steps carved into the stone and finally arrive at the Roda di Vaèl Refuge, which appears on your right, immediately after passing the bar. I recommend leaving in time to be able to have lunch at the refuge because the typical dishes that you can eat make you feel particularly satisfied with the effort made to get there.
In front of the refuge, there is a very large boulder (Ciampàz, 2316 m) on which it is possible to climb first along with a sort of dirt path and then climbing in the true sense of the word on the last part of the boulder. Absolutely not recommended for those suffering from vertigo. If, on the other hand, you are brave enough to climb to the top, you can enjoy a beautiful panorama and a view from above. On top of the boulder, there is a small white sign with blue writing that says “It always ends like this. The things unsaid, are said to the mountain”. Magic.
To go back it is possible to cut through path 547, which arrives directly above the Church of Santa Giuliana.
As promised, now you have full instruction to enjoy these amazing and stunning walk into nature up to the mountain. I hope you enjoy this post and that you will find it useful once you decide to explore these beautiful places.
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Have a beautiful day x
