Directions
Start in Rango. Leave the car at the carpark near the ramp leading to the historic centre, make your way south on the main road and take a left after 100m going through the first houses of Balbido. Descend into the heart of Balbido surrounded by houses embellished with frescoes depicting historic rural scenes; after passing a long bend, bear left entering a narrow lane that will take you to the main square. Walk up the main road, following the sign SAT 462 on the left, along a paved road until you reach the last of the town houses. As you step into the countryside, follow a steep slope leading to “Le Cross”. On your right, you will find a shrine dedicated to Our Lady and on the left, a field in the centre of which is one of the 5 crosses erected in 1656 as protection against the witches coming - as the legend tells- from Val Marcia to cast their evil spells and curses. The other four crosses can be found in the surrounding woods.
Continue uphill through the woods, pass two farmsteads and after a quick stop to admire the beautiful panoramic view of the valley and the villages below, descend on a steep slope into the village of Rango, listed one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. Cross the town square embellished with a quadrangular granite fountain, surrounded by rustic houses and picturesque corners revealing quaint courtyards and narrow cobbled lanes. Leaving the town behind, walk up a dirt track and join the open countryside dotted, here and there, with farmsteads. Pass the fields and enter the forest, along the rural path on the border between the woods and the main road, to arrive at destination, il Durone, in just a short time.
You’ll see in front of you a vast green grassland, enclosed by woods, and in the background the splendid scenery of Carè Alto, above it on the left, the steep ridges of Cima Sèra; also, the path to Malga Stabio and a café/restaurant to stop for some refreshments. On the way back, initially retrace your steps and then join the main road, strada provinciale, along which you will reach a natural spring known as “Acqua Santa” (Holy Water). Here in 1565, Cardinal Carlo Borromeo stopped during his journey to Trento to quench his thirst and blessed the spring water.
Just after the spring, near a picnic area on the right, take the dirt track leading through the woods; after a few hundred metres turn left to descend into the borough of Cavaione along a narrow path running through the woods and grassland. When you reach a crossing point between the fields, bordered by rocky slabs and dry-stone walls, turn right along a track that leads quickly through a forest of red fir trees. Continue downhill until you cross the main road leading to the more elevated part of Cavaione near to “Il Castelliere” pizzeria. At the next turn, walk down the small paved road lined with granite slabs. When you reach the fountain, bear right to return to Rango, the starting point of this walk.
