Mount Totóga

Hiking trail

Mount Totóga

The loop trail that, starting from Passo Gobbera, completes the complete tour of Monte Totóga (La Totóga in local dialect), is a little-used route, almost entirely immersed in the woods. Developing on easy trails, this itinerary is ideal for families and combines natural beauty and views with a bit of history, thanks to the numerous remains of the Great War.

The hike leading to the summit of Mount Totóga (1,705 m a.s.l.) begins at Passo Gòbbera (989 m a.s.l.), with parking facilities and a water source. From Passo Gòbbera, the trail initially takes the easy dirt road to the O (marked in its first section as Trail No. 345), climbing slightly along the N slope of Monte Totóga. In this first part you can see the remains of the so-called Calchèra, a kiln used for lime production and active until 1950. From here the path continues towards O, in the direction of the site of Còl de la Crós. The road continues with a slight incline toward Còl de la Crós (1,083 m a.s.l.), which can be reached shortly as it rejoins Trail No. 345, climbing from the hamlet of Lausén to the summit of Mount Totóga. The hike follows the route of Trail No. 345, which runs on the O side of the mountain. Crossing some valleys, the road has a couple of exposed and striking sections on the rocks, easily overcome thanks to the protections. After these stretches, the steepest section of the itinerary begins, leading to the area of the remains of the hamlet of Masi de Totóga (1,376 m a.s.l.), once surrounded by their open pastures and now reduced to ruins. After a short climb, you arrive at the meadows of Pradi de Totóga Alta (1,402 m a.s.l.), which can also be reached by a dirt road that climbs from the Val di Schenèr, well known for mountain biking thanks to its 48 (!) hairpin bends. From the fork in the meadows, the route continues uphill toward Monte Totóga (NO) along the path of Trail No. 345B, which crosses the site of Pradi de Totóga Alta until it reaches the San Giovanni Gualberto bivouac (1,570 m a.s.l.), with its side structure (forest house) always open and excellent for a break before the last stretch of the climb. From the forest house it is only a few meters to the military garrisons of the Great War called Stóli di Totóga (1,586 m a.s.l.), a system of artificial tunnels built by the Italian army during World War I for the purpose of protecting against a possible descent of Austro-Hungarian troops from the Vanoi Valley. The tunnels can be visited. They are built on two levels, with seven main rooms directly overlooking the Vanoi Valley and Mount Cauriòl and four smaller inner rooms. There are striking vertical connecting passages, which may require special attention. From the forest house, the last short climb follows Trail No. 345A, which narrows and enters the forest before reaching Cima Totóga (1,705 m a.s.l.) with its cross, where a small clearing allows you to admire the landscape, with the Primiero Valley and Monte Vederna on one side and the Vanoi Valley and the Lagorai on the other, separated by the deep ravine of the Val di Schenèr. From Cima Totóga, the return to Passo Gobbera initially follows the same route (Trail N. 345A), passing again near the San Giovanni Gualberto bivouac and reaching the junction at the Le Monde site (1,499 m a.s.l.), where we continue left, toward the SE, still following Trail N. 345A toward Passo Gobbera. The route chosen for the descent is more direct and descends rather steeply in places to the mountain pass on the E side of Monte Totóga. When you reach the fork in the El Ram place (1,384 m a.s.l.), you return to the main trail (Trail No. 345), which continues to the left toward Passo Gobbera. After another nice steep descent, at the fork called Bivio de le Doi Strade (1,045 m a.s.l.) the trail turns into a pleasant dirt road, easing the slope. Just at the fork you will find above the picturesque church of San Silvestro, which the route does not touch but which can be glimpsed on your right (to the E) beyond the woods. Continuing along the road and passing again near the Calchèra encountered at the beginning, the trail gently returns to Passo Gobbera.