Etappe 17 - woensdag 25 mei Vertrekpunt: Feltre - Sondrio Afstand: 246 km

FELTRE
West to the Piave river, at the foot of the Dolomiti mountains, Feltre is a small but precious fortified town, where visitors can still see the splendor of the Republic of Venice. Plaques, coat of arms and Lions of St. Mark remind of this ancient lien with the town that was subdued and tragically destroyed by the anti-Venetian League of Cambrai in 1510. But the reconstruction, between the sixteenth and the eighteenth century made by the Serenissima has been majestic, as witnessed by the elegant palace of via Mezzaterra, frescoed by Lorenzo Luzzo, nicknamed by the Vasari ‘Morto da Feltre’ (dead from Feltre) for his odd habit of passing the days in the Roman underground passages of the archeological excavations. Via Luzzo is named as such in his honor; the street is embellished by Palazzo Banchieri, with a graffito façade, or Palazzo Villabruna, which hosts the Museo Civico. It is worth paying a visit for admiring the Pinacoteca which houses paintings by Gentile Bellini, Marco Ricci, Cima da Conegliano. Unmissable is also the Galleria d’Arte Moderna (modern art gallery) which hosts more that 400 works made by the prince of wrought iron Carlo Rizzarda, apprentice of Mazzuccotelli. Piazza Maggiore is spectacular: disposed on different levels, overlooked, among other buildings, by the Palazzo della Ragione, now Town Hall, with a taste of Palladian art. The first floor hosts a small wooden theatre used in the seventeenth century and restored in 1802.

FROM FELTRE TO TIRANO

Borgo Valsugana (Tn)
“Arte Sella” is one of the hidden treasures of our Country. In Val di Sella, in the Municipality of Borgo Valsugana, in an extraordinary natural context, in the middle of meadows and untouched woods, since 35 years, artists from all around the world create their artworks en plein air, using only elements of the local nature. Year after year the valley now hosts more than 100 sculptures, installations defying time and weather and visitors can admire them in suggestive itineraries. Among the most amazing works the Cattedrale Vegetale (plant cathedral) by Giuliano Mauri, an area of 1200 square meters evenly ranged in eighty columns with interlaced branches, and the Teatro Naturale by Roberto Conte, also featuring interlaced branches, according to the Greek theatre model, that can host up to 400 spectators.

Lavis e San Michele all’Adige (Tn)
A few kilometers from Trento, the small town of Lavis has been for centuries the customs office between Tyrol and the Principality of Trento, which San Michele all’Adige was an ancient defensive rampart at the entrance of the Piana Rotaliana along the Roman route Claudia Augusta. Both towns are considered as the entry doors for the Cembra Valley: an enchanted “grapevine garden”, the kingdom of the Muller Thurgau and of other vine-plants, such as the Chardonnay, Nosiola and Pinot Nero, with which wines and distillated from Trentino are produced and which have unique fragrances and smells.

Ponte di Legno (Bs)
Both in winter and in summer it is one of the top holiday destinations in Valcamonica, advantaged by its position, in a sunny valley and by the close Adamello snowfields. At a few kilometers visitors can reach the Passo del Tonale where summer ski is practiced. From here, in cableway one can reach the Passo Paradiso and through tracks and chair lifts visitors reach the edge of the Presena glacier, with a spectacular view on the Presanella and the Val di Sole.