At the end of Val Martello, after the artificial lake of Gioveretto, there is a parking lot with fee, alternatively it is possible to use the very comfortable bus service. Immediately after the Gioveretto Lake, you will find the impressive narrow gorge carved by the Plima river over the millennia at the foot of Mount Cevedale characterized by almost vertical sides smoothed with frozen water.
Today is a natural arena for visitors looking for simply singular natural spectacles. You start to climb immediately and we suggest to refill water at the fountain of the hotel on the left. At the crossroads immediately after, continue following the signs indicating the path 37. A bridge over the stream takes us to a small lake and to the first of the eight information stations of the Rio Plima gorge thematic trail – “Amphibians: two ways to breathe”. Subsequent stations will cover topics such as lichens, bogs, hazelnut trees, and “living with natural hazards.” A short climb, and here is the first of the four scenic steel installations that we will find along the way, the “Trowel” that allows visitors to descend on safe steps to experience up close the roar of water, the splash of water and the sides of the smooth rocks.
We resumed the path and reached the “Panoramic Scythe”, a semicircular balcony from which there is a splendid view of the valley and of the abandoned hotel with its characteristic red color, built in 1935 and finally closed in 1955.
Going up through the wood, we reach the “Panoramic Pulpit” and we catch a glimpse of Rifugio Nino Corsi al Cevedale. The vertical view of the gorge suggests a feeling of weightlessness.
On a terrain never too challenging we now reach the impetuous waterfall of Rio Plima, which with the force of its waters has literally carved its way through the rock.
Just a few more meters, and it’s time to cross the scenic suspension bridge. Designed to be crossed in every season of the year, even after heavy snowfalls, the bridge is the real highlight of the excursion for children. After the exciting crossing, only five minutes of walking now separate us from the Corsi Refuge, the highest point of the path. a welcome refreshing stop.
From Corsi Refuge it is possible to continue on the “Glaciological Path of Val Martello” towards Martello Refuge and the glacial front of Vedretta Alta (Hohenferner), to admire closely the glaciers and the peaks, that reach the 3.800 m of altitude, of this enchanting sector of Ortles-Cevedale Group.
The return can be made alternatively from the path 151 that in a little less than an hour’s walk will bring us back to the parking lot.
Trail type: initial asphalt, mountain trail
Water: there are no water fountains along the route, we recommend refueling at the hotel at the beginning of the route
