GREAT WALKS IN THE VENETO

The Vedette trail is a beautiful hike to do in the Prosecco hills, on the Treviso Pre-Alps in Veneto. This walk starts from Col San Martino and arrives in Soligo for the sanctuaries of San Vigilio and Collagù, following - through winding roads - the vineyards of Glera del Prosecco grapes.

DATA SHEET:

• Province: Treviso Province | Veneto Region
• Departure: Col San Martino 150 mt
• Type: round trip + small ring
• Difference in altitude: 700 meters
• Length: 16 km
• Maximum altitude: Monte Moncader, 469 mt
• Time: 4.5 hours round trip
• Signage: fair, missing in some places
• Difficulty: medium
• Support points: none
• Peaks traveled: Monte Moncader 469 mt
• Signpost: 2 - Sentiero delle Vedette
• Mountain Group: Treviso Prealps
• Cartography: Tobacco 1: 25.000, sheet 68, Treviso and Belluno Prealps
• Recommended period: all year round, avoiding very hot periods
• Suitable for dogs: yes, probable ticks in spring - summer
• Presence of water: no
• What to see: Hills of Prosecco, Sanctuary of San Vigilio, Sanctuary of Collagù

ABOUT THE ROUTE

The Vedette trail, on the Prosecco hills, is a beautiful excursion to do in the Treviso Pre-Alps, at Col San Martino. During this hike you will walk along paths and dirt roads immersed in the vineyards, planted with Glera grapes, for the production of the famous Prosecco wine. The Vedette path connects Col San Martino with the small town of Soligo, along the summit ridge of this hilly group in the Venetian Pre-Alps. The complete itinerary starts from Col San Martino and ends in Soligo, or vice versa, and is 11 km long one way. The ideal is to do this by having two cars, one parked in Col San Martino and one in Soligo. If you want to break it up you can start from Col San Martino and, once you arrive at the Collagù sanctuary, go back. The whole excursion  is of medium difficulty. You travel 16 km with 700 meters of elevation gain, considering the different ups and downs. This itinerary is also of historical relevance: known as the “Lookout Trail”, this route was used by the Austro-Hungarian army as an observation point on the Piave river, after the Italian defeat of Caporetto during the First World War. There are a few remains of the trenches from the First World War and some shelters that can be seen along the route. Another highlight of the itinerary in the Prosecco hills is the possibility of visiting two sanctuaries. Immediately, at the beginning of the excursion, you reach the Sanctuary of San Vigilio, which dominates the town of Col San Martino from above, with a splendid panorama. The second, at the end of the route, is the Collagù Sanctuary, dating back to the 1930s. It is also possible to make a small loop excursion passing through other vineyards with panoramic views across the Venetian plain. 

ROUTE NOTES AND TRAIL DESCRIPTION:

To do the lookout trail described in this excursion you need to reach the town of Col San Martino, in the Prosecco area. Leave the car at the church parking lot or in the parking lot as soon as you enter the village, and head towards the road that climbs to the Sanctuary of San Vigilio. After crossing several streets in the town and taking the asphalted road that goes up to San Vigilio, you begin to climb steeply among the vineyards. Here there is a beautiful view of Col San Martino and the Treviso plain. Once you have reached the historic church, you will find the signs for the lookout path and continue along dirt and concrete roads immersed in the vineyards. Here you can be enchanted by the work of man and the art of growing grapes. Proceed now for a slight climb until you reach a crossroads (not indicated) where you have to proceed to the left. The path becomes steep again and, after going through several hairpin bends, you plunge into the woods. Climb further, for a really vertical path until you reach the top of the Col Moncader at 469 meters. We now proceed downhill following the morphology of the hilly crests, immersed in a wood of hornbeams that hide the view. Always following the path number 2, "path of the lookouts", you reach the Xocco fork and San Martino fork, along the peaks of the hills. In some cases they are avoidable with a side road that circumnavigates them. After passing the San Martino fork you leave the wood and you can admire the spectacle of the hills planted with vines again. By now you have also reached the sanctuary of Collagù, the final destination of the itinerary. For the return, proceed along the same path you did on the outward journey, finding further climbs to tackle due to the ups and downs of the hills. Going back, before going up the Col Mondader, there is a forest road on the left, which leads back to Col San Martino, always in the middle of the vineyards.

OUR QUICK REVIEW

The most interesting parts of the excursion remain the first and the last. Here you literally pass through the vineyards. The central part, on the other hand, is a bit more monotonous and tiring. Along the crest of the hills there are several very steep ramps. Furthermore, the whole central route develops in the middle of the hornbeam and ash wood, hiding a good part of the panorama on Mount Cesen and the other peaks of the Treviso Pre-Alps. This part is very reminiscent of the path of the Due Rocche, of Asolo and Cornuda. That said, it still remains an interesting low-altitude itinerary to do in Veneto, perfect for keeping fit if you don't like walking on snow and ice. This route is to be avoided during the very hot periods of late July and August given the low altitudes. One last thing to consider is that during the vine growing period (from late spring to late summer) it is possible that many plant protection products distributed by air are used.