Trekking in Val Febbraro

When it comes to selecting where to MTB or hike, it’s not easy to pick between Madesimo’s great valleys. However, Val Febbraro in the upper part of Val San Giacomo may just have the edge…

This route starts from the small village of Isola in the district of Madesimo and takes you up high to a pasture called Borghetto (1,897 metres of elevation) in Val Febbraro, perched on the brow of a grassy natural terrace. The valley you’re walking through was once well used by smugglers, crossing the border over Passo Baldiscio (2,350 metres) and dropping into Val Mesolcina in Switzerland on the other side. From Isola, you can explore Val Febbraro by bike, on foot, or by purchasing road access for your car

Isola sits between the Valle del Liro and Val Febbraro at the foot of a valley that’s home to a great number of carden, typical mountain dwellings with a gable roof covered in local stones, with one section facing upstream known as the chjä da föç (casa del fuoco/fire house) constructed out of stone and the other part, facing the valley and made of wood, that doubled as the living space and bedroom. This part of the building (in some cases, a separate building) had four walls made with squared beams laid horizontally and notch-jointed together at the corners to make a self-supporting structure 

Once you reach Stabisotto (1,630 metres), stick to the nicely compacted gravel track through the woods. It’ll escort you to a pasture at an elevation of 1,800 metres-plus with a series of hairpins on loose gravel. You’ll skirt along the edge of the mountainside at an altitude of 2,000 metres-plus, passing Avert Piani and its cluster of huts, through some more pastures and up some steep ramps.

Suddenly, the track heads south, descending steeply towards the huts of Borghetto. From here, you can either wind back into the valley, detour to Ca’ Raseri to admire the waterfall, or head onto the other side of the valley and take a look at Frondaglio and Baituscio, two small mountain settlements at the foot of Pian dei Cavalli. 

Follow the SS36 until Campodolcino then join the SP1 to reach Isola. There are a few restaurants, options for accommodation and free car parking spaces in Isola. Packed lunches are recommended as there are no specific mountain huts or rifugios in Val Febbraro.