Path of the pools from Valmadrera

Hiking trails & Routes

Path of the pools from Valmadrera

Hard

4.3

(16)

hikers

Path of the pools from Valmadrera

03:03

7.41km

410m

Hiking

This tour has a special meaning for me. The first time I walked it I was guided by my first love. I remember spending forever deciding what to wear. Shorts, moccasins and a cropped T-shirt – strictly above the navel – seemed like the right choice. I didn't know that I should have ventured onto an equipped path, with technical passages, chains, brackets and steps dug directly into the rock. Unsurprisingly, that relationship lasted less than my dry feet, but the affection for the Valmadrera tub trail has stayed with me to this day.

I return to this trail every year. The sun penetrates the vegetation and high rock walls and is reflected in the crystalline waters of the Inferno river, giving an ever-changing atmosphere depending on the time of day and the season. A place that welcomes you and challenges you to climb the rock with your bare hands, sometimes dry, sometimes wet. A place where you can relax, take off your hiking shoes, cool off and enjoy a book in total tranquillity, letting yourself be lulled by the roar of the river. This Tour is not a simple journey along the banks: you will have to wade the river through pools, waterfalls, overflowing rocks. Among the proposals in this Collection it is the least suitable for a family excursion, but it is a subjective evaluation. It might help to walk it alone first, to evaluate the technical level and the state of health of the route. After the uphill section of the puddles, the path levels out and takes you to San Tomaso: a beautiful location halfway up the coast, a popular destination for a picnic with a view.

Valmadrera is easily accessible both by train and by bus, thanks to nearby Lecco. If, on the other hand, you prefer the car, you will have the possibility to park for free near the cemetery, from where you will reach the beginning of the path in a few minutes. If this Tour whets your desire for adventure, don't do like Federica of yesteryear: wear suitable shoes, bring spare clothes and keep your attention high. Ideal in the summer, when the heat invites you to cool off in the waters.

Last updated: June 8, 2024

Tips

Includes segments that may be dangerous

Parts of this route comprise highly technical, difficult, or hazardous terrain. Specialist equipment and prior experience is required.

After 2.05 km for 623 m

After 2.79 km for 598 m

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

Get Directions

1.77 km

View of the Madonna di San Martino sanctuary

Highlight • Religious Site

A small sanctuary surrounded by nature. The garden, which can be visited, is beautiful, and the interior is very particular. To get to the main church, you can go up a path starting from the Valmadrera cemetery, or from a tree-lined avenue with 13 votive chapels.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

2.11 km

Vasche di Valmadrera

Highlight (Segment) • Canyon

Path reopened on November 9, 2024:
leccotoday.it/attualita/sentiero-delle-vasche-frana-lavori-riapertura-.html

Path equipped with chains that help progression and overcome some exposed sections. I recommend watching this video, and reading the recommendations in the description:

Showing Translation

Tip by

3.49 km

Taja Sass Boulders

Highlight • Structure

The Valmadreresi of today usually call the ancient area "Molinata" Taja Sass, located a few steps from the farms of S. Tomaso. The name derives from the fact that an immense erratic boulder ("sass") of greenfinch from the Valmalenco was cut for industrial purposes by a marble company.

The quarry operated from the last decades of the 19th century until 1920. The large blocks of serpentine that came out of it were then converted into steps, window sills and funerary monuments. The large cut blocks (the last of which we don't know why, were left on site) were brought to the town and sent to the Marcila factory by ox-drawn carts.

The cut was made by inserting wooden wedges into holes drilled along a line of weakness skilfully identified on the rock. The wedges were wet at regular intervals and the wood, expanding, caused the fracture of the line of weakness allowing the detachment of a block, which then had to be further broken and worked or transported downstream. The signs of this process are still visible in the Massi della Molinata, which you meet along the Sentiero delle Vasche.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

4.47 km

San Tomaso Chapel

Highlight • Religious Site

I'm a little technical and would say that it is not recommended for children unless they are 12/14 years old.

Very nice, bear in mind that the pools end halfway through the itinerary so either you stop first or end the tour and go back up again for a while.

Greetings.

D.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

7.41 km

End point

Train Station

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

2.28 km

1.29 km

1.24 km

1.18 km

902 m

418 m

< 100 m

Surfaces

2.16 km

1.65 km

1.61 km

1.43 km

283 m

253 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (620 m)

Lowest point (220 m)

Weather

Monday 12 October

20°C

10°C

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Comments

June 30, 2023

This tour has a special meaning for me. The first time I walked it I was guided by my first love. I remember spending forever deciding what to wear. Shorts, moccasins and a cropped T-shirt – strictly above the navel – seemed like the right choice. I didn't know that I should have ventured onto an equipped

Translated by Google •