Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral (descent)

I run Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral descent for most of the time repeating the same trail from where I went up. Sometimes I go down from higher Rifugio Brioschi, Comolli, other from Pialeral, Rifugio Antonietta al Pialeral, or go through only a part from Alpe Cova, Cornisella.

I go down from the plan of Pialeral at 1430 meters paying attention to the steep slippery descent of small stones, gravel and horizontal trunks, and more quickly going along Costa through Rifugio Antonietta, the yellow restored mountain hut, the shaft that prevents the car passage up to the concrete downhill, the little lake is already there.
I slow down the pace along the dirt road, if I'm thirsty I drink, now in plan I look at Cascina Cova to 1300 meters, I know that in short will be a memory.

I run along the Road Pasturo - Alpe Cova in part shade, in winter sometimes snow ends here as the cool on the summer hot days, after the wooden hut I leave the road at the hairpin for the short but steep section of the trail, on concrete I read 1980.
I go on in level overcoming the two huts, arriving shortly at the junction that right after the hunting fixed stakeout lead to the woods and the steep descent. A look at the fountain at the hairpin, if I'm thirsty I drink again, then straight in the shadow and the best part is over but there is still Cornisella. After Baita La Riva the steep descent to the compression of Cold Water Bridge and the small ascent at Acquafredda for Cornisella along the road that sometimes you feel in legs and breath.

I'm at Cornisella 1050 meters, after 20, 25 minutes from Pialeral, I stop at the small Church of the Alpini Maria Regina Pacis for a sip at the fountain and down goodbye.
Here the hut in stone of Cornisella low, and move! down into the woods, watch out to bumpy trail up to the bend of Monteno, down left for the huts and in short I'm on the two bridges on Torrente Cariola, the Our Lady of the Rosary still sees me go.
Here in the summer the heat is felt, now you just have the trail by large cobbles, a little attention and I arrive at the small gate of villa Pozzi and to the houses of Via Cantellone in Pasturo, forty-five minutes after departure if I hurry otherwise an hour.

Grignone a farewell hoping is good bye.

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Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral

Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral is a trail of Grignone, ie Grigna Settentrionale, or in another way on the Mounts of Pasturo, between 650 meters of Pasturo and 1430 meters at Pialeral passing through Cornisella and Alpe Cova. The itinerary has no difficulty, is in fact largely a wide track, often in the shade, the trail time is one hour and a half walking. It's popular in every season, trek in part or entirely.

Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral has been marked in the past by Club Alpino Italiano, with number 33 that is Sentiero 33 Pasturo - Pialeral, first part, almost half, of the path leading from Pasturo to Rifugio Brioschi and the top of the mountain is just above the refuge at 2409 meters, the highest point of Grigne. From Pialeral the path continues as Sentiero Pialeral - Rifugio Brioschi. Many walkers fit into the trail at Alpe Cova by Sentiero Colle di Balisio - Pialeral, number 31 of CAI, shortest way to reach Pialeral and for someone continue to Rifugio Brioschi.
The path Pasturo - Pialeral despite being one of the main of the mountain is not marked by Valsassina, Valvarrone, Val d'Esino and Riviera Mountain Community running Regional Park of the Northern Grigna. There are anyway many signs while not homogeneous among them, the old yellow trail tables by CAI as vertical signage, and those horizontal red and yellow paint now faded and in the middle 33, many wooden signs recent that always say Pialeral, Pedalling in the Park tables, you can not truly miss.

At Pasturo in Via Alessandro Manzoni taking Via Cantellone you start the trail where, near the corner at the top on a stone wall under the street sign, two big brown arrow signs say Northern Grigna and Pialeral, and the horizontal marker 33 is on a wall. Past the last houses and coasting the garden wall of the house Pozzi, you take the cobbled trail uphill along Torrente Cariola with white railings, it leaves the stream immediately turning right along a villa.
You can also start along Torrente Cariola for a dirt path avoiding Via Cantellone there is a wooden arrow Pialeral Brioschi, from Via San Calimero a hundred meters ahead in the direction of the town center with indications such as in Via Cantellone, from Via Grigna without sign; Via San Calimero joins to Via Grigna and the last one with a mule track crosses that of Via Cantellone.
After the intersection of two paths, on the right the house in Via Grigna 30, in a shady stretch a sign of falling rocks and with a sharp and steep bend to the left with over a hut with a sloping roof it is in sight of Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary at 739 meters high, a path to the right to Baiedo. After the chapel another mountain hut and a fountain where it crosses Torrente Cariola.
It exceeds the stream and a little valley with moderate slope westward reaching the houses of Monteno, a group on the left inside and right a yellow cabin oldest. Here a steep cemented section leads to intersection with the Road Pasturo - Alpe Cova accessible only by authorized vehicles. Passed the bend of the road the path turns right, it says Monteno 850 meters on a Pedalando nel Parco table and two entries Pialeral Brioschi on a wood arrow, also a large sign ban on driving for motorcycles.

The cemented mule rises very steep with some serpentine to pave at view of a meadow on the left topped with a white hut and a baitello (small hut) a little lower on the right where you see the sunny side of Grignone. You enter into a dense forest to get out ten minutes later to a big stone hut overlooking on the left meadows and high-tension wires. Following the row of small trees at left of the trail you arrive soon at the intersection with Strada Pasturo - Alpe Cova where there is the Church of the Alpini Maria Regina Pacis and a fountain with its precious water. It has traveled Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral in its first stretch from Pasturo to Cornisella.

At the crossroads many signs and a trail marker by CAI indicates Pialeral Northern Grigna Rifugio Brioschi to the road, the location table by Valsassina, Valvarrone, Val d'Esino and Riviera Mountain Comunity says Cornisella 1050 meters, while an horizontal trail marker 33 appears faded on a wall next to the small church. You continue for about 500 meters along the agro-forestry-pastoral road Pasturo - Alpe Cova going down to Acquafredda and Cold Water Bridge over Torrente Cornisella, a fountain has good water. You start to breathe the air of Grignone, fatigue and sweat give way to happiness and the joy of heart for this second part of Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral from Cornisella to Alpe Cova, to the dear places of Alpe Cova and Pialeral.

After the bridge it bends sharply to the right following a sign Rifugio "Antonietta" Pialeral No Car Pedestrians Only 45 minutes. Soon a steep climb in concrete and some serpentine, after a bend to the right, the bottom now of pebbles, it goes along La Riva cabin m. 1125 and going up with more gently sloping in the shade of pine trees you reach a fountain at a right-bend. You climb now in a forest of beech and fir on a concrete bottom to arrive at a fixed hunting stakeout and meadows with views of Grignone.
A blue sign indicates Brioschi Pialeral left, I'm at 1200 meters altitude, the climb is almost finished by now you will go up more gently to the west and I can enjoy the view of Altopiano Valsassina and its mountains. The view of the Alpe Cova and Costa Reor opens where there are two cabins, a recent under the path that I'm walking, and an older well-maintained just above. After a stone fountain, and finally on a rock 33, with a steeper stretch you out on the Road Pasturo - Alpe Cova.

In the short stretch that precedes the arrival at Alpe Cova I have time to think about myself, about what pushes to come up here and more in general to the man and the mountain, to the destination that soon will open, and the thoughts of all days seem so far away, that in the small delirium appears Alpe Cova preceded by its sign of danger cows: the first house in stone, the small center downhill with the huts, the wooden structure of the old Agriturismo Aliber and the little lake with the Grignetta.
Returned to me, I taste the water at the long stone trough, sometimes I stop in the shade to 1300 meters at Alpe Cova or I climb along the Coast leading to Pialeral. I watch Grignone, often meeting with other hikers who prefer Sentiero Colle di Balisio - Pialeral faster, or some few, from Traversata Bassa Piani dei Resinelli - Pialeral, someone go up, others down. At the crosstrails I give a quick glance at the long wooden sign Rifugio "Antonietta" Pialeral mt 1400 10 minutes, to the smaller one Rifugio Brioschi and at the two yellow trail tables, on a pointed stone two horizontal trail markers 31 and 33.
I go up the track of concrete, I overcome the barrier of the road and I dream again at the yellow hut recently renovated before the 1400 meters of Rifugio Antonietta al (at) Pialeral and of the other huts.

The last climb on slippery bottom helped by horizontal trunks leads to the plan of Pialeral, or Pialeràl, where signs mark upward the Summer route and Winter route to Rifugio Brioschi 2.30, on the right Traversata Bassa San Calimero 1 hour Rifugio Riva 2 hours.
But I go left, drinking my last water in a watering hole by pressing the button and I stop in one of the five wooden picnic tables in the large meadow at the bottom of Foppa del Ger where there was Rifugio Mario Tedeschi al Pialeral m. 1428.
A short rest and return.

Rifugio Mario Tedeschi al Pialeral

Rifugio Mario Tedeschi al Pialeral, also Rifugio Mario Tedeschi, Rifugio Tedeschi, has been a refuge on Grignone at Pasturo in Valsassina to 1,428 meters high in place Pialeral, belonged to Società Escursionisti Milanesi (SEM), Milanesi Hikers Company.
The refuge was destroyed by an avalanche from the top of Grignone and fell down in Foppa del Ger a valley of the mountain, in the night between 30 and 31 January 1986; fortunately the refuge was empty and there were no casualties.

The refuge was born as an extension of Capanna Pialeral built in 1910 in an enchanting location, in a meadow in plan, an alpine pasture, with perfect view of Grignone, in front as from a balcony Alpe Cova and in the distance Valsassina. It was a landmark for Grignone in the slope of Pasturo, base for the ascent to Rifugio Luigi Brioschi on the top of the mountain, about a thousand meters above, and for many other excursions.
Destroyed in 1944 by the Nazi-fascists was re-built after the war.
It was dedicated to Mario Tedeschi, president of CAI Section of Milan between 1910 and 1912, promoter of a popular mountaineering.

Rifugio Mario Tedeschi was a large two-story building, consists of a ground floor with terrace, first floor and attic one.
At Pialeral of the refuge remains:

• a small wall high about a foot and long about ten meters, that is its base facing downstream
• a red plaque Club Alpino Italiano Sez. S.E.M. Rifugio Mario Tedeschi al Pialeral m. 1428, attached to the small wall
• a plaque in the gray metal of the size of about one meter for fifty centimeters with the dedication of the building, probably still Capanna Pialeral, by Società Escursionisti Milanesi July 17th, 1921. It fixed on a rock next to the signage of the trails, behind a tall green pole waves the Italian flag

In plaque at the center a naked woman standing on a mountain top with hands raised holding a row of flowers. On the four edges of the plate engraved flowers, in the upper edge the pick ax and down its toe cap. On both sides of the woman a number of names, on the left between the belly and her feet:

    Barbieri Aldo
    Barbieri Mario
    Cameroni Ugo
    Castiglioni Pietro
    Clerici Cornelio
    Corradini Carlo
    Cova Nemo
    Donini Lamberto
    Fantaguzzi Olimpio
    Lavezzi Carlo
    Lucchini Pietro

On the right of the woman:

    Mariani Ettore
    Mazzolari Osvaldo
    Moreo Arnaldo
    Piazza Edilio
    Rimoldi Salvatore
    Sgolmin Emilio
    Scattolin Aldo
    Tadini Domenico
    Zanini Adriano
    Zoja Pietro
    Zoppis Giuseppe

Under the woman and the mountain:
La Società Escursionisti Milanesi consacra ai maschi compagni morti per l'Italia queste mure ospitali, Milanesi Hikers Company consacres to male comrades dead for Italy these hospitable walls
XVII Luglio MCMXXI, luglio is July.

The refuge after the avalanche has not been built anymore, in its position a large lawn equipped with wooden picnic tables.
The place of Rifugio Mario Tedeschi al Pialeral was taken by a mountain hut below became first Rifugio Pialeral and now Rifugio Antonietta al Pialeral.

1. Società Escursionisti Milanesi, caisem.org

Rifugio Antonietta al Pialeral

Rifugio Antonietta al Pialeral, also referred to as Rifugio "Antonietta" al Pialeral or Rifugio Antonietta, is a refuge on Grignone at Pasturo in Valsassina to about 1,400 meters of height in Località Costa of Pialeral. The refuge is located about halfway between Pasturo and Rifugio Luigi Brioschi which is few meters below the summit of Northern Grigna, easily reached by many trails.

Rifugio Antonietta al Pialeral's manager is Dario Pensa, Refuge Telephone: 0341 955462, Home Phone: 035 4517465, Mobile Telephone: 338 3154374, Website: http://www.rifugioantonietta.it.
The refuge is open for 2015 every day in July, August, until 13 September and weekends.

The trails to Rifugio Antonietta are Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral less than two hours walk uphill, Sentiero Traversata Bassa Piani dei Resinelli - Pialeral about two hours, Sentiero Colle di Balisio - Pialeral one hour; just above the refuge Sentiero Pialeral - Rifugio Brioschi (summer and winter trail) two hours or two hours and a half, Sentiero Traversata Bassa Pialeral - San Calimero - Rifugio Riva one hour and a half, for cyclists Pedalling in the Park's signs.
You arrive uphill at the shelter on the mule track partially cemented along the coast of the mountain among other huts as continuation of the agro-forestry-pastoral Road Pasturo - Alpe Cova ten minutes from Alpe Cova, the trails here have common trait.

On arrival at refuge along the road a great beech and with a few steps leads to the outside of the shelter, a wooden sign between ivy tells Rifugio "Antonietta" al Pialeral met in 1400, under a flower bed with flowers of different species indicated by their name, under the beech a small Christ on the cross. On a long table and two benches on the sides you can stand either the refuge is open or closed.
Hanging on a cabin bordering the refuge an an educational panel by Regional Park of the Northern Grigna and Valsassina, Valvarrone, Val d'Esino and Riviera Mountain Community, in a tourist project that originated from Geosites of Insubria, the second of the Path geological-paleontological of Pialeral. The title is Pialeral: i pesci dello Scudo (Pialeral: the fishes of the Shield) and showing fossils found on Grigna dating back about 235 million years ago.
A few meters further well-visible a wooden sign which points Sentiero Scaccabarozzi San Calimero hours 1 Rifugio Riva hours 2 Can not bike, is a path that connects to Traversata Bassa.
A fountain of rain water is just at the entrance door and entering into a small space always open that makes as bivouac in case of need. On the facade to the road a fresco of three meters by two of St. George slaying the dragon.

Rifugio Antonietta is a two-storey building can accommodate up to 35 people, of which twenty-two in a large room and the rest in three bedrooms.
Getting in a bench with the cash and behind the kitchen, on the right a small room to eat, many memories of the place and the mountain also vintage are on the walls. A large and beautiful terrace adorned with red flowers with views of the Valsassina and its Plateau is the place to eat on wooden tables in the beautiful summer days.
The cuisine is homemade with products primarily of the area. The main dishes are those of the mountains as pizzoccheri, vegetable soup and polenta, polenta of cheeses, polenta overcooked, and other typical, apple pie.

Rifugio Antonietta point of support of the place replaced Rifugio Mario Tedeschi al Pialeral destroyed by an avalanche on January 31, 1986 in the great plan of Pialeral at the end of Foppa del Ger just above the current. Pialeral remained without its reference, the mountain hut Innocente of Antonietta Pensa became first base for the mountain rescue and then Rifugio Pialeral that over time was enlarged.
Since the 2000s Rifugio Pialeral or Rifugio "Pialeral" became Rifugio Antonietta, there are still around the mountains signs with the old name. The refuge is now managed by Dario son of Antonietta.

I stopped a few times at Rifugio Antonietta al Pialeral, to eat a slice of cake or a quick meal on the terrace watching the valley before the descent.

1. Rifugio Antonietta al Pialeral, rifugioantonietta.it

Pialeral

Pialeral, also Pialeràl, is a place in between 1350 meters and 1430 meters on Grignone, or Northern Grigna, in the municipality of Pasturo in Valsassina at half height of the mountain that rises steeply to the summit through fields and rocks.
Pialeral extends along the side of the mountain that goes up from Alpe Cova up to a meadow in a plan at the end of Foppa del Ger, a valley that descends from Grignone. Exactly the sloping part is referred to as Location Costa

At Pialeral there are a dozens mountain huts, Rifugio Antonietta al Pialeral and a beautiful lawn in plan; it can be reached by Road Pasturo - Alpe Cova and many paths, and leaving of the two trails direct to Rifugio Brioschi just below the summit of the mountain. Pialeral is a popular place by hikers for its location, either as a destination or transit.

Arrived at Alpe Cova 1300 meters, a concrete road goes up the side of the mountain as a continuation of the Road Pasturo - Alpe Cova common trait for trails Sentiero Traversata Bassa Piani dei Resinelli - Pialeral, Sentiero Colle di Balisio - Pialeral along the Valley of Grassi Lunghi, Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral; it can be assumed that where Alpe Cova ends starts Location Costa and so Pialeral.
After a short stretch, past a hut, you get to a bar that closes the road that says Private Road, it takes the keys to open a lock, Pedestrians Only right. You climb a slope and you will reach a yellow hut with blue shutters newly renovated with a small lawn in the shade of beeches and a fir, probably in the past support point to climb to Grignone.
It continues with more gently sloping or almost flat, the view ahead going to Grigna and on the right side to the mountains of Valsassina. Surpassed two or three huts you arrive, after 10 minutes from Alpe Cova, in the presence of a majestic beech, at Rifugio Antonietta on a wooden sign Rifugio "Antonietta" al Pialeral mt. 1400.

Rifugio Antonietta al Pialeral is reference for location managed by Pensa Family, which replaced the old Rifugio Mario Tedeschi al Pialeral destroyed just above by an avalanche in 1986; until the 2000s it was called Rifugio Pialeral for this there are still indications with that name.
On the hut next to the refuge is hung the second educational panel of the geological and paleontological Pialeral path that starts at Alpe Cova: the fish of the Shield. On the back of the refuge along the road a large fresco of St. George slaying the dragon.

Just after the Refuge a few mountain huts, some even recent, the road ends. All the huts, as well as Rifugio Antonietta, are on right along the side of the mountain, overlooking the meadows that rise from Pasturo with view of the countries of Altopiano Valsassina, Piani di Bobbio, the mountains of Orobie.
The path now becomes steeper, the bottom a little bumpy with gravel and small stones facilitated by horizontal trunks, a cabin often inhabited is on the left, on the right the ruins of a cable car in yellow and a cabin bigger half hidden, you get out on a plan with indications of the trails. We have arrived at the destination for Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral less than two hours walk uphill, Sentiero Traversata Bassa Piani dei Resinelli - Pialeral about two hours, Sentiero Colle di Balisio - Pialeral 1 hour. The trails are obviously paths in reverse, for the second, the 31 of CAI, and the third, number 33, downhill takes approximately half the time of the climb.

The eye goes immediately at signage of the trails with its trails tables, one points uphill to the large visible trail next to a wooden fence, you go up towards the top of Grignone. On three lines:

• Vetta (Top) - Rifugio Brioschi 2.30
• Via estiva (Summer trail) - Bocchetta Releccio
• Via invernale (Winter trail) - Comolli

Two other as the first by Valsassina, Valvarrone, Val d'Esino and Riviera Mountain Community. The first, flat to the right:

• Traversata Bassa
• San Calimero 1.00
• Rifugio Riva 2.00

The second trail table, pointing downward trail Sentiero Traversata Bassa Piani dei Resinelli - Pialeral reverse:

• Traversata Bassa, added next Rif. Antonietta
• Torrente Pioverna 0.40
• Piani dei Resinelli 2.20

A yellow CAI's trail marker table reaffirms San Calimero Rifugio Riva right.

To the left a tall pole where waves the Italian flag and on the rock a gray metal plate about a meter high and fifty centimeters wide, that it was into Rifugio Mario Tedeschi al Pialeral, memory of the consecration of the walls in 1917.
Side a small hut with green door and stone seat, above a large antenna; few meters and a fountain with a tank for watering the animals, it is the latest water available for hikers headed to Rifugio Brioschi, a seat in the corner with a stone wall to lean. To squeeze out the water you need to press a metal button, the small stone spout is now empty.

Continuing opens a pretty sight: the green plan, just above a stone tub for watering the animals, I saw sheeps, and Foppa del Ger, a valley of glacial origins that descends from Bocchetta della Bassa, and the wonderful view of the Grigna.
In the meadow five wooden tables with benches attached to the table not fixed to the ground which are moved at will and a wooden structure with roof brick protects a billboard by Municipality of Pasturo Panoramica Territorio Comunale (Overview Municipal Territory) with the picture of the mountain and Hiking Main Itinerary. On the structure is hanged up an old sign: on the white background land available for parking or camping, in the center on red background Information at the Refuge "Pialeral" 0341 955462, on white uppercase We accept no responsibility for damage to persons or property arising from the use the same. Beside an educational panel by Park of the Northern Grigna and the Mountain Community Valsassina, Valvarrone, Val d'Esino and Riviera entitled slope of Pasturo coaching on the mountain characteristics, is the third, although not numbered, of Pialeral's geological path.
In the middle of the lawn a natural rock high about four meters and long five, behind a small beech. Thirty meters ahead a small white chapel holded by a brick structure, two stone steps are ahead, a bowl just below. In the chapel a small sculpture of pleasant workmanship of Madonna and Child taken from the bust up, above Ora Pro Nobis. Further on a low stone hut well built with wooden frames.

In the lawn space left blank on closer inspection are other remains of the refuge: a few square meter of its floor, a low wall about ten meters long in which was set the red metal plate that it belonged: Club Alpino Italiano Sez. S.E.M. Rifugio Mario Tedeschi al Pialeral m. 1428.
From the plan of Pialeral you can see just below Alpe Cova and distant the countries of Plateau Valsassina; a location table by Pedalling in the Park facing upstream says Pialeral 1430 meters Pertus - Rifugio Riva - 1 to left, trail coming from a dirt road that goes from Alpe Cova up to the last hut, that one low in stone.

Pialeral or Pialeràl is a place known to every hiker who has been on the Grigna, placed about midway through Traversata Bassa Piani dei Resinelli - Rifugio Riva, halfway between Pasturo and the top of the mountain and quickly reached from Colle di Balisio.
At Pialeral you can spend a few pleasant hours stopping at Rifugio Antonietta, you can quench your thirst at the fountain, the one with the tub for animals, you can stay in the large lawn with wooden picnic tables when there is no avalanche danger, and avoiding the sun too strong, and enjoy the beauty of Grignone in every season.

I went through Pialeral dozens of times, going up and down the mountain, the view of the green or white hollow is always fascinating, other times the area was my destination. I stopped a few minutes or a half hour at the tables of meadow looking toward the valley protected from Grignone, at Rifugio Antonietta or at the hut below. The view from the steep descent to the compression of the road and Refuge always struck me as passing from the mountain to the things inhabited.

Alpe Cova

Italiano

Alpe Cova, Alpe Coa in Lecco dialect, is a locality and alp on Grignone at 1300 meters high, in the municipality of Pasturo in Valsassina.

Alpe Cova lies in a flat position where are located a number of mountain huts, most vintage, and a mountain lake, so small as to be a pond. From the alp, an oasis of peace and beauty, one can enjoy the wonderful view of the two Grigne, Grignetta and Grignone, or Southern Grigna and Northern Grigna, just in front of the Buco di Grigna (Hole of Grigna), which separates the two mountains.[^]
The resort is easily accessible from Road Pasturo - Alpe Cova and many paths that cross, and it's passage for numerous hikers, that leave from Pasturo or Colle di Balisio, to Pialeral and higher, up to Rifugio Luigi Brioschi atop Grignone, or cyclist.[^][^][^]

On the Internet

Alpe Cova is on many pages on the Internet,[^] is a Mountain page in Facebook[^],[^] has been tagged in Instagram[^] and there are photos on Flickr[^].

Mountain huts

Arriving at the alp by Road Pasturo - Alpe Cova, at a road sign of cows danger, the look falls on the part of the mountain facing Pasturo, the big lawn of Costa Reor, 1,336 meters high, which divides the slope of Pasturo from the Valley of Grassi Lunghi. Hay is harvested and there are small crops, mainly raspberries.[^] To the left, one is greeted by the first of the old Cascine Cova, left as it is, then another one, with a wooden gate, which precedes the first.[^] This on the opposite side, restored, is beautiful looking, with a balcony and a path leading down to the front door, in front there is a maple.[^] In a cobbled road that goes down a few meters[^][^] there is a hut, whose entry is in the opposite direction, and another, where a plate tells us where we are, Alpe Coa met 1300.[^] Looking at the top from a small lawn of the two huts, on a small hump, other period huts,[^] some have a plate, a cross, a carving in the wood or a fresco[^] that testify, in a discreet but clear way, the religious faith of the people of these places.

Shortly afterwards, at a half-carved road on the dirt road towards the Grigne, one can see an inner space closed at the bottom by a chain, at the entrance there is a bulletin board for hanging sheets.[^] Inside on a wooden door, what could be a tool store, a sign, Agriturismo Le Tre Casine Alpe Cova. To the right, there is a large wooden mountain hut[^] and another, smaller and masonry, Baita Bocieto[^]. The farmhouse probably has never been open, and, with the same name, one is in Primaluna.[^] About ten years there has been for a very short period the Agriturismo Aliber.[^] The wooden mountain hut faces the pond with a terrace, where it is a long wooden table.
A road on the left comes off going up the mountain side, and there are other huts or houses.[^]
To the right, higher and side of the pond, over a dry wall and three fir trees, a white house, bigger than the others, and other trees.[^]

The small lake or pond

At Alpe Cova, however, attention and amazement are all for the small lake overlooking the Grigne, no longer than fifty meters wide and ten, and one should say puddle or pond. In fact, it is a natural depression on impermeable soil that collects water, used by shepherds to water cattle,[^] and in Grigna there are so many cows and sheeps.[^] The pond is surrounded by medium sized stones that somehow delimit it. Looking in the pond there are twirls, which will become frogs, and dragonflies fly. Two faded signs of the Mountain Community, on opposite sides of the puddle, mounted on very little aesthetic orange stakes, say: It is absolutely forbidden to throw stones in the pond, probably addressed to children and parents.

In the background of the pond landscape stands a long stone bath,[^] probably another animal watering hole. From a stone mouth comes water,[^][^] that has engraved 1992, desire for thirsty hikers and cyclists,[^] a plate, Potable Water, reassures them.[^] Behind the fountain and a wooden fence, a beautiful examplary of ash,[^] in whose shadow are resting tired hikers from the ascent to Northern Grigna and families, others prefer the sun. Someone, that probably come from the plain or the city, are happy that it is not hot.[^] Here and there a few stones, arranged by man or which have finished their run who knows how long ago, and are part of the nice scenary.
A strip of lawn bounded by a wooden fence surrounds the pond,[^] where there are two benches[^] and two trees, and is another favorite place for those who stop at the alp; next to it, a wooden crucifix in a wooden structure that protects it with a vault.[^] Looking better, in the hollow of a big rock near the wooden mountain hut that gives on the puddle of water,[^] there is a small statue of Our Lady.[^]

In the alpine pond reflect Grigne,[^][^] trees, sky and clouds,[^] the mountain huts[^][^]. In the months that follow, that no one can stop or slow down, thousand colors and variations,[^] the opaque green of the summer,[^] leafless trees of late autumn, the frozen pond,[^][^] snow,[^] melting[^] and lively green of the spring, the flowers and the new leaves.

Two panels of Regional Park of the Northern Grigna

Close to a trace of trail and a few meters from the tub there are two educational panels of Regional Park of the Northern Grigna and Valsassina, Valvarrone, Val d'Esino and Riviera Mountain Community.[^]

One is Geological and paleontological path of Pialeral.[^] It is a ring route equipped with educational boards, illustrating the geology of the Grigne through a path of 14 stations, a history began over 200 million years ago. The full path provides a vertical drop of three hundred meters. In the panel there is also Regione Lombardia logo.
The other one is Alpe Cova, the first of these 14 stations.[^] At the bottom is written: Interreo Program III A Italia - Svizzera. "A path 350 million years long. The geosites of Insubria: new opportunities for tourism".

Roads, routes and trails

Alpe Cova is a crossing of roads, routes and trails:

• Agro-forestry-pastoral Road Pasturo - Alpe Cova,[^] which can only be traveled by authorized vehicles
• Private Road Alpe Cova - Pialeral,[^] closed by a bar two hundred meters over the Alp
• a dirt road that goes to Baita Amalia
• Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral, which passes through Cornisella and Acquafredda, and arrive in about an hour and a half at the Alp on easy trail, joining to Road Pasturo - Alpe Cova. The trail continues for Pialeral, and by Sentiero Pialeral - Vetta arrives at Rifugio Brioschi, with two possible paths, summer trail and winter trail
• Sentiero Colle Balisio - Pialeral, which goes through Valle dei Grassi Lunghi. It is a much frequented trail, the quickest path to Pialeral and therefore preferred to Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral as the first stretch from who goes to Rifugio Brioschi
• Sentiero Traversata Bassa Piani dei Resinelli - Torrente Pioverna - Pialeral. Traversata Bassa at Pialeral continues to the church of San Calimero
• Route Pedaling in Park 1, that comes from Traversata Bassa and arrives at Pialeral

Trails that pass by Alpe Cova are marked with signs and trail tables.

Signs and trail tables

The cemented road Alpe Cova - Pialeral is the common route to the above mentioned three trails to Pialeral. They cross, just above the pond fountain, on a metal pole there are the directions. Next to it, it is one of the many new panels Between Geology and Landscape installed on Grigna by Comunità Montana Valsassina, Valvarrone, Val d'Esino e Riviera, Parco regionale della Grigna Settentrionale, Sistema Parchi Lombardia e Natura 2000, this one faces karstism.[^] In my opinion, these large vertical wooden boards have an excessive visual impact, and the position of this table ruins the magnificent landscape.
Returning to directions:

• a large wooden sign arrow-shaped, well carved, tip for the uphill road: Rifugio "Antonietta" Pialeral 10 minutes
• a wooden arrow to uphill: Rifugio Brioschi m. 2410 h. 2.30; a strip of metal with lock hides Open or Closed, leaving the other option visible
• a yellow trail table of CAI, towards mountain: Pialeral Northern Grigna Rifugio Brioschi. There was, until some time ago, another downhill: Grassi Lunghi Colle di Balisio[^]

Looking better, after a few meters along the uphill to Pialeral, on a pointed stone there are two horizontal tracks of CAI, 31 and 33,[^] with which Club Alpino Italiano indicated Sentiero Colle Balisio - Pialeral and Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral.
On the road to Pasturo, a trail marker 33 is on a rock on the left, faded and almost erased, one on the right scarcely readable[^].

Walking down a few meters a path, and at the same altitude of the pond, one is at the 'official' trails signage of Grigna by Comunità Montana Valsassina, Valvarrone, Val d'Esino e Riviera, which is the first for those who climb from Colle di Balisio.
On a metal pole are so many arrows, it is not the best visual effect, looks like a totem.[^] To read them one has to turn around,[^] and the location table is in the middle of the trail tables; also they mix cycling routes to the typical hiking one. Starting from the first at the top,

looking downstream:[^][^]
• trail table, upstream, on three lines: Traversata Bassa (uppercase), Rifugio Antonietta Pialeral 0.15 (minutes), San Calimero 1.10
• trail table, flat to the right, on three lines: Traversata Bassa (uppercase), Torrente Pioverna 0.30, Piani Resinelli 2.10
• location table, on three lines, Alpe Cova m1301
turning 180° and so looking upstream:[^]
• table with a slightly tilted white bike on a red background, means you are on an itinerary Pedalling in the Park
• trail table, for the ascent, in the same direction of the first table in this list: Pialeràl - 1 and to the right a red circle
• trail table, towards the little lake e next to educational panels, and therefore to Strada Pasturo - Alpe Cova: Pasturo

The amazing thing is that the most popular trail, Colle di Balisio - Alpe Cova, is not marked by any signpost or arrow.

Feast of Alpe Coa

The next to last Sunday of July is held the Feast of Alpe Coa,[^] a crowded event and felt with particular affection by the inhabitants of Pasturo.

The eventful day of Pasturo begins, in recent years, with two non-competitive races, a mountain running race and a mountain bike one.[^][^] The running race starts from 620 meters at Pasturo, runs along Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral with arrival at Alpe Cova, passing at Cornisella, for a total of 4 km.[^][^] The bike race starts from Baiedo, a hamlet of Pasturo, and runs the Road Pasturo - Alpe Cova, for a total of 7 km. There is solidarity with disabled people who, accompanied, participate at the race and at the feast. Then there is the award ceremony.[^]
Towards midday, around the pond, a Mass is celebrated,[^] with the pastor at the crucified Christ.[^] At the end, from a tent, it opens a welcome refreshment service, with sandwiches with sausage, polenta, cakes and coffee.

Alpe Cova for me

Alpe Cova for me is a traditional and dear place, summer and sometimes winter, and can be either a destination or a passage.

If Alpe Coa, the Coa, is arrival, the length of the path is the right one to keep me trained, I run slowly. So, I enjoy the day lying on the bench,[^] in the shadow of the two trees along the pond, trying to recover energy and freshen up. It is a vacation in the holiday, cradled by the proximity of the Grigne and, on the other side, by the farther mountains of Orobie. I listen to the sounds, the noise of the water falling from the fountain, the ring of cowbells scattered on the green pastures of Grigna, some bird chirping, the wind, which sometimes makes me dress, the hum of insects, some distant engine noise, the voices of the hikers, happy or tired, coming down from Pialeral and Rifugio Brioschi, and their shoes on the trail.

When Alpe Cova is a passage to other trails or a place to reach, there is time to drink at the fountain and enjoy a few moments of the beauty of the place, often contemplating the two Grigne. From the top, before the melancholy to leave those places, a quick glance is enough,[^] without losing the plan of the pond with the water and the green strip, the background of the huts and the mountains of Valsassina.

The biggest emotion is the arrival at Alpe Cova from Pasturo's road. After the semicurve and the mountain huts, the hiker from the meadows above Pasturo is catapulted to a remarkable alpine scenery, or prealpine: the view of the small lake and the two Grigne, which at each meter become larger.[^] My amazement and my delight[^] are the same as those experienced by the shepherd, who happy in the summer went up to Grigna to bring his cows.

References

1. Mauro Vezzoli (9 September 2011). "Awesome.". In Alpe Cova, Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral and Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral (da Cornisella ad Alpe Cova). [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
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11. Mauro Vezzoli (28 June 2012). "First hut at Alpe Cova.". In Alpe Cova. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
12. Mauro Vezzoli (7 December 2015). "The first hut at Alpe with bare maple.". In Alpe Cova. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
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16. Mauro Vezzoli (5 September 2013). "View of the huts at Alpe Cova.". In Alpe Cova. [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
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18. Mauro Vezzoli (11 September 2017). "The bulletin board to hang information at Alpe Cova, with on the background the symbol of Le Tre Casine farmhouse.". In Alpe Cova. [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
19. Mauro Vezzoli (28 June 2012). "Wooden hut, old Aliber farm.". In Alpe Cova. [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
20. Mauro Vezzoli (27 July 2013). "Alpe Coa Baita Bocieto m. 1300.". In Alpe Cova. [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
21. "Agriturismo Le Tre Casine.". letrecasine.it. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
22. Mauro Vezzoli (28 July 2015). "The board wooden at farm.". In Alpe Cova. [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
23. Giuseppe Paola Piva (7 August 2017). "Alpe Cova 1301mt.". [Lago di Como e dintorni Facebook Public group]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
24. Andrea Brunelli (25 February 2016). "all'Alpe Cova.". [Facebook photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
25. Mauro Vezzoli (6 December 2017). "Detail of the educational panel Tra Geologia e Paesaggio at Alpe Cova". In Alpe Cova. [Foto di Google Photos]. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
26. Matteo (22 June 2008). "Splash.". In Cow Are Friend, Not Food and other 9 groups. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
27. mrstratosphere (14 March 2017). "Questa foto è stata scattata esattamente due settimane fa nei pressi del laghetto dell'Alpe Cova, ai piedi della Grigna Settentrionale. Un luogo magico... [This photo was taken exactly two weeks ago near the Alpe Cove pond, at the foot of North Grigna. A magical place ...]". Tagged alpecova. [Instagram post]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
28. Mauro Vezzoli (20 November 2012). "The fountain.". In Alpe Cova. [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
29. Mauro Vezzoli (1 July 2014). "Close up of fountain.". In Alpe Cova. [Facebook photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
30. Alberto Prina (15 June 2013). "MTB - Uscita #2 - Pasturo / Alpe Cova [MTB - Exit #2 - Pasturo / Alpe Cova]". [Facebook photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
31. Mauro Vezzoli (18 August 2016). "The plaque Drinking water at the fountain.". In Alpe Cova. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
32. rosy_rocchi (28 December 2016). "Laghetto #alpecova. [Instagram post]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
33. Michael Selva (5 July 2017). "No but it's not hot!! Ahahah". [Facebook post]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
34. La Valsassina (17 July 2016). "Un po' di relax all'alpe Cova - seguici anche su www.lavalsassina.it - [A bit of relaxation at alpe Cova - follow us on www.lavalsassina.it -". [Facebook post]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
35. Mauro Vezzoli (7 July 2014). "The two benches.". In Alpe Cova. [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
36. Graziano Olivieri (27 October 2015). "CONCORSO FOTOGRAFICO "COLORI D'AUTUNNO" Alpe Cova [PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION "AUTUMN COLORS" Alpe Cova]". [Facebook post shared by La Valsassina]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
37. Mauro Vezzoli (11 September 2017). "The big stone with inside the small statue of the Madonna. ". In Alpe Cova. [Facebook photo]. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
38. Mauro Vezzoli (1 October 2015). "The small statue of the Madonna at Alpe Cova.". In Alpe Cova. [Facebook photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
39. clarissavintage (10 June 2017). "La Grigna allo specchio (e 931 metri di dislivello in poco più di due ore) #trekkingday We walked up for 931 [Grigna in the mirror (and 931 meters in altitude in just over two hours) #trekkingday We walked up for 931]". Tagged alpecova. [Instagram post]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
40. Massimo Bonacina (24 October 2015). "Alpe Cova". In Hike'n' Fly, Grignone da Pasturo,10-2015. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
41. Ilaria Bosisio (20 March 2017). "Alpe Cova". [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
42. Malvisi Ermis (17 August 2017). "Alpe Cova". [Facebook photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
43. Roberto Bressani (24 August 2016). "Il mini-laghetto dell'Alpe Cova (m. 1300), non lontano dal Pialeral. [The Alpe Cova mini-pond (1300 m), not far from Pialeral.]". [Facebook photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
44. stefano.guarneroli (25 February 2017). "Tutto cambia perché nulla cambi. La natura [Everything changes because nothing changes. The nature]. Tagged alpecova. [Instagram post]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
45. Momenti verticali (21 August 2017). "Alpe di Cova". [Facebook post]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
46. Mauro Vezzoli (6 December 2016). "The alpine lake iced.". In Alpe Cova. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
47. Emanuel Foglia (6 December 2015). "Laghetto ghiacciato. Laghetto dell'Alpe Cova zona Pialeral [Iced pond. Alpe Cova's small lake Pialeral area]". In Grigna sett. and in 9 groups. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
48. Mauro Vezzoli (26 February 2015). "The pond at Alpe Cova covered with snow.". In Alpe Cova. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
49. Claudio Berto (22 April 2016). "Alpe Cova". [Facebook post]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
50. Edmondo Bonfè (8 December 2016). "....eccoci arrivati all'Alpe Cova.. [... here we are at Alpe Cova ...]". [Facebook post]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
51. Mauro Vezzoli (8 September 2016). "Geological-paleontological panel of Pialeral at Alpe Cova. [Geological-paleontological panel of Pialeral at Alpe Cova.]". In Alpe Cova. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
52. Mauro Vezzoli (18 August 2016). "Pannello percorso geologico-panteologico del Pialeral all'Alpe Cova con ciclisti sullo sfondo. [Geological and paleontological path panel of Pialeral at Alpe Cova with cyclists in the background.]". In Alpe Cova. [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
53. andreadardi (20 June 2017). "#trekking #italy #pialeral #alpecova #lake #mountain #hiking #nature #sport #relax #italiabella. Tagged alpecova. [Instagram post]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
54. Mauro Vezzoli (13 September 2016). "The private road to Pialeral.". In Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
55. Mauro Vezzoli (13 September 2017). "The new table Between Geology and Landscape next to the old signs at Alpe Cova.". In Alpe Cova e Segnaletica dei sentieri sul Grignone nel versante di Pasturo. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
56. Mauro Vezzoli (4 August 2014). "The signs of the trails and shelters.". In Alpe Cova and Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
57. Mauro Vezzoli (22 July 2015). "The two signals 31 and 33 on a rock at the beginning of the climb at Alpe Cova.". In Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
58. Mauro Vezzoli (14 September 2016). "The road along the pond and trail marker 33 on the rock.". In Alpe Cova. [Facebook photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
59. "Accorgimenti per migliorare la posa della segnaletica verticale [Achievements to improve the pose of vertical signage]". Sentieri, pianificazione, segnaletica e manutenzione. Quaderno di escursionismo n. 1 (4^a edizione 2010) [Trails, planning, signage and maintenance. Hiking notebook n. 1 (4th edition 2010)] [PDF File]. Club Alpino Italiano. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
60. Mauro Vezzoli (26 July 2016). "Mauro puzzled at the signage of the Valsassina, Valvarrone, Val d'Esino and Riviera Mountain Community at Alpe Cova.". In Alpe Cova. [Facebook photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
61. Mauro Vezzoli (5 August 2014). "Signage at Alpe Cova.". In Alpe Cova e Segnaletica dei sentieri sul Grignone nel versante di Pasturo. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
62. Gianluigi Turati (1 January 2015). "Indicazioni di percorso All' Alpe Cova [Route directions At Alpe Cova]".. In Balisio - Bivacco Riva 01012015. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
63. Mauro Vezzoli (4 September 2014). "Signs at Alpe Cova from Crossing Lower.". In Alpe Cova. [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
64. "festa dell'alpe coa". [Search in Google Italia]. Google. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
65. 5 July 2017. "Mountain bike e skyrun: a Pasturo tutto pronto per la festa dell’Alpe Coa [Mountain bike and skyrun: at Pasturo everything ready for Alpe Coa's Feast]". LeccoNotizie. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
66. Saliinvetta (23 July 2016). "[No title]". [Facebook photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
67. 25 July 2016. "[No title]". Alpe Coa 2016: altre immagini e tutte le classifiche delle gare [Alpe Coa 2016 other images and all the races charts]. In Valsassina News. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
68. Mauro Vezzoli (24 July 2016). "The arrival of the women's race with the winners Martina Brambilla, which set the race Pasturo - Alpe Coa record with 33 minutes 5 seconds.". In Alpe Cova. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
69. Mauro Vezzoli (24 July 2016). "Men's race award ceremony of mountain running Trophy Aliprandi Carlo at Alpe Cova.". In Alpe Cova. [Facebook photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
70. Mauro Vezzoli (22 July 2012). "Mass at Feast of Coa.". In Alpe Cova. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
71. Mauro Vezzoli (22 July 2012). "The Mass at Alpe Cova.". In Alpe Cova. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
72. Mauro Vezzoli (18 August 2016). "The bench where I lay down and my stuff.". In Alpe Cova. [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
73. Mauro Vezzoli (6 August 2009). "The pond going down.". In Alpe Cova, Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral, Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral (da Cornisella ad Alpe Cova) and Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral (in discesa). [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
74. Mauro Vezzoli (6 September 2007). "Enchanting vision.". In Alpe Cova. [Facebook photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
75. Mauro Vezzoli (16 December 2014). "Mauro happy at alp.". In Alpe Cova. [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 9 September 2017.

Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral (from Cornisella to Alpe Cova)

Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral (from Cornisella to Alpe Cova) is a part of Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral on Grignone in Pasturo, between 1,050 meters and 1,350 meters, it takes about forty minutes.

Walked the first part of Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral from Pasturo to Cornisella arriving at the Church of the Alpini at Cornisella, at the crossroads a CAI's yellow trail table shows Pialeral Northern Grigna Rifugio Brioschi for the Road Pasturo - Alpe Cova, the old horizontal signage 33 is on a small wall next to the little church. The road goes up with a gentle slope, a nice yellow house is on the right; a short sinuous stretch leads to Acquafredda, another trail table confirms the direction of the road, leaving another to the right. It goes down to Cold Water Bridge on Torrente Cornisella, after which an arrow indicates right "Rifugio Antonietta" Pialeral No Car Only Pedestrians min. 0.45, under another Vehicles left on the road Pasturo - Alpe Cova, near the bridge a fountain with a tank, engraved a date 24-05-1933.

The climb starts very steep, is a mule track cemented with slight incisions inclined a few degrees to the horizontal to improve adherence in a forest of ashes and then firs, where from above you see the Cold Water Bridge and the Road Pasturo - Alpe Cova to Cornisella. After a hundred meters of sheer fatigue, turn right where the trail becomes cobbled and appears Baita La Riva, m. 1125, beside the trail its name on a wooden sign, a tap and a small tub as a wash, and above a small window a tablet with a small drawing showing a summary description of the path Pasturo - Pialeral - Rifugio Brioschi and written we are here.

Now a straight one hundred meters long in slight slope, in the shadow of fir trees with on the left a wooden fence, leads to a hairpin bend to the right where there is a fountain, on the left a dirt road that we ignore.
The fountain, ideal to drink again, has a long stone bath and a wooden roof supported by two trunks leaning on a stone wall, above the tube from which the water comes out 20-08-2012. It turns the tight hairpin, continuing in the woods now of birches, beech and firs trees with wooden fence on right, then with steeper slope where the trail returns to concrete and others hairpins up at the sight of a lawn.
Two signs of the Province of Lecco say: Should be noted that less than 50 meters from this table is active a hunting fixed stakeout Governing Law, in fact it is just there in the meadow, a small green building sheet just hidden by shrubs; the big piaster of Grignone now appears closer, and another sign of the Province of Lecco equal to the other twos for who descend.
Reached a crossroads, a large sign with two white writings on blue Pialeral Rifugio Brioschi, two arrows on the left. In some detailed maps I read that we are in Canta Curtone.

Proceed almost flat on the pebbles of the trail, an old farmhouse is above the lawn, then a dirt road you leave down, to continue for a short stretch of moderate slope with a small beech forest to the right, facing north and shade.
The view opens up wonderfully on Altopiano Valsassina, its countries and Piani di Bobbio, below at about one thousand meters high places of Grignone Cornisella, Spinarolo and Brunino, we are about 200 meters in altitude above. Two houses are looming, down a big house looking recently, Annovi home, and just above the trail, a white vintage mountain hut with yellow shutters well maintained, then you follow the road along the lawn.
You get to the last ramp of this section where there is a fountain with a bathtub from which falls always water and a road that goes right, a wooden sign with two voices say Rifugio "Antonietta" and Pialeral left, an horizontal 33 marker appears on a stone. The bottom is concrete to allow the descent of vehicles headed to the huts.

You cross the agro forestry pastoral road Pasturo - Alpe Cova where there is a bend to the left and a group of huts, on a pole a wooden arrow Pasturo from where you climbed.
You proceed along the road with to the right the steep meadows of the coast of Pialeral and in five minutes with some slight bend you come to the 1300 meters of Alpe Cova preceded by a road sign on the right danger cows.

The path of Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral, Sentiero 33 of CAI, from Cornisella to Alpe Cova is really beautiful, you leave the first section from Pasturo to Cornisella closer to valley to enter into the mountain, Grignone, or Northern Grigna as you call it, which appears in all its beauty. The air is thinner and the temperature gradually drops, the vegetation becomes of firs and beeches. You feel the bond between the man and his mountain, the huts scattered in nature, fields cultivated on slopes, the distant ringing of cattle on the grassy pastures, sometimes goats and sheeps, with the view of Valsassina opening and you enjoy the arrival to Alpe Cova and the rest. In the opposite direction the descent is really nice, easy and fast.

Acquafredda

Italiano

Acquafredda (in English Coldwater), or in full Località Acquafredda, is a place on Grigna Settentrionale along the agro-forestry-pastoral Road Pasturo - Alpe Cova and Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral.[^] It is located about a hundred meters after Cornisella that follows without discontinuity; at 1066 meters high Cold Water Bridge (in Italian Ponte dell'Acqua Fredda) crosses Torrente Cornisella.[^][^]

Descprition

The road at Cornisella above Pasturo goes up to a small hill, then goes down with a slight slope for about 200 meters, with a curve at S-shape,[^] having on an edge a green painted iron protection and on the other some rocks;[^] as reference we are in Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral's stretch from Cornisella to Alpe Cova. A dirt road branches off to the right of the main one, slightly uphill, where a few meters further there are some signs, which in truth should be moved to the fork of the two roads:[^]

• a yellow CAI's signpost table, an old signage, says to left on the main road in the direction to Alpe Cova with four written: Pialeral Rifugio Pialeral Northern Grigna Rifugio Brioschi
• another CAI trail table, that points to the dirt road: Church San Calimero Rifugio Riva
• a trail table of Valsassina, Valvarrone, Val d'Esino and Riviera Mountain Community: Risciol - 2 in the first line and Cant - 2 in the third, both for the dirt road

Going down form the main road, in front, it looms a lawn with a house in stone 50 meters far,[^] in the summer frequently open,[^] and then, suddenly, a beautiful glimpse of the Grignone appears.[^] Once getting closer, a bend is to the left, where, right, it is a sign now faded who knows how long ago of Mountain Community No. 16. On multiple lines, uppercase, one reads: Valsassina - Valvarrone Val d'Esino e Riviera Introbio Comune di Pasturo, big Strada di Servizio (Service Road), bigger and red It is forbidden the transit with the image of the road sign, in smaller black of motorized vehicles, with the exception of authorized service vehicles - Ex. Art. 26 L. R. 5-4-1976 N. 8. Below, in two sentences, other prohibition of transit and the article of contraventions.[^]

After the bend, one is at Cold Water Bridge, on Torrente Cornisella, with green railings,[^] preceded by a road sign of ban on driving over 6.00 t.[^]

Passed the small bridge, to right a little inside, a fountain with a stone bath from which it flows a really cold water, with engraved in the rock 24.05.1933 and R. 2010.[^]
Along the road, on a pole, there are two arrows on white table, the first one, "Rifugio Antonietta" Pialeral No Car Only Pedestrians min. 0,45, indicates uphill to a cemented trail, the second one, below, Vehicles,[^] to the road that continues slightly to the left, where are other huts.

Acquafredda for me

Acquafredda for me, uphill is the view of the mountain, the hut and the refreshment at the fountain. Descending from Grignone, in the small incline leading to Cornisella,[^] while I greet the mountain asking myself if I will come back again, from how badly my legs and back hurt me and how much strength has remained I understand my physical condition and my state of health.

References

1. "45.9473006,9.4287698,616". Google Maps. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
2. Mauro Vezzoli (27 August 2004- ). "Acquafredda (Grignone)". [Google Photos album]. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
3. Mauro Vezzoli. "Acquafredda (Grignone)". [Flickr album]. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
4. Mauro Vezzoli (7 April 2006). "The route of the road between Cornisella and Cold Water Bridge.". In Acquafredda (Grignone) and Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
5. Mauro Vezzoli (20 November 2012). "Hairpin curve.". In Acquafredda (Grignone), Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral and Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral (da Cornisella ad Alpe Cova). [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
6. Mauro Vezzoli (11 September 2017). "The crossroads of the trails before the descent to Cold Water Bridge.". In Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral (da Cornisella ad Alpe Cova). [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
7. Mauro Vezzoli (6 August 2014). "The road and the cabin at the bend.". In Acquafredda (Grignone), Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral and Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral (da Cornisella ad Alpe Cova). [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
8. Mauro Vezzoli (21 July 2016). "The farm at Cold Water Bridge open.". In Acquafredda (Grignone). [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
9. Mauro Vezzoli (9 July 2015). "Lovely view at the location Acquafredda.". In Acquafredda (Grignone). [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
10. Mauro Vezzoli (30 March 2016). "The sign of Comunità montana N° 16 at Acquafredda.". In Acquafredda (Grignone). [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
11. Mauro Vezzoli (9 July 2015). "The Cold Water Bridge on Creek Cornisella with green railing.". In Acquafredda (Grignone), Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral (da Cornisella ad Alpe Cova) and Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral (in discesa) [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
12. Mauro Vezzoli (26 February 2008). "The Cold Water bridge from the top.". In Acquafredda (Grignone) and Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
13. Mauro Vezzoli (5 July 2015). "The fountain always in the shadow at Cold Water Bridge of 24-05-1933.". In Acquafredda (Grignone). [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
14. Mauro Vezzoli (5 July 2015). "Signs at Cold Water Bridge.". In Acquafredda (Grignone). [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
15. Mauro Vezzoli (26 February 2015). "Ascent at Cold Water Bridge with snow.". In Acquafredda (Grignone), Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral and Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral (in discesa). [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 4 September 2017.

Sentiero Cornisella - Brunino

Italiano

The Sentiero Brunino - Cornisella is a flat trail that connects the two places of Grignone in Pasturo in a quarter of an hour's walk, at just over 1000 meters above sea level, going around a mountain peak. The path begins a little hidden at the first bend in the road that goes from the Agriturismo Brunino down to the Sacred Heart Chapel and Balisio.[^][^] It is not marked by the bodies that manage or have managed the mountain paths, Valsassina, Valvarrone, Val d'Esino and Riviera Mountain Community and Club Alpino Italiano. For the path from Brunino to the chapel, where the road comes from Pasturo, to Spinarolo and Cornisella, you should instead read Sentiero Cornisella - Brunino, described in the opposite direction. The two routes that start from different places in Brunino join together after about 5 minutes of walking.

From the first bend in the road to the intersection with the other Brunino path

From the center of Brunino, where the farmhouse and Cascina Margherita are located, at the first bend on the left of the road that goes down, on the right a path goes into the woods towards the west, an old yellow sign among the trees indicates it for three indications with terminology uncommon (or grammatical error): Cornicella (i.e. Cornisella) Pialleral (two l's instead of one) S. Calimero.[^]

The dirt and sufficiently wide path opens after a curve towards the Cold Water Valley, the trees thin out. Here you can see beautiful flowers, in summer daisies,[^] martagon lilies, and then cyclamens, crocuses. I don't even have time to reflect on the beauty of nature that enlivens the hiker's path, when the houses of Spinarolo are already in sight. At a dilapidated farmhouse, you cross the Sentiero Cornisella - Brunino, marked by a signpost of the Pedalling in the Park route on a metal pole like 3 for Brunino on the right downhill, which arrives at the opposite end of the locality, we from the agriturismo, bikes or those who follow it to the chapel of the Holy Family. Halfway up the same pole, a ZacUp signpost and a yellow Agriturismo Brunino cell. 339 67 18 395 sign point in the direction we came from.

From the crossroads to the abandoned farmhouse in Cornisella

At the abandoned farmhouse where the perpendicular path crossed, on the right the bike trail sign for Brunino, on the left nothing, where the Grigna Settentrionale rises in the background. We are expert enough not to be mistaken in believing that we go to Cornisella on the left. My description of the route becomes lighter because there is one in the opposite direction on the Sentiero Cornisella - Brunino. However, each route in the two directions offers a different experience.

On the flat you continue across a meadow, fenced in summer by a wire, where horses with white and brown piebald coats, or all brown, a beautiful mane and tail,[^] or cows graze. There is a house with swings in the garden and a giant electricity pylon on the hill. Going down a few meters, on the trunk of a tree Cornisella finally appears on a wooden arrow in our direction of travel, while at a crossroads you leave the path on the left that goes down to Balisio. A bike trail sign points where we come from, as does the ZacUp table. You go up along the white house, on the flat you pass in front of a yellow hut and the Baita Caterina where a dog barks at you and chases you. The gaze goes to the Church of the Alpini and to the Grigna Settentrionale on a dirt road with grass in the middle. A double hairpin bend with other indications leads us to the Cornisella intersection with the Pasturo - Alpe Cova road.

Conclusion

Even a short track, like the path to Spinarolo which branches off in Brunino at the first bend of the road to Balisio, unknown to the official signages, it's enough to excite for those who frequent the Northern Grigna Regional Park. At the path intersection with a bike trail sign near an abandoned farmhouse, turn left towards Cornisella. In the opposite direction, the route is a small part of the ZacUp mountain race.

References

1. Mauro Vezzoli (3 August 2004- ). "Sentiero Brunino - Cornisella". [Google Photos Album]. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
2. Mauro Vezzoli. "Sentiero Brunino - Cornisella". [Flickr Album]. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
3. Mauro Vezzoli (8 December 2015). "One of the most frequent excursions in recent years is undoubtedly the Barzio - Pasturo - Alpe Cova, which in the end takes about 3 hours. Returning to the town where I spend many days of the year, especially in summer, at the little Regina Pacis chapel I sometimes deviate for Brunino, making a circular tour, always in the same direction, clockwise. I then arrive in Brunino along the path that emerges near the road that goes up from Pasturo where there is a small chapel with some statues, I continue towards the farmhouse or refuge. Going down a few meters along the road to the Church of the Sacred Heart, among the plants stripped by the beginning of winter, a yellow sign Cornicella Pialleral Calimero and the path.". In Brunino, Segnaletica dei sentieri della Grigna, Sentiero Brunino - Cornisella. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
4. Mauro Vezzoli (2 July 2015). "Path along the Acqua Fredda Valley between Spinarolo and Brunino with bunches of daisies. Being in nature, among plants and colorful flowers, is one of the reasons that lead you to visit the mountains.". In Escursioni in montagna, Escursioni in Valsassina, Escursioni sul Grignone, Escursioni sulle Grigne, Estate, Sentiero Brunino - Cornisella. [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
5. Mauro Vezzoli (30 July 2015). "Three horses at Spinarolo in the Northern Grigna Regional Park.". In Sentiero Brunino - Cornisella, Sentiero Cornisella - Brunino, Spinarolo. [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 16 October 2023.

Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral (from Pasturo to Cornisella)

Italiano

Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral (from Pasturo to Cornisella) is a mule track that can be covered on foot in about 45 minutes from Pasturo to Cornisella with a difference in height of 400 meters, from 650 meters in the village of Valsassina to 1050 meters, on the Northern Grigna.[^][^] Cornisella is located approximately in the middle of the overall route, on the agricultural-forestry-pastoral road Pasturo - Alpe Cova and crossing of several paths. From Pialeral, the path continues to Brioschi Refuge, on the top of the mountain.

From Pasturo to Monteno

Leave Pasturo by taking in Via Alessandro Manzoni one of the following streets, Via Cantellone, Via Grigna, Via San Calimero or along the Cariola stream, the paths join a little further up. I go up to Via Cantellone, where at the intersection with Via Manzoni there are two arrow road signs on a brown background, Grigna Settentrionale (Northern Gigna) and Pialeral, and on a wall a horizontal sign 33, up to Cornisella there is no other sign 33. The numbering dates back to several years ago, when the paths of the Grigne were managed by the CAI.
Walking on the asphalt of Via Cantellone, on the right there are the last houses of the town and on the left you go along the wall of Villa Pozzi. After a few meters, at a half-bend to the left with a villa on the right, I see the white railing of a bridge over the Cariola stream and my heart begins to beat faster. Here is also a gate of the villa of the poet Antonia Pozzi, from which you can glimpse her garden, which can be seen as you descend. I take the cobbled mule track,[^] and I feel a strong emotion because I am going to Grigna. The stream is on the left, generally water flows. After less than a hundred meters, at a half-curve, there is a hut with two green shutters and on the right a large rather recent villa. The mule track joins that of Via Grigna and there is a wooden Pialeral sign towards the climb, you can't really go wrong.
First you meet on the left, a little hidden, a white three-storey house, Via Grigna 21, and on the right another, Via Grigna 30. A road sign indicates danger of falling rocks for no reason; it dates back to 1991, manufactured by i.s.o.v. road signs, acronym for Impresa Segnaletica Orizzontale Verticale. A sharp steep bend to the left, with a view of a hut with a sloping roof, leads to the Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary at 739 meters; on two wooden signs, Pasturo down, Baiedo right.

You pass under the roof of the chapel, behind there is a well-kept and inhabited hut. You still cross a bridge over the Cariola stream, where there is a fountain with a concrete basin and a pipe that drains the water into the stream. On the stone we read a date, IX VIII XIII which could be 1913, and E F. I quench my thirst at the fountain, both uphill and downhill, for short distances I don't bring water even in summer, just I find it as far as Alpe Cova. You enter a stretch of slight slope, shaded and cool; you cross a small valley with a bridge, as the first has railings. At a hairpin bend, the water drops where there is a small abandoned farmhouse, continue along a stretch with dry stone wall only on the right up to the Monteno huts. On the left a group of houses and a dirt road that goes inside, on the right a yellow hut that will be perhaps a hundred years old, it belongs to the Invernizzi family. The mule track of the Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral climbs steeply with a concrete bottom until it crosses the agro-forestry-pastoral road Pasturo - Alpe Cova, which has a bend to the left. A Pasturo wooden sign indicates where you just got on.

From Monteno to Cornisella

At the bend of the agro-forestry-pastoral road to Alpe Cova, in Monteno there is a large and worn road sign of the Comunità Montana n° 16 Strada di Servizio, and a no parking sign, on both sides, instead the cars park. After the hairpin bend, on the right, a wooden sign Pialeral Brioschi points in the direction of a mule track with a concrete floor, but the motorbikes no as a road sign says, which dates back to 1985. The mule track is now cemented, as unfortunately happens too often on mountain trails, to make it easier for motorcycles or cars. The locality table Pedalando nel Parco (Pedalling in the Park) says that we are in Monteno 850 meters, the Cornisella 3 signpost for bicycles is in the direction of the road that continues straight, the same direction indicated by a flashy yellow sign Agriturismo Brunino. Next to it, there is one of the panels of the Mountain Community Between Geology and Landscape placed on the mountain not many years ago, entitled Geological aspects of the territory.[^]

Take the fork to the right, now go up decisively with a series of hairpin bends in a wood, the road is wide. At the end of the short steep section, the view opens to the left on a meadow, which has a white hut at the top, on the right a worked trunk to sit and under a hut with the view of the sunniest part of the Grignone. Continue among black hornbeams, chestnuts, ash trees, encountering on the left a ruin and a meadow with a cottage at the top, the bottom is made of larger stones. Without realizing it, because there is no indication that delimits it, you are entering the Northern Grigna Regional Park. Continue more uphill, in a S-shaped you are helped by horizontal trunks, then the last steep section. You come across a recent wooden sign that indicates Agriturismo Oneda upwards to the left, then another structure Between Geology and Landscape, whose topic is The forest where, why and how. The trees thin out, to the right, cows graze in the summer. Exit and left at a large stone hut with a basin, in low Cornisella.[^]

Continue with a moderate slope passing under the high voltage wires admiring the beautiful view of the Cornisella meadows where the Spinarolo's electricity pylon stands out in the background. Here the path is a dirt road, bordered on the left by a row of fruit trees, where I saw donkeys eating grass and sheltering from the sun. Traveled the last half curve on a slope, protected by a bollard pylon to prevent cars from getting off, we come to the Church of the Alpini Maria Regina Pacis at Cornisella and along Strada Pasturo - Alpe Cova. I drink at the fountain and whoever wants to can rest for a moment on the concrete seats of the church, as I see hikers doing. Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral follows the road that from Pasturo climbs to Alpe Cova for a few hundred meters, up to Acquafredda and Ponte dell'Acqua Fredda, before going up a mule track, part of the path I describe in from Cornisella to Alpe Cova.
At the intersection of the church, or the 'Alpini', the signage of the trails is heterogeneous and full of directions: path to Balisio (Sentiero Colle di Balisio - Cornisella), Pedaling in the Park of 3 for Brunino, which I describe in Sentiero Cornisella - Brunino, both pass through Spinarolo. For the Valle dei Grassi Lunghi along the Valle dell'Acqua Fredda, the path is marked Pedaling in the Park 2 but in the opposite direction, a link towards Traversata Bassa.

Conclusion

Going up to Grigna from Pasturo means taking Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral, the first stretch from Pasturo to Cornisella is almost always in the shade and also has the function of connecting to other directions.From Cornisella, on the flat, you can reach Brunino or walk the Valle dell'Acqua Fredda for the Traversata Bassa, which continues up to Piani dei Resinelli, and downhill the Church of the Sacred Heart, which is located on the road to Balisio.

Despite its importance, the hiking trail is poorly managed or even abandoned by the institutions. In fact, the signs for the Pialeral are made up of improvised signs, the bottom without maintenance, the only works carried out are those that should not be done, that is to cement a mule track to favor the passage of one motorcycle. The presence of the Mountain Community of Valsassina is distinguished by bike paths and some didactic panels.
I no longer count the times I have walked the Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral up to Cornisella.[^] In recent years, I start from Barzio and stay at a low altitude, stopping at the Alpe Cova lake or turning for Brunino.

References

1. Mauro Vezzoli (7 April 2006- ). "Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral (da Pasturo a Cornisella)". [Google Photos album]. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
2. Mauro Vezzoli. "Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral (da Pasturo a Cornisella)". [Flickr album]. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
3. Mauro Vezzoli (9 July 2015). "The straight, slightly sloping path at the beginning of the Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral with the stones of the mule track.". In Escursioni in montagna, Escursioni in Valsassina, Escursioni sul Grignone, Escursioni sulle Grigne, Estate, Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral, Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral (da Pasturo a Cornisella). [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
4. Mauro Vezzoli (28 October 2021). "Signs at the Monteno crossroads and panel Between geology and landscape. The pretty yellow table marked the CAI for the Pialeral and the Northern Grigna that was there years ago has become a lot of stuff. Pedaling in the Park marks a path for bikes along the road that climbs towards Cornisella, the same direction as Agriturismo Brunino complete with a mobile phone. For the Pialeral there is a wooden sign worn by the years, placed by some private individual, which indicates the direction that the hiker who goes to Grigna must follow, which certainly does not comply with the regulations of mountain signs. Next to it is one of the panels Between geology and landscape of the Mountain Community, bulky and not aesthetic.". In Autunno, Escursioni in montagna, Escursioni in Valsassina, Escursioni sul Grignone, Escursioni sulle Grigne, Itinerario Pedalando nel Parco 3 Bike tour della dorsale, Monteno, Segnaletica dei sentieri del Grignone, Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral, Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral (da Pasturo a Cornisella). [Google Photos photo]. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
5. Mauro Vezzoli (8 September 2016). "The beautiful view when you exit the path to Cornisella with the stone hut, which alone is worth a climb from Pasturo. In the background, a half-ruined hut has become a modern mountain hut.". In Cornisella, Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral, Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral (da Pasturo a Cornisella). [Flickr photo]. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
6. Mauro Vezzoli (5 July 2015). "Mauro at half past three on the path to the Pialeral. The particularly hot beginning of July 2015 did not stop my ascents in the mountains.". In Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral. [Facebook photo]. Retrieved 28 October 2021.