Tag Archives: Italy

From Vineyards to the Heavens

 

The town of Klausen, known as Chiusa in Italian, lies at the bottom of a river valley. The Eisack River runs from near the Austrian border to Bozen, where it joins the Etsch River. During its southward flow, it runs along the west bank of Klausen, surrounded by some of the most impressive Dolomite peaks in this area.  But, key in this description is the “bottom of the Eisack river valley.” Therefore, most hikes in this area will experience some serious ascents at some point.

The Eisack River

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Wine Notes: Italy’s Eisacktal

 

What I Learned

Welcome to Italy – although culturally and linguistically, you are in a Germanic cultural sphere. (This area was controlled by Austria for hundreds of years after the fall of the Roman Empire, until the end of World War I.) The wine region of the Suedtirol (Alto Adige, as the Italians further south call it), is one of the great wine regions in Italy. It has a number of districts, and this one, the Eisacktal wine district is particularly interesting. Its vineyards lie on very steep slopes following along the narrow Eisack (Isarco) River valley as it flows south from its source near the Italian-Austrian border. This district has less than 400 hectares devoted to vineyards, on mostly south-facing slopes, most of the way to Bozen (Bolzano), where the Eisack joins the Etsch (Adige) River. However, some of the best are around Klausen (Chiusa), on the slopes south (and below) Saebens, an ancient monastery.

While there are some red wines, about 90% of the wine from here is white wine.  White grapes do particularly well in this district’s relatively cool weather. Sylvaner (yes, sometimes with a Y in this area), Veltliner, Mueller-Thurgau, Kerner and Gewuerztraminer are the main white varietals.   The resulting wines are crisp, fruit forward, and deliciously refreshing.

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Trail in a Nutshell: Saebener Rundweg

 

Trail Name:  Saebener Rundweg

Trail Type: Very short-distance circuit; well-maintained with hard (paved or packed earth) surfaces, with some cobblestones; mostly good marking for this itinerary.

Length:

Total – 3.0 kilometers/miles

Convenient to: Bozen (Bolzano), Brixen (Bressanone), Italy

Marking:

White over red horizontal bars

Signage along the Saebener Weg

Follows written signs for “Keschtnweg” and Saebener Rundweg

Saebener Rundweg and Keschtnweg Signage

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Trail for the Ages

 

At my trailhead in a grass-covered valley, I bemoaned the fact that right at the start, I faced a somewhat steep incline.  A toddler liberated from his stroller didn’t mind though, and seemed inclined to head into the woods and toddle up the trail behind me. Passing through deeply forested hillside, a couple of churches, then vineyards, I came to a narrow country road at the top of the hill. Up from an even steeper slope, came a man on a bicycle. He stopped at the top of the hill, as did I, to check the map. We got to chatting. He was a native of Bergamo, which I could see in the distance. He was an avid cyclist. He was 78. I was deeply impressed, and slightly shamed by my earlier whining about steep inclines. His hill was long and steep, coming up from the valley. I decided his great stamina must be due to a life-long exposure to the wines of Valcalepio.

My Start: Over the River and Up Through the Woods

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Wine Notes: Bergamo

 

What I Learned

There isn’t a Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) named Bergamo, in honor of one of northern Italy’s large cities, rather the wines produced locally in and around the city are known as the Valcalepio Denomination. The Valcalepio DOC wines are produced from grapes grown mostly north of Bergamo, east of the Adda River (coming out of Lake Como), to west from the Oglio River (coming from Lake Iseo). (This last incidentally, is also the boundary which meets up with the Franciacorta DOC.) This denomination only has about 800 hectares of land under vine. The wines from these vineyards only gained appellation status in 1976, so in addition to being relatively small, this appellation is also relatively new.

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Strade del Vino: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name:  Strade del Vino; Full name: Escursione Lungo le Strade del Vino (Excursions along the Wine Routes)

Trail Type: mid-distance; maintained in most places, variable paved and unimproved surfaces, marking on the trail only occasional

Length:

Total – 11 kilometers/6.8 miles

Convenient to: Bergamo, Italy

Marking:

A red horizontal bar superimposed over a white one. See Comment below!!!

Trail Marking

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Bio-Diversity with Diversions

 

If your vineyard hike is not chosen with care, you could end up on a trail that is just that: nothing but vines. While it is good for wine education trails (which are legion, but rather short), it can be less than enthralling for hikers. I am pleased to report that this month’s trail was full of bio-diverse flora, landscapes, views, and even had two very different settlements, a village and a hamlet, to enjoy.

I began in Moleto, a hamlet devoted to art, whose Italian and foreign artists live in residence. The hamlet bills itself as a sort of open-air museum. The wall of art is the first thing to notice. This hamlet had an annual arts festival, ArtMoleto, (before the pandemic), and its artists attracted some attention region-wide. There is a local bar, with a gorgeous location overlooking the valley, and a lovely restaurant in the local cantina. Unfortunately, both attractions were closed that day. Forewarned is forearmed – this hamlet can be deserted at times.

Moleto: Wall of Art

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