Street View – The Rock over Colesei
Wonderful autumn day that gave us an easy and equally rewarding excursion. We leave at the Italo Lunelli Refuge in Padola. We go up to the Rock of Colesei along a comfortable cart track with CAI-155 trail marker. In short we reach the top with a splendid view of Padola Valley on one side Pusteria Valley on the other and Vallon Popera on the side. Immediately the top gives us two spherical photos of a cave below the summit and the ruins of a military barracks.
We continue to the Fork Pian della Biscia where we leave the itinerary to take the spherical photo of the last Comelico hut, the homonymous Malga Pian della Biscia. We resume the cart track towards the Rock over Colesei and at the bend we leave it to take the path marked CAI-124 towards Vallon Popera. After a first exposed route along the side of the Creston Popera we enter a fairly steep gully that climbs up to the ridge. There are multiple wooden steps that help travel and keep the path stable and some metal ropes for the safety of the less experienced. Once we reach the ridge, the Olivo Sala Refuge awaits us, now used as a museum space of the First World War, unfortunately closed due to some subsidence on the access landing.
We turn north towards Peak Over i Colesei crossing countless remains of military barracks from the Great War such as defensive walls and buildings now in ruins. Once at the simple summit the view is breathtaking in all directions. There are also tunnels that pierce the mountain leading into shooting slits on the Pusteria Valley and the underlying Mount Cross Pass.
We leave the summit and head to the underlying Fork Popera which also houses several military works such as Tunnel trenches and various constructions. Finally we head back towards the A. Berti Refuge along the path marked CAI-101 to the starting point.
