Becco di Filadonna - South ridge route

Overview

Becco di Filadonna is, together with Vigolana, a wonderful limestone massif, a part of Prealpi Venete e Trentine. Most of visitors come on top from the SE or from the NW (Vigolana approach). The southern approach goes by a long ridge over the summit of Cornetto. So, you can ascend Becco di Filadonna also even from the tourist resort of Folgaria, or from Passo del Sommo. The ascent is technically easy, very panoramic, but it goes up an down - over all three summits of Cornetto. You can also detour the first summit, but that route is more demanding and exposed.

Rating the Route (By Hiking Standards)

Becco di Filadonna from Cornetto

The grading system for hiking and scrambling routes is here.

0. General: From 1343 m to 2150 m, exposition E and S. At first by a mountain road and broad dirt roads towards the summit of Cornetto. Above there are comfortable paths. By the ridge towards Becco di Filadonna a more narrow, but still not difficult path is cut through pine bushes. The last meters on top are a bit steeper. Gear: Good shoes and poles. In summer the ascent can be hot - there's no water along the path. By the Swiss Scale for grading hikes the difficulty would be T2.

1. Effort: cca 950 m, 3 h 30 min.

2. Power: 1 - no difficulties, only walk up.

3. Psyche: 2 - easy. Only a few places below the summit require some care.

4. Orientation: 1 - no difficulties, well marked. If you strictly follow the attached GPX route, then note that it doesn't go on top of the 3rd summit of Cornetto, then it doesn't follow the main ridge and past Becco di Filadonna, it sontinues to the Vigolana bivouac!

Getting There

The trailhead is On Passo del Sommo,1343 m, east of Folgaria, or even in the tourist resort of Folgaria itself. If you descend by any other route, you can return by the ordinary bus line. A better option is to use this route as a descent route and then return by bus on the trailhead of either the SE ascent or Vigolana ascent.

Route Description

From Passo del Sommo you take a narrow mountain road which goes towards the NW (on it's start you have an inscription plate). The road ascends only slowly. First it goes around a forested hill then does quite some distance until it reaches the slopes of Cornetto at some 1550 m. By a big house we deter right up on a meadow. The path over meadows is all the time well marked. It goes close to the SE ridge of Cornetto. In winter there must be great slopes for tour skiing. Higher the path goes partly through the woods, partly over meadows and finally through pine bushes. below the summit it crosses towards the left and then goes more steeply up on top of Cornetto, 2060 m. This easy and often ascended mountain is very panoramic and in winter a fine goal for tour skiing.

From the top of Cornetto a more narrow, but still not difficult and well enough marked path continues towards the north. The summit of Becco di Filadonna is beautifully seen in the distance. The path first descends on the saddle 1983 m: Before reaching it, from the right a military path over the NE slopes of Cornetto joins (more difficult, Italian rating EE), and on the saddle the marked path from Passo della Fricca (also from the right). We continue by the main ridge. The path goes firs over Seconda Cima, 1996 m, then descends considerably, ascends again on Terza Cima, 2027 m, and from it continues by a long ridge towards Becco di Filadonna. The scenery along the path is very nice. Picturesque towers, views down into the wild Vallon del Torrente Centa, a nice path winding through pine bushes. On Bus de le Zaole the SW approach comes up from the right.

The view on Cornetto

On the ridge

On Bus de le Zaole

From this last saddle we continue towards the north, pass first on the lef a vertical rocky crag and then soon catch an ascending ledge. The broader path leads by it to a big cross on the northern shoulder, while a blue marked path deters right already after the big crag. It's good to visit first the big cross, turn there right (by a narrow ledge) into the SE face and from the nearby edge climb on the summit ridge and on top. Many visitors don't even go on top but get satisfied with only visiting the cross. From the real summit then you best descend by the blue marked path towards the south.

The last 100 meters

The summit ledge

The last meters