A Hike to Rifugio Gherardi in Val Taleggio

Overview | Getting There | The Hike | Flora

Upper left: Views of snow-capped mountains surrounding Rifugio Gherardi in the Val Taleggio. Upper right: Hiking tracks for a journey to Rifugio Gherardi. Bottom left: Approaching Passo Baciamorti. Bottom center: View from Pizzo Bacciamorti toward Monte Aralalta. Bottom right: Road leading to and from Rifugio Gherardi with Monte Cancervo in the distance, left.

Overview

Length: 13.4 km (8.3 mi)
Duration: 6 hours total, including 1.5 hours for lunch at Rifugio Gherardi.
Elevation: Minimum altitude 1,290 m (4,232 ft) at Capo Foppa, max altitude 2006 m (6,581 ft) at Pizzo Baciamorti; total gain of 1,024 m (3359 ft).
Location: Italy, Lombardy, Val Taleggio

Getting There

We got a lift with friends, but there are buses that can get you as far as Pizzino. By car, drive up Val Brembana, take a left at San Giovanni Bianco, and follow Strada Provinciale 25 more or less west toward Taleggio. From Taleggio center, head up toward Pizzino until you reach a pull out in the road (here) and there is a sign for Capo Foppa. Stop and put 2 euros in a machine to be able to use the road. Then, continue on via Arighiglio to the end of the road where at Capo Foppa, where you can park.

There are a couple of interesting things to point out along the journey to Taleggio. First, in the cute little center of San Giovanni Bianco, you will be greeted by the statue of Vistallo Zignoni. Who is he you ask?

Vistallo Zignoni was an Italian mercenary who lived between the 15^th and 16^th centuries and is reputed to have brought a piece of the crown of thorns (sacra spina) to San Giovanni Bianco in the Val Brembana. The “holy relic” was booty from a battle Zignoni fought in 1495. Zignoni, who was banned from his homeland of Val Brembana (under the rule of Venice at that time), got the mercenary idea to use the holy thorn as a bargaining chip. (What would Jesus do?) From the doge and senate of Venice, Zignoni was able make a deal and turn over the relic and in return receive a life pension for himself and family members as well as get his ban from his homeland lifted for 100 years. Even more, in the deal, he was able to keep part of the relic and bring it back home where it lives today in the Reliquia Sacra Spina facing the statue in San Giovanni Bianco. And everyone lived happily ever after.

The second interesting thing about getting to this hike is that after leaving San Giovanni Bianco, you take Strada Provinciale 25 to Taleggio. This takes you through the Orrido della Val Taleggio. Orrido as an adjective means “horrid” but also a noun means “ravine” or “gorge”. SP 25 winds its way through a very narrow and gnarled canyon, first on one side of the river Enna, then on the other side, then back again. It’s a fascinating 15 minutes passing through the orrido.

The third interesting thing about this hike is that you are in VAL TALEGGIO, all-caps intentional shouting. Just hearing the word Taleggio evokes the taste sensation of that soft and aromatic cheese that has been around since Roman times. Outside of Italy, Taleggio cheese is - for lack of a better word - more industrial, with an orange-colored rind and a moderate flavor. The Taleggio cheese you buy locally, is less orange looking and more aromatic. So, when passing through Pizzino be sure to pick up some Taleggio chese. We stopped at Alimentari Pesenti and got a hunk of it as a reward for our hiking efforts.


Left: The statue of Vistallo Zignoni in San Giovanni Bianco in Val Brembana. Center left: The statue of Vistallo Zignoni faces the church that contains the hold relic he won in battle. Center right: A hunk of Taleggio cheese purchased in Val Taleggio. Right: La Madonnina of Pizzo Baciamorti.

The Hike

The goal of the hike is to reach Rifugio Gherardi, but there are a couple of ways to do it. The most obvious and easiest way is to take Sentiero 120, which takes you straight up to Rifugio Gherardi on a paved and then dirt road that’s easy walking. We took this on our way back.

To arrive at the rifugio, we instead we opted for a  longer, scenic route going counterclockwise. We followed Sentiero 153 (Capofoppa to Passo Baciamorti) toward the pass and then we picked up the trail to Pizzo Baciamorti (2006 m). Going down from down from Pizzo Baciamorti, you join up with Sentiero 101_1 for short bit and then switch to Sentiero 120, which takes you to Rifugio Gherardi. From Passo Baciamorti you can also skip Pizzo Baciamorti and follow Sentiero 101_1.

The name of the pass (passo) and peak (pizzo) Baciamorti lossely translates to the suggestive "kiss the dead". We wondered why and went looking. An Eco di Bergamo article (in Italian) talked about the possible origins of the name. One of the explanations we found the most plausbile is that it derives from a corruption of the original name that occured over the centuries. According to the article and the local historian interviewed, in the 13th century, this location appears on deeds as "masione mora" (dark house) likely referring to the hut that still is found just below the pass (and shown in photo with this post). In maps from the 16th century, the location is referred to as "Masamoro", then two centuries later as "Vasamoro". In a map of the 1800s, the name "Basamorti" is used. It's not a leap to go from that to "Baciamorti". 

Rifugio Gherardi is at 1650 m (5,313 ft) and is named for Angelo Gherardi, an expert ski-climber who died accidentally during a winter ascent to the Corno Stella on December 29, 1974. Rifugio Gherardi opened in 1987.

Back in August 2017, we tried to go up Corno Stella and backed out when the trail got a bit too much for us. That was summer. We can’t imagine what it would be like in winter. For more information on that hike, see our post A Hike to Lago Moro above Foppolo.

Being relatively easy to reach, on the weekends expect to find lots of families with blankets spread out and kids playing on the ample green space around Rifugio Gherardi. It’s part of the experience. Grab a picnic table outside, order your food, and kick back.


Left and center left: Homemade cake and pasta dish at Rifugio Gherardi. Center right: The menu at Rifugio Gherardi including, on this day, pasta, brasato, arrosto and zuppa farro e orzo. Right: View of Rifugio Gherardi.



Left: Hike tracks and position in Val Taleggio. Center left: Hike summary statistics from ViewRanger. Center right: Sign at Passo Baciamorti. Right: Hiking in Val Taleggio - view from Sentiero 153 looking south. 

Flora

Key: [Family] Genus species (if available) {English :: Italian common name}

[Asteraceae] Tephroseris sp. possible T. longifolia - CF {Southern Ragwort :: Senecione a foglie lunghe}


Tephroseris sp. possible T. longifolia

[Brassicaceae] Cardamine heptaphylla – CF {Pinnate Coralroot :: Dentaria pennata}


Cardamine heptaphylla

[Caryophyllaceae] Silene dioica – CF {Red Campion :: Silene dioica}


Silene dioica

[Gentianaceae] Gentiana acaulis – CF {Stemless Gentian :: Gentiana acaule}


Gentiana acaulis

[Gentianaceae] Gentiana verna – CF {Spring Gentian :: Genziana primaverile}


Gentiana verna

[Iridaceae] Crocus verna – CF {Spring Crocus :: Zafferano maggiore}


Crocus verna

[Lilliaceaea] Fritillaria sp. – CF {Fritillaria :: Meleagride}


Fritillaria sp.

[Plantaginaceae] Globularia cordifolia – CF {Matted Globularia :: Vedovella a foglie cordate}


Globularia cordifolia

[Polygalaceae] Polygala chamaebuxus – CF {Shrubby Milkwort :: Poligala falso bosso}


Polygala chamaebuxus

[Primulaceae] Primula glaucescens – CF {? :: Primula glaucescente}


Primula glaucescens

[Ranunculaceae] Helleborus viridis – CF {Green Hellebore :: Ellebore verde}


Helleborus viridis

[Ranunculaceae] Pulsatilla alpina – CF {Alpine Pasqueflower :: Pulsatilla alpina}


Left and center: Pulsatilla alpina. Right: Fritillarria with Pulsatilla alpina.


[Ranunculaceae] Thalictrum aquilegifolium – CF {Columbine Meadow-rue :: Pigamo colombino}


Thalictrum aquilegifolium

[Rosaceae] Potentilla verna – CF {Alpine cinquefoil :: Cinquefoglia di Tabernaemontano}


Potentilla verna

Selected Flora of Pantelleria (Sicily, Italy)

Overview | Geology | Biome | Flora List | Macro Shots

Examples of flowers seen during six day on the Island of Pantelleria, Sicily. Top left: [Aizoaceae] Carpobrotus acinaciformis. Top right: [Cistaceae] Cistus criticus - rock rose. Bottom left: [Orchidaceae] Serapias cossyrensis - an endemic orchid. Bottom right: [Orobanchaceea] Orobanche sanguinea - broom rape.

Overview

The island of Pantelleria sits in the Mediterranean Sea, in the Strait of Sicily, a body of water between Sicily and the North African country of Tunisia; the island is 100 km (62 mi) southwest of Sicily and is closer to Tunisia than to Sicily. The island is part of the Sicilian province of Trapani.
We had the opportunity recently to visit this corner of Italy, and in this post, we’ll show a few of the plants we saw. For an overview of our time on the island, see our blog post Six Days on the Island of Pantelleria, Sicily.

Geology

Yes, this blog is supposed to be about the plants of Pantelleria, but we must talk about the lava because Pantelleria is all about the lava. Even if you are not a student of vulcanism, you will at least walk away with this impression. After that impression though, it’s hard to understand what the volcanic history of the island is. After a bit of poking around, we found out that there are two major calderas that dominate Pantelleria: La Vecchia caldera and the Cinque Denti caldera. Montagna Grande, the highest point on the island, and its nearby little sister, Monte Gibele (an ancient crater), are contained within the Cinque Denti caldera. Monte Gibele and Montagna Grande are referred to as post-caldera shield volcanoes.

The Cinque Dente caldera overlaps the La Vecchia and is slightly more north and west. Both of these calderas date back to the late Pleistocene, also referred to colloquially as the Ice Age, an epoch which lasted from 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago. The Cinque Denti caldera formed about 45,000 years ago and the La Vecchia (which means “the old one”) formed about 114,000 years ago. The island itself was formed 220,000 years ago.

Pantelleria sits in a northwest-southeast trough near the collision between Africa and Europe tectonic plates. As explained by Tuff Guy (nice pun): “Africa is currently crashing into Europe, but despite this the area around Pantelleria is extending. This is because Sicily is slowly rotating clockwise, and stretching the Sicily Channel. It is this stretching that causes the melting that feeds the volcano. This melting has lead [sic] to a couple of other submarine volcanoes in the region, including one of my favourites, Graham Bank.” The Tuff Guy site has a good explanation of why Montagna Grande is higher than Monte Gibele, in particular since it’s thought that Montagna Grande was formed from Monte Gibele.

The Graham Shoal or Graham Bank or Graham Island or Isola Ferdinandea (location) is located 40-50 km due west of Agrigento. In 1831, there was an eruption at Graham Shoal that lasted a few weeks in the summer of 1831. A cinder cone built up reaching 60 m above sea level. This part of the story is interesting, but where it gets real interesting is that the ownership of the “terra nuova” was claimed by the navies of England, France, Spain, and the Kingdom of the two Sicilies (at this point Sicily was part of Italy and Italian unification wouldn’t be complete until 1871). The dispute between who owned the new island didn’t last long because after six months the island disappeared due to the action of wind and waves. Today the island is about 6 m under sea level. But, in case it should rise again, Italy is ready: in 2002 an Italian flag was planted on top of the island.

Some volcanic references:

• *Pantelleria, A Volcano With A Trapdoor
• *Volcano Discovery - Pantelleria Volcano
• *Smithsonian Institute - Global Volcanism Program
• Sicily Channel (Sicilian Channel; Strait of Sicily)
• Images of the two principal calderas on Pantelleria from ResearchGate: image1, image2
• Volcanism on Pantelleria

Biome

A plant biome is a community of plants and animals that have common characteristics adapted for the environment they are found in. Scientists are not in agreement over the exact number of earth’s biomes, but it is largely agreed that there are five major types: aquatic, desert, forest, grassland, and tundra. The forest biome is often further broken down into biomes like temperature coniferous forests and Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub. After jumping from the five major biomes into the second tier of classification, you might end up with 14 – 20 biomes in total.

This takes us to the biome of Pantelleria, which can be described as a little bit of Mediterranean forest (at the highest points) and mostly woodlands and scrubland over the rest of the island. Scrubland – also called shrubland – includes the terms maquis (macchia in Italian) and garrigue. Plants in a maquis are typically densely growing evergreen shrubs preferring siliceous (acid) soils. Plants in a garrigue are often low-growing, soft-leaved plants, usually growing near the coast and usually associated with limestone soils. Plants in a garrigue are generally smaller and spaced farther apart than in a maquis. A garrigue area is also referred to as matorral in Spain and chaparral in California. Labels and definitions are challenges to be defied as is true with the definitions of maquis and garrigue. There is a lot of overlap between the two. All of the plants in the list below are plants of the Mediterranean scrubland.

Mediterranean scrubland is characterized with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. The characteristics of the scrubland biome are small, dark leaves, often with waxy or hairy surfaces to retain moisture. The total mass of plant life on earth found in a Mediterranean forest, woodlands, and scrubland biome is small as well as its physical distribution on the planet. However, we find that this biome resonates with us personally. We like the smell and the sensation of walking in Mediterranean scrubland.


Left: A map of the world showing the locations of some Mediterranean shrublands. Center: Examples of lichen found on Pantelleria - information from the museum at Punta Spadillo. Right: A map of Pantelleria showing the outlines of the two dominant calderas. The Serra Ghirlanda is the ridge of the La Vecchia caldera.

On Pantelleria, the Parco Nazionale of Pantelleria page states that from sea level to 250 m is generally lower maquis or garrigue. The park page also mentions that in a 2014 survey, the total number of species recorded was 640, including 13 endemic species and 63 rare or very rare species, one of which we did get to see, the orchid Serapias cossyrensis.

Three interesting plant finds for us while exploring Pantelleria are:

• Serapias cossyrensis – This orchid is endemic to the island of Pantelleria and we believe we found a few examples. The Serapius genus contains orchids found in southern Europe and Asia Minor. The S. cossyrensis we saw looked closer to iris flowers than orchids.
• The Parco Nazionale of Pantelleria page, says that the S. cossyrensis is an orchid typical of Mediterranean scrub just before it transitions to forest and is found on Montagne Grande from 300 m and up. And that’s where we found it, on our hike to the top of Montagna Grande.
• The species name, cossyrensis, is the old Latin name for Pantelleria, Cossyra.
• There are three photos of S. cossyrensis in this post, two of which are macro shots.
• Orobanche – The common name for this parasitic herbaceous genus in the Orobancheae family is broomrape. We’ve seen broomrape in many other different contexts or biomes, but we weren’t expecting to see it on Pantelleria. Instead, we saw it quite a lot.
• Funny story: when I asked a saw a few official-looking people gathered in a room for a meeting at the museum at Punta Spadillo, I showed them my photos of broomrape and asked them what they thought it was. And their response: Google it.
• Cytinus – Another genus of parasitic flowering plants. We saw these much less than broomrape and generally just on our hike to the top of Montagna Grande. For more information on the hike, see our post Ideas for Hiking and Walking on the Island of Pantelleria, Sicily.
• There are two photos of Cytinus hypocistis in this post, one of which is a macro shot.
• Umbilicus rupestris – This flowering plant in the Crassulaceae family is commonly called navelwort or wall pennywort. The common names and the genus name, Umbilicus, refer to the navel-like leaves. We found that this plant was always a pleasure to see clinging usually to the side of a wall or cliff.

Flora List

The list below is organized by family (in bold). It’s the way to organize plants that makes the most sense to us. Next to plants listed you may find a link the web site Checklist Flore per Regione – an Italian site that lists species by region. Here’s the link all species in Sicily. The site is a reliable tool for identification – as if I could really judge – with good photos. One thing to watch out for is older names or synonyms. Also, links to Wikipedia or Flora Vascular (in Spanish) may appear next to some entries.

Besides the links mentioned previously, we also made use of the books Flora del Mediterraneo, by Ingrid e Peter Schonfelder and Pantelleria – Il Continente Tascabile, by Peppe D'Aietti, Grazia Cucci.

This list below is not by any means extensive. It’s just a few plants that caught our eye and we were able to identify. If only we had more time…

Aizoaceae
Carpobrotus acinaciformis – CF
Mesembryanthemum hispidum – CF
Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum – CF



Left: Carpobrotus acinaciformis. Center: Mesembryanthemum hispidum. Right: Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum.

Amaryllidaceae
Allium subhirsutum – CF, identified based on blooming dates



Allium subhirsutum.

Anarcardiaceae
Pistacia lentiscus – CF



Pistacia lentiscus.

Apiaceae
Daucus carota – CF
Ferula communis – CF



Left and center left: Dacus carota. Center right and right: Ferula communis.

Asteraceae
Galactites sp. - CF, WK
Glebionis coronaria – CF
Helichyrsum italicum – CF



Galactites, probably a white version of G. tormentosa.


Left: Glebionis coronaria. Right: Helichyrsum italicum.

Boraginaceae
Echium piantaginea – CF


Echium piantaginea.

Brassicaceae
Matthiola sp – CK, possibly M. incana an endemic or M. sinuata


Matthiola

Caprifoliaceae
Centranthus ruber – CF
Lonicera implexa – CF



Left: Centranthus ruber. Right: Lonicera implexa.

Cistaceae
Cistus creticus – CF, most common of rose-colored Cistus.
Cistus salviifolius – CF
Xolantha guttata – FV, CF



Members of the Cistaceae family. Left: Cistus creticus. Center: Cistus salviifolius. Right: Xolantha guttata.

Convolvulaceae
Convolvulus sp.

Crassulaceae
Umbilicus rupestris – CF, the Italian common name for this genus is Ombelico di Venere, "Venus' belly-button".
Umbilicus horizontalis – CF


Left: Umbilicus horizontalis. Center and right: Umbilicus horizontalis.

Cucurbitaceae
Ecballium elaterium – CF


Eballium elatium.

Cytinaceae
Cytinus hypocistis – CF, WK


Cytinus hypocistis.

Ericaceae
Arbutus unedo - CF


Arbutus unedo.

Euphorbiaceae
Euphorbia dendroides – CF, Euphorbia arborea
Euphorbia sp. – CF


Left: Euphorbia dendroides. Right: Euphorbia sp.

Fabaceae
Acacia saligna – CF
Dorycnium hirsutum – CF
Lathyrus sp. – CF, possibly L. clymenum
Lupinus sp. – CF


Left: Acacia saligna. Center: Dorycnium hirsutum. Right: Lathyrus sp.


Lupinus sp.

Lamiaceae
Lavandula stoechas – CF
Prasium majus – CF
Rosmarinus officinalis – CF


Left: Lavandula stoechas. Center: Prasium majus. Right: Rosmarinus officinalis.

Malvaceae
Lavatera arborea – CF


Lavatera arborea.

Oleaceae
Phillyrea latifolia – CF - Not at all sure on this

Orchidaceae
Neotinea maculata – CF
Serapias cossyrensis – CF


Left: Neotinea maculata. Right: Serapias cossyrensis.

Orobanchaceae
Orobanche alba – CF, yellowish
Orobanche crenata – CF
Orobanche ramosa – CF, lavender colored
Orobanche sanguinea – CF, most common


Left: Orobanche ramosa. Right: Orobanche sanguinea.

Polypodiaceae
Polypodium interjectum – CF


Polypodium interjectum.

Plantaginaceae or Scrophulaceae
Antirrhinum majus –  CF, FV


Antirrhinum majus.

Primulaceae
Anagallis arvensis – CF, orange
Anagallis monelli – CF, blue


Left: Anagallis arvensis. Right: Anagallis monelli.

Resedaceae
Reseda bianca – CF



Rubiaceae
Galium sp. – CF


Galium sp.

Smilacaceae
Smilax aspera – CF


Smilax aspera.

Solonaceae
Hyoscyamus albus - CF
Lycianthes rantonnetii – WK


Left: Hyoscyamus albus. Right Lycianthes rantonnetti.

Vitaceae
Vitis vinifera – Muscat family, Zibibbo in Italian or Muscat of Alexandria in English - WK


Vitis vinifera.

Macro Shots

These macro photos were taken with Moment Macro Lens on Pixel 2. It was our first try with the Moment lens. All of these plants/flowers are listed above and have a non-macro associated photo.