Valtellina Week Hike 3: Valley of Gran Zebrù and Rifugio Pizzini

Overview ~ Notes ~ Flora ~ Photos

 

 

Top left: Walking toward Rifugio Branca, view south with Pizzo Tresero.

Top right: Tracks for Gran Zebrù - Rifugio Pizzini and Rifugio Branca Loop Hike - we went clockwise.
Bottom left: Walking north toward Rifugio Pizzini with Cevedale on the right.

Bottom right: [Ranunculaceae] Pulsatilla alpina.

Overview

Length: 15 km
Duration: 6.75 hours (with lunch at Rifugio Pizzini)
Elevation: 657 m
Location: Italy, Lombardy, Valtellina, Santa Caterina

Notes

A pleasant day with views galore. Don’t take the dirt road up to Rifugio Pizzini from the Forni parking lot! Take the panoramic trail 528, which takes you higher than the road but gives you much nicer view, and you get to check out some WWI ruins.

From Pizzini, you can go over the pass to Rifugio Alpini and on to Val Zebrù. So, like on Hike 2, today we are doing a piece of the il giro del confinale, the mountain range dominating this area of Valtellina.

We completed this hike with a loop by Rifugio Branca and then taking the lower glacier trail (for Forni). On our Hike 1 of this series, we took the upper glacier trail.

Flora

[Caryophyllaceae] Silene acaulis


[Gentianaceae] Gentiana sp.


[Ranunculaceae] Pulsatilla alpina


[Rosaceae] Geum reptans


[Rosaceae] Geum rivale

Photos

  

Left: View of Monte Cevedale from Rifugio Pizzini.
Center: Water management near Malga dei Forni.
Right: Heading to Rifugio Pizzini with Cima Gran Zebrù in distance.

  

Left: Walking south from Rifugio Forni toward Rifugio Branca.
Center: View toward Forni Glacier.
Right:View of Monte Cevedale from Rifugio Pizzini.

   

Left: Starting out on the panoramic trail 528 for Rifugio Pizzinipanormaic trail 528 for Rifugio Pizzini.
Center left: Rovine Caserma along the panoramic trail - Le Casermette dei Forni.

Center right: Example of signage.
Right: Gran Zebrù - Rifugio Pizzini and Rifugio Branca Loop Hike.

  

Left: Approaching Rifugio Pizzini from the south.
Center: Rifugio Pizzini - tagliere.
Right: Rifugio Pizzini -  pizzoccheri. See the post The Many Faces of Pizzoccheri.