Castelbrando e la Strada delle Malghe

Initial note: in the first part of the itinerary, up to malga Canidi, there is no water: leave prepared especially in summer!

Depart from Follina (large free parking at the entrance to the village), point the wheels toward Cison di Valmarino and climb to Castelbrando. At the last hairpin bend before the forecourt, go straight on through forestry and then trail that, in tight hairpin bends first uphill then downhill, leads to the Via dell'Acqua. This trail, very pleasant to do with short, slightly more technical passages uphill, ends on the Praderadego climb that, on asphalt, leads to the 920 meters of the pass of the same name.

At the alpini square, on the left, follow the signs for malga Canidi, proceeding initially downhill then on a peremptory cemented ascent, rather challenging as a gradient. When you reach the malga (1240 meters), go through a gate to continue keeping at altitude on a gravel road, with short ups and downs until you reach malga Mont, where you detour for a short variation on a path. Resuming the forest road, still on ups and downs you reach the Posa Puner hut (1320 meters), open every weekend all year round. From the hut still uphill to the west on the forest road that comes off the square on the right, then on a fast cemented descent and, past a casera, a short final stretch of dirt road in the woods. Here, past the gate into the woods, a climb requires a few steps on foot due to excessive slope.

The next change of direction marks the end of the ramp, beyond which we can climb back into the saddle and reach, in order, malga Forconeta and finally the GPM of malga Mariech (1495 meters), a wide view of the entire plain below to the south and the Piave valley to the north. Continue downhill on asphalt a couple of kilometers until you reach malga Barbaria and then veer right to take a nice path that cuts across the southern slope of Mount Cesen until it rejoins the asphalt road just below. A few hundred meters and you turn right towards the Col Balcon farmhouse, always downhill, at first sliding then on the path that allows you to cut the hairpin bends.

Just below the agriturismo you turn left on another nice flowing path to the final gate, where it becomes a more technical climb with steps included. You finally come out at Strada delle Musse and then on the square of Pianezze (1080 meters). Behind the fountain south of the square you forked the path that on a moderate slope descends to the locality of Faghèr and then to Pian del Farnè (920 meters). The descent continues on the Guizza road, cemented in places on gravel until an altitude of 600 meters, where you turn left where, via a short ascent, you proceed on a path through the woods. After finishing the path, take via Caldane and descend to Guietta. From here, on a paved main road we reach Combai, where we detour on a secondary road on an accentuated descent to Miane and from here to Follina, the final point of the tour.