Spring is the ideal season to discover one of Colceresa's four permanent itineraries and admire the blossoming of cherry, peach and almond trees. Nestled on the sunny hillsides of the Vicenza Prealps, the Colceresa area offers a network of paths, lanes, and looped communal roads rich with streams, acacia forests, vineyards and olive groves. Depending on the available time, and the difficulty, hikers can choose one of these four routes: Hedgehog 3.2 km with 150 meters of elevation gain; Squirrel 5.2 km with 136 meters of elevation gain; Hare 11.5 km with 400 meters of elevation gain; and Roe deer 18 km with 800 meters of elevation gain.
The Hedgehog Trail
The Hedgehog trail begins at the square in Molvena: after running along Strada dei Sassi towards Valderio locality, cross the bridge on the right, and take Via Mazzarina for a few meters. Turn right again onto Via Costabernardo, until you meet the signs for the Loara trail. Descend to the valley and cross the small wooden bridge over the Rio Valley stream, before resuming the ascent and reaching the capitol of via Costadema-Fose. The route then turns right, uphill, on the Collalto path, and runs along the border with the municipality of Marostica to via Collalto. Taking the right again, towards the valley, you return to the starting point.
The Squirrel Trail
The Squirrel Trail begins at the square in Mason: first take the road that leads to Laverda and turn left onto Via Tarquinia and then Via Ferretti until you find, on the right, signs for the Stradona trail, which you climb up until you reach Via Belmonte. After a few dozen meters you cross the Colceresa trail that leads back into the Laverda valley. At the intersection with Via Barco, the route continues on the stream bank to Via Laverda, where you cross the bridge and, just after the houses, take the Mariane path that leads slightly uphill. You then walk along via Costavernese, via Monte Grappa to the bridge at the intersection on via Braglio, where you turn right and return to the center of Mason.
The Hare Trail
The Hare path can be taken from the square in Mason or, alternatively, from the small square in Mure, a hamlet of Colceresa. The first part of the trail is flat and, walking along Via Tarquinia and then Via Ferretti, one arrives, in a short time, at the ascent of the Palazzotto path, which quickly leads to altitude and gives a pleasant view of the plain. After a short stretch to the right on Via Franchi, take, on the left, the Costa path and then, turning left again, you will reach Via Monte Ortigara; along the descent you will glimpse the hermitage of San Biagio. Continuing westward on the bike path, after a few hundred meters you take the Riale path, which leads into a natural setting, made easy to navigate by the wooden steps and small bridges over the streams that descend from the hill. The ascent leads to Costa d'Olio, where we take, on the right, the path of the same name to the beginning of the Sonco Gobbi trail, on the border with Fara. The subsequent descent and ascent through various paths skirts the vineyards and gives a beautiful view of the Laverda valley. Following the path, you will finally reach the square of Mure, from where you will shortly return to the starting point.
The Capriolo Trail
Lastly, the Capriolo trail starts from the square of Molvena and, through an up and down, crosses the Rio valley, the Micheletti plain, the Laverda valley, vineyards, small villages, the Covolo mill, Soldamare locality, cherry orchards, olive groves and woods. The Strada Romana trail leads back to the bottom of the Laverda valley. When you reach a hamlet, you can see the Angaran irrigation ditch that, through small waterfalls, descends a short distance from the houses, where it once fed mills. Past the village of Soldamare, on Via Parisoni there is a viewpoint from where, if the day is clear, you can catch a glimpse of the Venetian lagoon with the naked eye. At this point the Campo Urbano trail begins, passing through cherry orchards, olive groves, forage meadows, chestnut and acacia forests, until it reaches Via Costabernardo and the Loara trail that leads back to Molvena.