A short walk from the center of Valdagno starts a path along which large green patriarchs can be admired. In particular, going up the hillside to the east, one encounters centuries-old specimens of chestnut trees that testify to a past when important plantations gave the inhabitants abundant fruit.
The starting point
To take the so-called "Strada dei Maronari," (Road of the chestnut trees) one can leave the car at the parking lots surrounding La Favorita park in the Oltreagno neighborhood or opt for a shorter route and park directly in contrada Meggiara from which the trail starts. If one decides to start from the park in Viale Duca d'Aosta, one passes the double traffic circle and takes Via Dal Lago, following it to the end of the straight stretch where, on the right, a path begins that enters the woods. Following the track that climbs steeply, you come to a clearing where your gaze opens onto meadows that offer a panoramic view of the upper Agno Valley and the mountain peaks that frame it.
Chestnut trees
From here you take a wide cart track where the first chestnut trees from the most recent plantations welcome the hiker. And it is from this moment that the actual "road of the maronari" begins, which can also be reached from the Meggiara district that rises a few hundred meters away. The route passes through some chestnut groves that also hide centuries-old specimens that have survived time and disease. Accompanying the visitor is wooden signage. Near the beginning of the trail, where there are several young chestnut trees, you can see a reproduction of the Fraccaroli refuge and cima Carega represented by a pyramidal boulder at the side of the road. At this point the road climbs more steeply, almost completely shaded in the woods, passing more chestnut trees.
Monumental trees
Here one encounters one of the oldest and most imposing specimens: the maronaro Ugo (chestnut Ugo), which is a century and a half old, and, after a few steps, one comes across Checo Brescia, a 250-year-old patriarch. To be in the presence of the most famous chestnut tree in the area, one has to deviate from the path: the "VIP" maronaro is appropriately indicated and it is not difficult to spot it. We are talking about Odin, a real natural monument that, near a clearing not far from contrada Barchetto, continues to increase its age evidenced by the impressive size of its trunk that really makes a great impression.
The summit
The "road of the maronari" ends in contrada Tommasi, just a short walk from Massignani Alti. Having come this far, it is worth not stopping to turn back and instead continue to the nearby summit of Massignani, to admire the view of the Little Dolomites. Just below the cross that towers over the summit is a hut, ideal for taking a break. Rested and refreshed, one can set out on the way back by changing the route.
The descent
You then return to the hamlet of Massignani via contrada Bassani, and taking a short path, which begins at the church in the center of the locality, continue to contrada Lora di Sotto. Once in the village center, one chooses whether to take the path that, with a few hairpin bends, reaches the sports hall on Via Volta and from there reaches La Favorita Park, or to take the Broiaculo path, along whose valley there is a small waterfall. If one opts for this alternative route, having reached the Agno stream, it is sufficient to follow its course back to the starting point. If, on the other hand, the departure had been in contrada Meggiara, the shortest way back from contrada Lora di Sotto is to continue on the paved but little-traveled road to contrada Meggiara. A few hundred meters before the hamlet one glimpses, on the ridge of the Sengio della Valle, the statue of the Madonnina placed in a niche in the rock after the 2009 landslide, when 10,000 cubic meters of boulders came loose. The slightly more than 2-hour route is appoximately 10 kilometers long with a height gain of about 600 meters.
(GdV, domenica 10 marzo)