Walking in the Marcesina Plain that bewitched Mario Rigoni Stern

"But will there still be lovers who on a winter night will take a sled pulled by a generous horse across the moonlit Marcesina plain? If not, how sad the world would be." The sentence is by Mario Rigoni Stern, who dedicated it precisely to the Marcesina Plain, which in winter gives unexpected views and glimpses in which, on the snowy bottom, one can encounter the traces of wildlife that does not abandon even in the coldest months one of the most striking corners of the Plateau.
An "out-of-this-world" world even though it is only a few kilometers away from the center of Enego and that, thanks to the groomed pedestrian trails alongside those for cross-country skiing, can be frequented even now despite the fact that the entire area is covered by a white blanket of soft snow.
The starting point is the Valmaron refuge, run by the Meneghini family and open year-round. From here you set off on foot or with snowshoes, following the marked trails (avoiding trampling on the cross-country slopes) northward with the majestic Cima Portule, Cima XII, Ortigara and Cima d'Asta as well as some of the smaller Dolomites in front of you. Crossing the great expanse of Valmaron with an undemanding route, except for a few climbs, one encounters the first malghe (shepherd's huts), which in summer produce the excellent dairy products for which the plateau area is famous.
Continue toward the Trentino border, entering the territory of Grigno and arriving in the locality of Barricata where three roads branch off: the first leads to the famous "Cave of Ernesto" where remains have been found that confirm the frequentation of the place by a prehistoric human settlement that is momentarily no longer visitable; the second leads to malga Scura where in summer you can find the Malghese Genny and the Marcesina cheese that since 2018 boasts a registered trademark that gives it value and identity; the third arrives at the Barricata refuge from where to reach the "Aquila di Vaia" created by the Roana sculptor Marco Martalar.
From Rifugio Barricata one heads first west then south to enter properly the Marcesina Plain by crossing Bosco dei Laghetti and Busa Menotto until reaching malga Buson. Continuing south one encounters a former military cemetery and then turns slightly southeast to reach the Marcesina hotel on whose facade is walled a plaque bearing the very inscription of Mario Rigoni Stern.
A few tens of meters behind the hotel, in the direction of malga Marcesina, is the small church of San Lorenzo built near the former Italian-Austrian military cemetery and dedicated to Lieutenant Raffaele Stasi, where there are still several tombstones made in memory of some of the fallen.
Two routes can be taken from the small church for the return. The first and shorter one goes over the Forcellona, points toward malga secondo lotto Valmaron and in a short time you are back at the Valmaron refuge. The other road first leads south toward the Marcesina refuge and Casonetti locality where you encounter old buildings once used by lumberjacks and now converted into small huts given in concession by the Municipality of Enego. From here turn east following the road, leaving locality Sasso di Valmaron and the Menderli forest to the right and reaching malga third lot Valmaron to then arrive in front of the Valmaron refuge and the end of the hike. A short distance away is also Fort Lisser, restored a decade ago, which can be visited by making a reservation at the Pro loco.
In the spring months, when the snow has fallen and the grass has not yet grown, it is possible to glimpse among the pastures the remains of ancient mountain pastures, some - according to the most recent studies - dating back over a thousand years. The particular orography also has created wetlands, the peat bogs of Palù di San Lorenzo and Palù di Sotto, which in summer have rare plant species of a marshy nature including small carnivorous plants such as Drosera rotundifolia. In winter, on the other hand, again due to its particular characteristics, the plain undergoes strong thermal inversions with the stagnation of cold air, leading to very low temperatures that have given Marcesina the name "Finland of Italy."