Ormanico Loop
Hiking trail • San Martino di Castrozza, Passo Rolle, Primiero and Vanoi
Ormanico Loop
This hike is an easy and well-marked loop around the built-up area of Transacqua, on the bottom of Valle del Primiero. Despite being a very short tour around the town, it still offers some beautiful views of neighbouring towns like Fiera di Primiero, Transacqua, and Ormanico, as well as Pale di San Martino and Vette Feltrine.
The Sentiero delle Càore (Path of the Goats) was used in the past to bring the goats out of the city to graze in the high grounds, during summer. The first part of the loop passes through Via delle Miniere. At the edges of the town of Transacqua it is in fact still possible to see the last active mine of Primiero (Stol). During the 15th and 16th centuries, the mineral resources of the valley – mainly iron and silver – were used mainly by Austrian families for trading purposes. After being sold to the Welsperg family in 1572 AD, the Stol mine remained active until 1866 under the jurisdiction of the Austrian government. It was later used as a deposit to store fresh goods from a local bar (Bellavista) until the middle of the last century. The two main entrances of the mine are still visible from the hike, while continuing toward the Sentiero delle Càore, you can admire the capital of Santa Barbara (protector of miners).
