The Segonzano high altitude farmhouses

<p>The Segonzano high altitude farmhouse complexes Gaggio, Gresta and Volcavo: tiny Segonzano villages with a profound sense of identity</p>

<p>The route begins in the hamlet of Valcava, at an altitude of just under 1000 metres, on the border with the Piné high plateau. Valcava is made up of three groups of houses, Piani, Tirli and Caloneghi. The main nucleus, Piani, is made up of a dozen or so houses, a church dedicated to its guardian angels, a small graveyard and, until a few decades ago, a school house, too.</p> <p>From here the route follows a forest footpath to Santuario della Madonna dell’Aiuto built by the family which owned the land in Prato in the late 17th century as a simple devotional chapel. Over subsequent centuries it has been restored and enlarged many times with enlargement work in 1956-61 which gave it its current appearance.</p> <p>The itinerary continues along Rivo di Gaggio to Gresta where the wild Avisio stream coexists with majestic rocks, terraced fields carved out of the wild landscape and steep forested slopes hosting a few of the valley’s most majestic chestnut trees.</p> <p>It then continues in the direction of Gaggio, a clump of houses around the road to the hamlet and its square, the heart of the hamlet. The population of this small village of narrow streets and historic farmhouses is just under 50. If you go through the village a stop to take a look at Mirtilla farm – an organic business which farms one hectare of small terraced plots around the farmhouse for over twenty years.</p> <p>The return journey to Valcava is a pleasant forest footpath.</p>