After seven long years of having pulled up stakes and moved to Puglia, I finally returned to the tiny hamlet of Faedo, deep in the heart of the Parco Regionale dei Colli Euganei (Regional Park of the Euganean Hills), for my very first trek along the challenging Trail-1 since I relocated back to the Veneto in northeastern Italy.
Founded in 1989, the park is the very first regional park of the Veneto and the protected home to 81 prehistoric-looking peaks of volcanic origin, that rise above flat, fertile agricultural land inside an elliptical perimeter covering approximately 19k hectares and enclosing 15 towns, including Abano Terme, my newly-adopted hometown and one of its gateway communities.
Thirty-one well-marked rustic trails wind their way through the Euganean Hills for heart-pounding treks. It’s the perfect tonic for those looking to explore the great outdoors. Just lace ‘em up and go.
Trattorias and farm-to-fork agri-restaurants (al Peraretto and al Rio are front and center) await you at the end of a long strenuous hike; or, spend some time traveling along the Strada del Vino Colli Euganei (Wine Road) to sample some of the prized DOC-rated varietals harvested and bottled in the hills — bubbly serprino, dry moscato, fior d’arancio, cabernet, merlot and sauvignon to name but a few — and cold-pressed extra virgin olive oils, on offer at numerous cantine (wineries) and frantoi (olive mills) that pepper the route.
Now, back to my Trail-1 antics. Leading the way and serving as my Sherpa, Andy Fox — aka Andrea Volpe — set the pace through Monte Brècale, across the vineyards of Ca’ Lustra, then up, up, up until we reached the top of Monte Gallo.
Four-and-half hours later, we returned to the carpark at Faedo’s own Trattoria al Rio — too bad it was closed — pretty much spent, as we pounded out 20k+ steps over a 14.28km course with a caloric burn of 745Kcal. 🤗
©️ThePalladianTraveler
Lovely description of a very special place. 💚