On a beautiful day in Italy, I decided I wanted to experience via ferrata in Lake Garda. The actual translation for this is iron way, and it is literally this, a way made of iron. Iron rungs and rope are added to the rock to supplement natural hand and foot holds. In the event you were to slip, your harness would break your fall. . . well falling too far!
These are very popular throughout Italy and were used in the First World War to help the Italian Allies move around easily whilst fighting. I was lucky enough to do this in an area which gave us the best views over Lake Garda in the north of Italy as well as being full of history and ruins from this era. During the climb you cross old walkways, fortifications and tunnels made during the First World War.
Via ferrata Cima Capi overlooks Lake Garda and the Ledro valley. It’s a 6km loop path with a point which gives you 360 degree views of the area but is not too demanding and suitable for beginners. However a reasonable level of fitness is necessary.
The morning started by driving into the village of Arco where Friends of Arco is based. Here we met the group that would our experience and our guide drove us approx 20 mins to the start of the walk at Biacesa di Ledro. We walked for about 1 hour to the start of the rope system.
Looking for other things to do in and around Lake Garda? Check out my post about horse riding.
Here we put on our safety equipment of a harness and a helmet and had a lesson from our guide. The one thing you had to remember was to always have at least one karabiner clipped onto the cable at any one time. When you reached a piton (the metal peg holding the cable to the rock) unclip one of the two karabiners and reattach it before moving the second. This way you will always have one karabiner attached to the cable at any time. Then we set off – clip, clip, move, unclip, clip, unlock, clip, move.
The climb up takes 45 mins – 60 mins depending on your speed. On many occasions we had fantastic views of the lake below and of the Dolomites. Just before the summit there is the 360 degree panorama with lovely clear views over the lake. If you dare, then lean back with no hands.
At the end of the cable, it is another 15 minutes to the highest point of the via ferrata. We stopped for lunch at the summit (929 meters) where there is an Italian flag and book in a metal box. A book for visitors to sign is found on many Alpine summits. The whole walk took approx 5 hours therefore allow 6 hours for the return trip.
Overall, this was a great experience and is an activity which is a little more exciting than just hiking. As this was my first time doing this, I decided to take part in a group. However, now that I am confident in doing via ferrata, I would hire the equipment and do it alone.
Please comment below if you have ever done via ferrata or similar before or any other advice on fun activities to do in Italy. Don’t forget to subscribe (It’s free!) to my blog for more posts like this and interesting travel tips.
Tips for this trip:
1/ Maps of the via ferrata routes throughout Italy are readily available on the internet. Hiring equipment is always easy in areas where this is popular.
2/ I undertook this tour with Friends of Arco. The cost of this trip is 80€ and for this you got a local guide, good equipment, insurance and no worries of getting lost. This trip runs with this company every Thursday at 8am. They have other trips on other days.
3/ Most people go to Lake Garda between May and September however the route I took is accessible all year round due to its low altitude.
4/ This is not for people who are scared of heights but is great for a whole range of ages. At times it was a bit like rock climbing but some parts were quite mild.
5/ You need to wear strong shoes, clothing for hiking and have a backpack with food and drink. In addition don’t forget a torch to explore the tunnels, a camera and sunscreen.
6/ if you are doing this without a tour you also need a helmet, climbing harness, a belay set and strong gloves to protect your hands from the cable. You can hire this equipment from Friends of Arco.
Well done on completing this climb! I was reading this post thinking it sounded pretty amazing, and those views would be incredible…. but it wasn’t until you actually mentioned that it may not be great for people scared of heights, that I started to rethink this adventure. It would be pretty cool to explore those tunnels and systems that were set up in the first world war. So maybe I could try and overcome the fear of heights in the name of delving into history! 🙂
Wow, where do you get the motivation from to take on such activities? I’d have been happy photographing Lake Garda! Interesting history, it must have been awful for the Italian soldiers climbing these during the brutal first world war. Having said where do you get the motivation from, the pictures you took from up there are incredible and very Instagram worthy!
This looks so fun and beautiful. I haven’t had any experience for such kind of climb, but would love to try. And even more with such amazing scenery around you. The nature in Italy is magnificent and what better way to enjoy it than climbing or hiking. Lovely post 🙂
What an epic adventure. Love the views from the top of the iron way! I’m way too scared of heights to do something like this. So I’ll just have to continue to live vicariously through you.
This pretty much looks like an all-in-one adventure here. You get to hike, climb and see such beautiful scenery. I like that it is such a fabulous view without being too high or being too challenging for non-climbers as such. The additional historical attraction of facets going back to World War I is also a great bonus. Sounds like an awesome day!
Two things I love very much: Italy and adventure. This looks like so much fun! And omg, those views. I’m a bit scared of heights but I’ll do juuuust about anything for the photo opp so I think I could gather enough strength for this one. 80 euros doesn’t seem outrageous either which is nice. Thanks so much for sharing!
Beautiful view of the lake from the peak. One would certainly enjoy the lunch after the climb! Really good pictures.
Thanks. The views really were amazing 🙂
Sounds like a fantastic experience.Though not something I would do as I am afraid of heights. The view is incredible tho.Well done on doing this. Thanks for the tips.
I was an absolutely wonderful experience 🙂