Calà del Sasso, the longest stairway in Italy
A stairway of 4,444 stone steps climbing from the Valbrenta to the Asiago Plateau inside a wooded gully: the longest in Italy.
- Difficulty
- E Hiking
- Length
- 6.6 km
- Elevation gain
- +720 m / −720 m
- Time
- 4–4.5 hours round trip
- Route
- Out and back
- Altitude
- 234–971 m
- Season
- Spring Autumn
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The story
It was built at the end of the 14th century to bring timber down from the plateau: the logs slid down a chute beside the steps, were then lashed into rafts and floated down the Brenta to Venice, which needed them for the Arsenal and for the city's foundations.
Why go
Because it is a monument to the ingenuity of mountain people, and climbing it step by step is an experience you will not forget.
Practical information
- Start
- Valstagna, Valbrenta (CAI trail 778)
- Finish
- Sasso di Asiago (Casera Lobba); back the same way
- Best time
- April–June and September–November
- Parking
- In Valstagna, near the mouth of the valley.
- By public transport
- Bassano–Trento train to Carpanè-Valstagna.
- Water
- One fountain on the way up; otherwise bring your own.
- Shade
- Woodland for almost the whole route.
- Huts and refreshments
- None: bars in Valstagna and Sasso.
- With children
- With fit children: over 700 metres of climbing, almost all of it on steps.
Weather at the start
The forecast for the next 7 days at this spot: sky, temperatures, rain and wind.
Forecast by Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), from the models of national weather services. Your browser downloads it directly from Open-Meteo, and only when you ask. In the mountains and at sea the weather changes quickly: check the official forecast as well before you set off.
What to see on the route and nearby
After the hike, into the water
More hikes in Veneto
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- 2Lago di Sorapis from the Passo Tre CrociE 10.5 km · +730 m · 4–4.5 hours · out and back
- 3★ Road of the 52 Tunnels on the PasubioEE 10.6 km · +1210 m · 5–6 hours · point to point
- 4★ Cansiglio Forest loopT 17.2 km · +420 m · 4.5–5 hours · loop
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- 6From the Passo Giau to the Rifugio NuvolauE 6.1 km · +410 m · 3.5 hours round trip · out and back
- 7★ Lago di Limides from the Passo FalzaregoT 3.1 km · +80 m · 1–1.5 hours round trip · out and back
- 8Lago di Misurina circuitT 3.2 km · +30 m · 45 minutes – 1 hour · loop
- 9★ Monte Piana, the open-air Great War museumE 10.6 km · +750 m · 4–4.5 hours round trip · out and back
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Routes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via Waymarked Trails and BRouter; elevations from a digital terrain model. Times and elevation gains are indicative: waymarks on the ground and closure orders always take precedence.