Badalìs Trail

A path that will lead you towards the traces of the Badalìs, a magical creature resembling a large green and brown lizard with four legs. It is an ancient being that breathes and hypnotizes with its mere gaze. It is green like the predominant color of this valley in summer, now covered by thick vegetation, and brown like the fir tree trunks that line the village of Montagne, a fraction of the Municipality of Cesiomaggiore.

Starting from Soranzen, one may encounter the stories involving the oratory, which now lies there, abandoned and forgotten amidst the greenery. Together with the Facino-Pasole villa, the Church of the Madonnetta remains a witness to a part of the past and the history of this little village.

Where the sign indicates Via Bordugo, the Badalìs reminds us of the hustle and bustle of people and animals, as it was a really important center: a sort of mountain industrial hub equipped with a hammer, sawmill, grinders, and wheels where cereals were processed and flours of all types were produced, as in Vèla, Ave, and Busa.

Continuing on, you may come across beautiful dry stone walls, but also ruins and overhanging wires: all signs of human presence in this territory. Nature has taken its course, but without completely erasing the signs of a past rich in stories.

You arrive at the village of Montagne, where time seems to have stopped in the 1950s: the houses remain the same, and fortunately, those that have been restored have retained their original essence. During World War II, there were as many as 250 inhabitants, with a dairy featuring 150 cows, an inn, schools, a cooperative, and long rows of vines (some can still be seen).

Along the path, one must be careful not to step on the tracks of the Mazharòl, a mischievous little spirit with a red hat. Finally, there is the possibility of passing near streams and fairy-like waterfalls where you may glimpse a beautiful anguana busy washing clothes or combing her long hair.

The path then brings you back to the starting point.