The best walks and hikes around Conco

This large concrete tank pumps water from the springs of the Oliero Caves, thanks to an aqueduct that exceeds 1000m of altitude, and then distributes it throughout the Asiago Plateau: up here in fact the territory is karst, so it does not retain the water that flows downstream through underground passages... practically the same water from rain and snow that naturally flows from the summit, is artificially made to rise out of necessity! The current aqueduct and tank were built on the traces of a system already built during the First World War, to overcome the primary problem of water supply to the Plateau, which presented itself in all its gravity during the conflict, both due to the exponential growth in the number of men present at altitude, and due to the dispute over the few springs by the opposing adversaries. Considered by many to be a horrible structure, for me it is a suggestive, totally detached brutalist architecture, positioned in a natural and uncontaminated environment: a fascinating contrast!

Col d'Asiago offers a beautiful and privileged panoramic point on the underlying Canale del Brenta, or the narrow and deep terminal part of Valsugana. But the view extends over the Asiago Plateau and the entire skyline of mountains that border it to the north, the Grappa Massif to the east and the mouth of Val Brenta. In the distance, the Piccole Dolomiti, the Pale di San Martino and the Vette Feltrine. Precisely because of its strategic position, during the First World War it was a strongly armed Italian defensive bastion and decisive in various phases of the conflict. The peak is also known locally by the ancient and dialect toponym 'Col del S-ciavo', dating back to the time of the Serenissima: on the slopes of the hill in fact the 'schiavoni' (i.e. the non-Latin inhabitants of the dominions of Dalmatia and the Venetian hinterland) cut wood for the naval fleet; the trunks (especially beech trees) were lowered down the valley through the famous and nearby Calà del Sasso; they were then loaded onto rafts that went down the entire Brenta, until they reached the lagoon and the Arsenale of Venice. A large concrete cistern dominates the summit, collecting the water pumped from the Oliero Caves, 1000m further downstream, and distributing it to the Plateau.

Italian gallery of the First World War, about eighty meters long, which at a certain point branches off and leads to two observation/shooting posts, as well as to the line of trenches that runs along the ridge of the Asiago Plateau, in a dominant position over the valley below. It extends under Col d'Asiago, which during the conflict was an important defensive bastion, heavily armed with artillery along the entire line of hills and which came into action several times: from here the Plateau was controlled to the north-west, the Brenta Canal to the north-east, the Grappa to the east.

The Bosco Littorio was planted in 1927, hence its fascist-inspired name. It was one of 14 "gardens" where spruce saplings (over one hundred thousand!) were grown on a planned basis to repopulate and restore the forest heritage of the Asiago Plateau, which had been severely damaged during the First World War. During the conflict, 35% of the forests were destroyed and 49% damaged, leaving only 15% untouched! The new, young, all-spruce forests, of identical species and age, inevitably changed the plateau's environment, fragile compared to the ancient and diverse, ancient forests. What remains of the original forest is a captivating environment where spruce trees coexist with characteristic karst rock outcrops.

Concrete basin from the First World War, located on the edge of an important crossroads of military roads, which served to water the mules of the Italian troops heading to the trenches of the Tre Monti and the stronghold of Col d'Astiago. In the karst and permeable territory of the Asiago Plateau, water was a rare and precious commodity: here it was taken and pumped from the springs of Laverda and Oliero. Col del Termine Rotto owes its name to the border disputes that for centuries have pitted the mountain populations (Asiago Plateau) against those of the valley floor (Canale di Brenta). To put an end to these tensions, on 14 November 1681 a delegate of the Serenissima established the appurtenances of the two communities and reinstated the border on the disputed hill: a few dozen metres from the basin there is a stone boundary stone (the 'Termine dei Tre Confini') where the territories of the municipalities of Conco (since 2019 Lusiana Conco), Campolongo and Valstagna converge (since 2019 both united in the scattered municipality of Valbrenta).

Crazy view on the Bassano valley

On the slopes west of the top of Monte Campolongo, some deep trenches called "trinceroni" are easily visible to those walking in these areas. These are military positions built during the First World War and, although they were supposed to serve as the last Italian defensive bastion, they had no role during the last phase of the conflict because the last offensives stopped on Monte Grappa.

Although marked on several itineraries, this section is essentially impassable. Better to climb from the power station along the fence.