All good trail runs have ladders, right?

I came back to Northern Italy for the culture, the food, the wine, the adventure. Not always in that order.  Friend of mine from CO said, "Why you want to go that far away and spend that much money when you have great mountains in your back yard?"  No doubt great mountains in CO.  But there is something about trying something new.

Being a day ahead of my friends in Reva del Garda, it made sense to get some food, some beta on trail maps and perhaps a trail run.  Taking care of each, I ended up talking to GardaBikes bike guides for trail runs.  Suggestion #1 was run from apartment to Cima Giochello. Great the trailhead is steps from the apartment.

The run / hike basically goes west from Riva del Garda up Cima Rocchette.  The wide paver path wanders up past the Bastione, a fortress built in XVI Century.

Trailside memorial hollowed out of limestone wall. 

The Bastione. Does this look like a Pixar character to anyone else?

Pano from base of Pixar Bastione dude

Planned hike to Cima Geochella wrapped around then switched back up steep ridge. The hike up the ridge was steep and Sanitas Mt Goat trail like, except this went in for 4700 ft. 

The "Goat Trail" is not for the stumbling types specially given all the rocks roots.

Along the route, mostly up higher, there are various entrenchments. Guessing WW I. 

One of several entrenchments looking out the valley. 

Sometimes the views were not so bad. 

Well, you can read the summit sign. The top. 

Beautiful day. 

Via Ferrata ladders and rungs. Makes for interesting run down. 

Down the trail past Santa Barbara Church, a memorial to the miners that built the Hyrdoelectric plant in the 1930s. All in all a pretty great loop. Not many places in Colorado one can get nearly 5k ft in ten mile loop. 

Back in town. Cleaned up and ready for dinner