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Car park near the Museo Internazionale del Vetro d’Arte e delle Terme (International Museum of Glass Art and Spas) on Via Enrico Fermi in Montegrotto Terme.
(S/E) With your back to the road, take the path leading up through the grass, as close as possible to the museum, to reach the picnic tables under the trees. Take the path to the left of the Nordic walking sign. Cross the bridge and follow the winding path up to a Fork in the road (not shown on the map) with a small memorial stone.
(1) Turn left. At the top, continue to the left and then ignore the path on your right. At the next fork in the road, continue to the right. Pass through a clearing. At the fork near an abandoned vineyard, turn left, entering the woodland until you reach another fork (not shown on the map).
(2) Keep to your left and head downhill. Be careful: a stream runs alongside the path. At the junction, at the entrance to an old quarry, continue to the left towards the wooden railing. The path becomes a road; carry on downhill. At the house, turn right. At the junction, go straight on along the track marked by a road sign and a chain at the entrance. Walk for about 350 m and look out for a path on your right (not shown on the map).
(3) Take this path uphill through the trees. At the top, turn left. Walk down the path for 500 m and, just before a house, take the hairpin bend on your right. Walk uphill, leave the woods, pass some olive trees, then, in front of a house and at the junction, turn right. Walk past some vineyards and enter the woodland. Walk uphill, leave the woodland again and walk alongside another vineyard until you reach the middle of it.
(4) Turn right and cross the vineyard. Enter the woodland again. Then emerge from under the trees, ignoring the paths on your right (not shown on the map), and walk to the crossroads. View of Monte Ceva and its cross: that’s where you’ll be heading shortly. Take the road leading downhill on your left. Then keep to your right and go through the gate at the side of the portico.
(5) Walk down the road and, at the junction, cross carefully to continue straight on along Via Monte Ceva (a dead-end road). Walk along this road, against the flow of traffic, until you reach a wayside shrine on your left. Take the path running behind it. Walk uphill following the main path until you reach the junction with an information board.
(6) Turn left. Head uphill, keeping to your left, until you reach the cross at the top of Monte Ceva. 360° view. With your back to the cross, take the path heading south-east. At the Fork in the road by the rocks with small cacti, take the path on the right. This will take you round the ridges on the right. The descent is secured with ropes in places.
(7) At the T-junction, turn left. Then keep to your right. Descend over the bleached lava and walk to a path with a railing.
(8) Take this path heading to the right, cross a meadow, enter the woodland and turn right at the T-junction. Further on, go round the gate and pass an abandoned house. Walk along the main path until you have to go round another gate. Turn right and follow the gravel path for 700 m, until you reach the information boards and a wooden gate on your right.
(9) Take the path on the right and, at the junction, take the sunken path, ignoring the path on the right. At the clearing, continue to the left. At the next fork, keep to the left. The path turns left. At the gate, continue to the right. At the large clearing with picnic tables, turn right and follow the path that continues past the tables. Climb up through the woodland and, further up, you’ll find a viewpoint overlooking Battaglia. Continue to a T-junction.
(10) Head up to the right and begin the long and challenging climb back down. Pass the monastery ruins. Keep to the right and take the path with the log railing. At the three-way junction, turn left and then keep to the left. Walk out into the open and continue along the path. Pass a signpost marking Monte Gnocozzo.
(11) Continue along the main path, ignoring the path on the right a little further on. Stay on the ridge path. Then ignore the two paths on your right (not shown on the map) and continue the climb. At the top, continue to the left. Follow the path until you reach the information board from the outward journey.
(6) Head back down the path to the left of the sign until you reach the wayside shrine. At the road, turn right. At the junction, cross carefully and take Via Monte Nero (a dead-end road) straight ahead.
(5) Walk up the road towards “La Bettola”, ignoring the barrier you passed on the way there. Continue uphill and walk past a wayside cross. After the house, opposite the wayside cross, leave the path on your right. Then ignore the paths further on to your left. Walk between the restaurant and the terrace, until you reach the corner of the building.
(12) Turn right behind the bar. Head downhill, keeping to your left.
(2) At the junction, turn left. Go uphill and then keep to your right. Come out into the open and walk alongside the vineyards. Join a path coming out of the woods and continue to the right. At the Fork in the road, leave the route you took on the way there and turn left, until you reach a wooden railing.
(13) Head downhill to the right and, at the bottom, continue to the right. The path curves sharply to the left. Cross an open area and you’ll come to a bench.
(14) Take the path next to the bench, heading to the right. At the bottom, turn right and head downhill. At the stony track, cross diagonally to the left and take the path opposite. Head downhill towards the gate near the museum. Go through it, walk past the museum and then return to the car park (S/E).
Great app that I use in addition to iGN Rando.
