The best walks and hikes around Monte Di Malo

View of the plain. Places to visit

The Buso della Rana is the largest cave in the Veneto region and one of the most extensive in Italy, with a network of caves stretching almost 30 km in total (40 km including the Pissatèla complex above, to which it is connected). Located beneath the Faedo-Casaròn Plateau, it is an intricate karst system that collects and channels the plateau's waters into the Rio Rana, which flows at the entrance. It was formed when rainwater seeps into the permeable limestone surface layer and, encountering the underlying impermeable basalt (volcanic rock), flows laterally, eroding the rock. Over millions of years, this has created a complex labyrinth of horizontal tunnels, chambers, chimneys, siphons, and small lakes traversed by underground streams. Because it drains the plateau's waters, the cave is subject to flash floods, making exploration treacherous. Inside, the temperature remains constant between 10 and 12°C year-round. It is freely accessible through the monumental entrance and by proceeding along the Main Branch for about fifty meters, until reaching the first flooded corridor or Siphon, a horizontal constriction that requires crawling. From there, it is the preserve of speleologists or exciting and adventurous guided tours organized by associations like Biosphera (see link). The internal branches are not marked, and one must know the way. The name of the cave has nothing to do with the amphibian, but is an Italianized term from the Cimbrian word "roan," meaning "rocky wall," referring to the cliff at the entrance. https://www.busodellarana.it https://esplora.biosphaera.it/luoghi/buso-della-rana/

Panoramic excursion near Cornedo Vicentino

Nice hike

Along this path you will find centuries-old and spectacular chestnut trees ('maronàri' in the Venetian dialect), planted between the 16th and 18th centuries, with twisted trunks and a regal appearance: the three oldest specimens are Gerolamo, 350 years old, Mattio, 450 years old, and Iseppo, 400 years old! The cultivation of chestnut trees has very ancient traditions in this area, where the volcanic soil offered the ideal habitat for the growth of these trees: along the path you can in fact see the sasso moro, or the black basaltic stone typical of areas of lava origin. The wood was used for many purposes, while the chestnuts were used to make flour, an important source of sustenance for the locals. https://www.visitmontedimalo.it/it/territorio/natura-e-ambiente/antichi-maronari

A beautiful and ancient manor house in Contrà Mondini di Sopra, which maintains its original appearance: the two stone heads that decorate the facade are very particular, and which seem to represent a king and a queen... perhaps a whim of the ancient owners, who had their portraits painted (?).

Faedo full of paths of various types

Monte Sojo (in the Vicenza dialect) or Soglio (in Italian) is a large rocky spur 700m above sea level. The summit offers a wide panorama of the Alto Vicentino, the Pedemontana, the entrance to the Val Leogra and the Piccole Dolomiti that surround it: Pasubio, Novegno and Summano. Precisely because of its dominant position and the view it offers, during the First World War it was integrated into the defensive line of Ortogonale 1: after the offensive of 1916, when the danger of an Austro-Hungarian advance towards the plain became concrete, it became a stronghold with numerous loopholes, observation posts and positions for light weapons dug into the rock.