Le contrade di Badia Calavena e la pala eolica del Monte Pecora

The beautiful square of Badia Calavena, with the ancient cloister of the abbey enriching the charming context, is the starting point of this long itinerary, which consists of two parts that can also be separated, with the hill of San Pietro and Monte Pecora being the two main highlights.

From the square, the asphalted road alongside the church is climbed for two hairpin turns, and then the steep path dedicated to Lucio III, a medieval pope who visited the Val d'Illasi during his pontificate, is followed. Halfway up the hill, the ascent pauses for several hundred meters, where a comfortable flat path emerges from the dense forest and allows for a splendid view of the wide valley below. At a small spring, the ascent resumes sharply until reaching the summit church dedicated to San Pietro, which stands on the remains of an early settlement of friars and the foundations of a medieval castle.

Continuing along the dirt road, one arrives at contrada Campanari and, while keeping to the ridge and ignoring the many intersections, first reaches contrada Seri and then below Monte Pecora, dominated by the imposing structure of the wind generator active since 2008. As one ascends toward the summit, the dimensions of the structure become apparent, towering over a hundred meters with the blades aligned with the tower; from Monte Pecora, the view is stunning, spanning from the Euganean Hills to the plains and up to the pre-Alpine peaks.

The itinerary continues descending toward the South, alongside the underlying contrada Righetti until reaching the distinct height of Il Casin, then following a dirt road that winds through the wooded valleys near Val dei Molini until reaching the abandoned contrada Signoretti and the large contrada Volpi, which is still inhabited today. The mass of Monte Pecora is ever-present along the route, which continues along the asphalted road to complete the circumnavigation of the mountain and then resumes the path toward the locality Seri; upon reaching the contrada, one turns left and, following the dirt road in the broadleaf forest, arrives at the picturesque locality Giri, known today for hosting the terraced Brolo delle Biodiversità below, a special cultivation of very rare ancient mountain fruit varieties. Following the dirt road quickly returns to the asphalt, at the height of a lush spring with an attached basin; continuing to the right, one climbs back to Campanari and then to the Church of San Pietro, where one will return to Badia Calavena along the outbound path.