The central section of the Vigilius Trail is ideal for a spring hike: highlights are the awakening of nature and some historical and cultural features along the trail
Image gallery: Sentiero San Vili path
The "Sentiero San Vili" (Percorso di San Vigilio) is a 107 km long hiking trail that connects Trento with Madonna di Campiglio and has total elevation gain of more than 3,700 metres. The path follows an ancient Roman trail which, according to the tradition, was covered by Vigilius ('San Vili'), the bishop and patron of Trento. For our spring hike we choose the central section of this long, easily accessible itinerary connecting Tavodo to Stenico in an almost two hour walk.
From the wonderful church of St. Maria Assunta di Tavodo we follow the signposts of the "SV" trail towards
Stenico. After a few hundred metres we leave the asphalt road and continue on an initially steep and later on flat forest path. In April the undergrowth is blossoming. After the forest we reach the village of Sclema and continue along a provincial road through the meadows towards the hamlet of Seo. The path offers a view of the sunny fields of Bleggio and returns to the wood where a truly unique itinerary, the Bosco Arte di Stenico begins. The latter is an authentic outdoor Land Art museum: between the trees by the wayside of the forest path, we find numerous wooden sculptures representing imaginary creatures and animals.
The most interesting installation of the path however, is the castle of Stenico (Castello di Stenico) in the eponymous village. A visit allows you to retrace the century-long history of Trentino: for almost 800 years, in fact, the castle was inhabited by a Capitano who exercised the function of a political and administrative authority in the Valli Giudicarie on behalf of the prince bishop. We recommend taking the same path back to Tavodo.
Author: AT
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- Starting point:
- Tavodo (parking space, bus stop)
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- Overall time:
- 03:10 h
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- Total route length:
- 10,6 km
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- Altitude:
- from 591 m to 828 m
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- Altitude difference:
- +432 m | -432 m
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- Route:
- Tavodo - Sclemo - Seo - Bosco Arte (Art Forest) - Stenico – Stenico Castle
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- Signposts:
- "Sentiero San Vili" from Tavodo to Stenico
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- Destination:
- Stenico
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- Recommended time of year:
- Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
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- Download GPX track:
- Sentiero San Vili path
If you want to do this hike, we suggest you to check the weather and trail conditions in advance and on site before setting out.
