Dam of Noana Loop

A large part of the itinerary takes place along the paved road, which connects the village of Imèr (Case Bianche) with the hut of Rifugio Fonteghi, called SP221. However, given the absolute quiet characterizing the area, the stretch along the road has neither a negative impact on the beauty nor the peace of the loop.

The trail starts from the location of Póit (1,185 m asl), located along the road that from Mezzano leads to the picturesque pastures of San Giovanni. From Póit, follow the Signpost No. 726, in a first uphill stretch on a paved road, towards the hut called Rifugio Fonteghi. After crossing the green meadows of Ìneri, the gravel road “Val de Riva” becomes a comfortable path that descends along the forest leading straight to the stream of Noana, on the bottom of the valley.

Previously quite problematic to cover, especially during the rainy seasons, the stream can be now easily crossed, given the presence of a cable-stayed bridge “Val de Riva”, about 70 meters long and 30 meters high. From the bridge, it is possible to watch over the very beginning of the basin of Val Noana (1,015 m asl). Before the dam was built, the valley where the lake would have risen had a depth that reached up to 80 meters. Because of that, the valley was called Val Fondada (tr. deep valley). Crossing the bridge, still proceeding along the Signpost No. 726, after a slight ascent, the trail arrives by the meadows of the location of Agaón, where it merges into the paved road leading towards the hut of Rifugio Fonteghi.

After crossing the bridge over the beautiful gorge of the Rio Nèva near the hut, the itinerary reaches Rifugio Fònteghi (1,110 m asl), where it continues along the paved road SP221 running along the edge of the lake, until reaching the dam. The dam, 126 m high and 143.5 m wide, was completed by Enel in 1958; it was one of the last important hydroelectric infrastructure built in Primiero. The Val Noana power plant, located at the entrance of the valley of Schenèr, with its 55 MW power, is the most powerful power plant in the area, given the impressive jump (400 meters) between the basin and the turbine.

Once crossed the dam, the route follows a small path that goes up along the slopes of the lake, touching the pastures of San Giovanni, and converging into the Signpost No. 728, which leads directly back to the starting point.

Although this hike is not demanding and suitable for everyone, we recommend avoiding it to those who suffer from vertigo. In fact, both the passage on the Tibetan bridge and the one on the dam, despite being extremely protected and safe, might result in being quite exposed.