San Martino di Castrozza is the first area in Italy to participate in the "Barefoot Trail" project of the Barefoot Academy "Il silenzio dei passi," founded by writer and barefooter Andrea Bianchi.
Barefoot Trail
Barefoot Trails are paths, already part of the local trail network, that can be explored, at least partially, barefoot, without any particular difficulty, even by those with no barefoot hiking experience. Three trails have been mapped in San Martino di Castrozza, identified and marked in collaboration with the Barefoot Academy "Il silenzio dei passi" (The Silence of Steps). They are accompanied by video tutorials that can be viewed using QR codes on the signs at the trailheads:
- Sentiero del Cervo (Deer Trail) – from Malga Ces (+250m | 3.2 km)
- Piani della Cavallazza (Cavallazza Plain) – from Malga Ces (+470m | 6.3 km)
- Sentiero del Cacciatore (Hunter Trail) - Maso Col (+370m | 4 km)
Among these, the "Sentiero del Cervo" (Deer Trail) in particular is a truly educational barefoot trail, particularly suited to practicing barefoot walking in nature. Along the trail, there are stations with QR codes to view specific barefoot exercises to perform on site.
BAREFOOT OF THE FEDAIE MUSES
Starting in summer 2022, the new barefoot trail of the Fedaie Muses in Val Canali awaits you, with a maintained trail mowed specifically for barefoot walking. This 100% natural experience is also enhanced by an unmissable sensory trail, an installation dedicated to the "times of the soil." At the Wood dedicated to Gea, above Villa Welsperg, it's possible to experience barefoot walking, combining the different sensations offered by different materials. Starting from the most recent layer, the litter composed of leaves, seeds, and twigs, we move to the humus layer, originating from the partial degradation of organic material, and so on to the successive horizons where the organic material is joined by silt, sand, clay, and, deeper down, increasingly numerous and larger pebbles until reaching the parent rock. These soils derive from the erosion of the rock by the glacier, whose retreat, around 12,000 years ago, marked the beginning of its history.
Sensory trail + grassy area = 700m
barefoot hiking
Barefoot hiking is the practice of walking barefoot. Walking barefoot is an experience made up of mechanics, physical and mental strength, emotions, concentration, poetry, and silence. Taking off your shoes and walking barefoot along a flat wooded path, a dewy meadow, or the natural steps of a high-altitude trail, and learning to feel the heat flow of the sun-exposed stone and its different textures under the soles of your bare feet: all this is within everyone's reach, and it doesn't take much to relearn how to walk barefoot.
Walking barefoot in nature develops mental focus and bodily balance, improves blood circulation, and above all, deepens your connection to the Earth. (from ilsilenziodeipassi.it) The Barefoot Academy "Il silenzio dei passi" "Il silenzio dei passi" is the first school in Italy for barefoot hiking, founded by writer and barefooter Andrea Bianchi. Taking its name and inspiration from the book of the same name ("Il silenzio dei passi", Andrea Bianchi, Ediciclo 2016), it aims to introduce people to barefoot walking in nature, understood as a practice of mental and physical well-being accessible to all and ideal for fostering reconnection with nature and with oneself.
Andrea Bianchi
He leads barefoot walking workshops everywhere, from the Dolomites to the Via Francigena, and is a leading figure in barefoot hiking in Italy. In 2017, he founded "Il silenzio dei passi" (ilsilenziodeipassi.it), the first Italian barefoot hiking school, which promotes barefoot walking as a practice of mental and physical well-being accessible to all, to reconnect with the Earth's energies but also to learn to become internally light and silent. On September 16, 2018 - in Villa Welsperg, in Val Canali - he set the record for the longest single line in the world of barefoot people in the mountains, to promote a more respectful and conscious relationship with Nature. A scholar and yoga practitioner, when he wears shoes he is an engineer and communications consultant, journalist, founder and editor of the online magazine MountainBlog, one of the most followed websites on the world of mountains and outdoor sports. His latest book, published in 2020 by Vallardi, is The Cold Way to Happiness, of which the German language edition was published in March 2021 by Lűbbe Life. He has previously published three books on the philosophy and benefits of walking barefoot in Nature: With the Earth beneath your feet (2018) for Mondadori, Barefoot (2017) and
