The No. 10 trail starts in the village of Velate, which is a very old hamlet, or castlery, that was part of the city of Varese. Velate is in a quiet, peaceful setting far from the busy streets of the city centre and other main roads. Our trail starts in the old part of the centre of the village at the junction of Via Duca d’Aosta and Via Piatti.

After following Via Piatti for just over half a mile, you reach Pian della Croce. Pian della Croce lies between Val di Casciago and Val Vignazza to the north of the village of Casciago. You will see a farmhouse called Cascina Zambella opposite the nature trail, just to the left of the No. 10 trail. 

Continuing onwards and going past the turning on the right for Valle della Barassina. The No. 10 trail now takes you to Cavernago where you will see the old Cavernago chalet. After a short climb we reach a large, sunny plateau where the characterful Cascina Caddè stands, an old lodge set in lovely rural surroundings encircled by meadows and with a spring gushing behind the archetypal country building. 

After just over half a mile you will find a glacial erratic right in the middle of the trail by a secondary turn-off that leads down to Cerro di Caldana, a hamlet next to the village of Cocquio-Trevisago. Dubbed “Sass Gross” (big stone) for its massive proportions. It was transported to its current position by the slow movements caused by the Ticino glacier during the Ice Age.

A few hundred yards further on we reach “Quattro Strade”. In addition to the No. 10 trail, there are two other turnings off: the trail that crosses the northern slopes of Mount Morto, and the northbound trail that crosses Mount Prà Camarée and leads to the No. 2 trail (Orino-Orino Fort) and to “Pian delle Noci”.

A little further on we come to two secondary trails on the right-hand side that head towards Orino; one goes to “Pian delle Noci” and the other to the sports field.

Next is a steep downhill stretch that leads to the unsurfaced track that links Cerro to Orino.

A left turning takes you to the characterful village of Cerro, next to Caldana, a hamlet near the village of Cocquio-Trevisago. The wood opens out after a few hundred yards onto a wide plateau where you will find the sports field belonging to the village of Orino, a small picnic area for day trippers, and just past that the large nursery garden run by the regional forestry commission. This nursery supplies the province of Varese with all the seedlings that are planted as part of the project to improve the forests, and also sells to the general public.

DETAILS:

• Duration: 4 ore
• Distance: 12 km
• Difficult: easy
• Altitude: 150 mt.
• Starting point: Velate
• Arrival point: Orino
• Parking: yes