Long-distance paths have acquired quite a following in the past few decades.  In the US you have ways like the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail standing as the Big Three.  There are plenty of other long-distance paths to spend days upon days on, as well, such as the Arizona Trail, the Green Mountain Trail, and on and on.  Of course, the American examples pale in number when compared to the Old World.

EUROPEAN LONG-DISTANCE PATHS

It was in 1938 when the first of the European long-distance paths began, the National Blue Trail – Országos Kéktúra or OKT.  The trail has grown a bit from its original 910-kilometer length to 1172.4 kilometers gaining some 31,460 vertical meters.  Following the post-WW 2 recovery, other European countries got into the swing of creating long-distance trails. 

Maybe no country is as famous as France with its system of Grande Rondonnées which literally crisscross every corner of the land.  To meld the long-distance paths of various countries together into super trails, the European Ramblers Association, started in Germany in 1969, has worked in a spirit of European Unity to create the E-path system.  Twelve different paths combine many different countries in a pan-Europe trail system.

Several of these long-distance paths take on a theme for sections, at least.  E-3 includes the Camino de Santiago – the Way of St. James – as it runs through France and Spain.  The French and Spanish portions of the Way lie posted on the UNESCO World Heritage List for their historical significance as a major pilgrimage route.

Another group came together in 2000 to create a system of long-distance paths encircling the Alps, the Via Alpina.  Red is the color used for the main route with other trails noted in blue, green, yellow, and purple to include other alternate regions of the mountain chain to visit.  Two sections of separate Alpine countries also incorporated into the Via Alpina have their own aficionados – the GR 5 of France and the Grande Traversata delle Alpi, the mirror image of GR 5 on the Italian side of the western arch of the Alps.

LONG-DISTANCE PATHS OF PEACE

Other parts of history gain their own paths of memory.  One such system remembers the conflicts of World War 1 – la Grande Guerra – along the spread-out alpine fronts in which armies of Italy fought men from the Austria-Hungary mix of central Europe.  There are three long-distance paths which developed separately within the three nations through which the fronts ran – Italy, Austria and Slovenia.

First came the Karnischer Höhenweg – Carnic Alp High Path, a path running along the Austro-Italian border atop the Kärnischer Alps.  At 150 kilometers, the trail also known as the Friedensweg or Peace Path, stays high on top of the Carnic Alps.  Like its sister trails in Italy and Slovenia, the Höhenweg offers history mixed in with magnificent geology and mountain scenery.  The trail takes 8 to 11 days. 

Developed by Walter Schaumann, an ex-colonel in the Austrian army and son of a World War 1 veteran, he founded the influential Dolomitenfreunde – Friedenswege/La vie della pace.  He served as construction manager for the development of the Friedensweg from 1973 until 2004 between the Col di Lana and Plöckenpaß.  In Italy, he helped develop the open-air museum found atop Monte Piano near Cortina de Ampezzo.  Also, he helped develop the open-air museum at Plöckenpaß in the Carnic Alps.  A true student of the World War along the Italian front, Schaumann wrote several books about the history and hiking possibilities.

imitation is the best form of flattery

Inspired, the Italian government of the Autonomous Province of Trentino developed the Peace Path – Sentiero della pace – between 1986 and 1990.  The 520 plus kilometer path added on another 82 plus kilometers with a new section in the altipiano – high plateau – of the Seven Communes – Asiago, Ortigara.  You cover some glorious terrain by walking the entire path. 

The third path covering the main theater of fighting along the Italian front is the Pot miru – Path of Peace.  This developed in Slovenia in 2000.  The government initiated a special non-profit organization – Walk of Peace in the Soča Region Foundation.  Working with various governmental agencies and local communities, the Foundation has been instrumental in creating a trail system of 230 kilometers of long-distance paths running from Log pod Mangartom in the middle of the Julian Alps south to the port city of Trieste on the Adriatic.  Not simply one path here, the Pot miru includes several branches and loops to cover most of the various zones of the 1915 to late 1917 Isonzo front.

CARNIC FRIEDENSWEG

I have little experience with this long ridge walk.  Here, I send you the way of John Hayes.  John is a long-distance advocate who has written several guidebooks for Cicerone Press. 

He describes the path in vivid detail in his book The Karnischer Höhenweg.  He also has information written up on his blogpost site.  I have long looked at maps thinking a trail along the ridge would be fascinating for both the history and the simple awe of the long traverse uniting the high Dolomites with the Julians.  Be aware there is both an Austrian path and there is another mirror path paralleling on the Italian side so you could make a round trip of it.

Battles atop the Carnic Ridge were centered mainly at Plöckenpaß and at the far west end in the hills above Moos and Sexten.  Here, the Italians tried a quick push over Passo Monte Croce/Kreuzberg Pass to get into the Drava Valley. 

SENTIERO DELLA PACE

The Sentiero delle Pace is one of the three magnificent trail systems of long-distance paths revisiting the old front lines of Italy, Austria, and Slovenia.  To walk the whole Sentiero delle Pace commits one to a hike covering some 520 plus kilometers – with the possible add-on of another 82 plus kilometers in the altipiano – high plateau – of the Seven Communes – Asiago, Ortigara.  You cover some glorious terrain by walking the entire path.  The question for most of us is time.  Most of us simply do not have that much of it.

Another problem with the Sentiero is the are several days where you must cover almost 30 kilometers with significant vertical feet along the way.  Also, for as many high points of the old front in Trentino the Sentiero passes by, there are some it does not – also some it does are included on those long days when you will not have the time to really explore a sight.

politics

A last factor is some of the highlights occur just outside the province of Trentino, meaning off the Sentiero.   The Sentiero was established by the Province of Trentino.  The path could have easily extended through the Dolomites of the region around Cortina di Ampezzo in some of the most famous battlegrounds – Tofane, Monte Piana, Col di Lana, Stelvio Pass – but that would have meant bringing in the Provinces of Belluno and Alto Adige on the project.  The recent add-on of the Sette Commune altipiani – a great addition – has added the Province of Vicenza (Veneto Region) to the mix, though the Sentiero stays solely in the province of Trentino – instead of meandering across into Veneto – in the buildup to Pasubio, one of the major highlights of the Sentiero. 

Three magnificent options – the Alpina trail along the Piccole Dolomiti, the Pasubio Ossuary and the Strada di 52 Gallerie – are missing because they lie on the wrong side of the border.  The solution to the Sentiero as with the Pot miru can be to day-hike the highlights or in hiking parlance, cherry pick the trail for the most important parts to the whole.

When to hike and potential problems

Best time to do the whole trail is summer.  But maybe not all at the same time or even in the same direction.  The Sentiero starts high at Tonale Pass and finishes higher atop Marmolada.  Early in the season – or late – is the best time for hiking in the areas near Riva del Garda which can get quite warm – and crowded – in the height of summer.

There are also a couple of long stage days, especially around Monte Cadria with a lot of elevation gain, lots of distance to cover and a wealth of war ruins and magnificent views to slow you down.  It is a long ridge walk around from Cadria to Rifugio Bocca di Trat “Nino Pernici” with no other places along the ridge to stop.

side trips

As noted earlier, not all the significant war sites are taken in by the extensive path.  For example, the long walk from Monte Cadria to Riva takes you through trenches and ruins held by Austro-Hungarian troops.  A side trip off the main path could extend the hike to covering the Italian side – south – of the Ledro valley from where they pounded the Austrians with artillery shelling.  The Sentiero heads to the top of Monte Baldo through a zone of close contact between the two combatants at Malga Zures.  The path misses a long line of Austrian fortifications above Nago-Torbole east to Manzano where the Sentiero is reached once more.

Other examples are found here and there, though, all in all, the Sentiero does cover much of the old front lines with plenty of beautiful trails to wander with.

POT MIRU

The Isonzo Front where eleven Italian offensives launched forth between June 1915 and October 1917 managing little in the way of moving the front lines.  The fighting proved very effective in causing casualties – some 300,000 died on the Isonzo from both sides.  In all, the front covers around 90 kilometers from Rombon near Bovec to the Adriatic and with plenty of reminders in the way of scars left over from the war to monolithic memorials that praise the sacrifices made by one side or the other.  Walking the Pot miru brings you into direct contact.

There are fifteen stages to the Pot miru with two areas in which the trail goes in large loops meaning that you might repeat parts of the path – around Kobarid and Tolmin and in the region around Gorizia on the Carso sectors of the front.  There are several open-air museums to visit along the way, as well as indoor museums, ossuaries, military cemeteries, military chapels, monuments, and remains of the former front lines.  The path uses paths, old military roads and lesser used rural routes. 

There are no via ferrata on the Pot miru, nor does one need glacier gear.  There are opportunities to use the Pot miru as a springboard for higher adventures, but the trail itself is one that most anyone can do on foot or bike.  The path demonstrates history at the same time as it does the beauty of Slovenia – and the borderlands of Italy.  From the Alps to the Adriatic with a lot of history thrown in along the way.

good and bad

Development occurred earlier in the northern region where six open-air museums were developed in 2007.  The headquarters for the Foundation is in Kobarid next to the Kobarid Museum.  The Foundation also puts on programs at different sites along the path during the year – see their website for more information.

One problem with the path is that it doesn’t know if it is a bicycle route or a hiking route – in fact, the Foundation says foot or bike is acceptable.  Indeed, some parts of the way are more suited for a bicycle and others for hiking.  The sections in the Upper Soča are for walking.  Routes leading from the Kobarid area to Gorizia are long road walks the Foundation notes are better for a bike.  So are routes leading east from Gorizia out over the Carso.

Sometimes the Pot miru is not the best route – scenically or historically.  It started as a Slovene trail though today includes important historical areas found today in Italy.  Sometimes options requiring more fail to be included on the Pot miru.  The mountains around Kobarid and Bovec – Matajur, Krn, Batognica, Rombon – places where dramatic fights took place go missing from Pot miru.  These areas are a little more challenging for a normal walker, though still within the limits of a hiker with good fitness.

Personal Experience

I have walked sections of the Pot miru, as well as areas of interest just off the path.  My time atop the war remains on Krn – Monte Nero – and Batgonica – Monte Rosso – initiated a general interest in the Isonzo Front.  The hike is spectacular on its own.  Adding in the amazing bits of history is simply wonderous.

Living in America, I simply do not have the time – nor in most cases, the inclination – to walk entire sections of long-distance paths.  A lot of people see the trails as a challenge, both physical and mental.  Good for them.  Oregon’s Pacific Crest Trail comes to mind – though large parts of California’s PCT applies as well.  Areas around the magnificent lava mountains of central Oregon – the Three Sisters, Mount Washington, Three Finger Jack, Diamond Peak and Mount Jefferson – are glorious.  Mount Hood and the trek to the Columbia River Gorge is also noteworthy.  But there are large sections where the PCT hiker is stuck in interminable forests chased in many cases by hordes of mosquitoes.  Instead of magical, the hike becomes one of simple endurance.

Long-distance paths in the Alps in general do not feature such long stretches of non-exciting terrain where the hiker wears down on the journey, at least that is the case of both Trentino’s Sentiero della Pace and Austria’s Friedenweg.  In the case of the Pot miru, there is the long section between the Kolovrat and Sabotin-Plava where you spend your time on a road where you wish you had a bike.  Of course, then you quickly meet up with sections of the path where you wished you left your bike at home. Cherry pick!

day hiking option

Use different bases to branch out from on select portions of the Pot miru, including areas missing from the official trail.  Bovec is a great place to explore the areas of the northern Pot miru from.  You can then go on to include important areas like Rombon, Predil Pass and the Krn-Batgonica massif – which can also be accessed from further south out of Kobarid.

Gorizia and the Carso present special problems.  There were eleven different Italian offensives launched in these regions with a front moving slowly to the east.  That movement means a couple of variations of the Pot miru.  The scenery of the Carso is certainly not as spectacular as what you find atop Rombon and Krn-Batgonica, but the Pot miru does not go up to either of those mountain regions either.  There are a lot of monuments to be found along the way in the Carso along with newly protected open-air history parks.  These keep the interest up when the scenery wanes a bit.  Even at that, the Carso makes for interesting hiking unless you are hiking in July or August.  At that time of year, you are surviving, just like the soldiers of over a century ago.

Places not to miss: south

Sabotin, Monte Santo, Monte San Michele, Cerje, Monte Ermada, Italian ossuaries at Oslavia and especially Redipuglia.  There are plenty of other places to visit though maybe a car is better. 

The countryside of the Pot miru is exciting from the Julian Alps all the way to the city of Trieste.  Overall, the Pot miru is more important historically than either of the other two long-distance Peace Paths, but the other two win out overall scenically.

 For the Carso I used two bases for the few days I had available on a recent trip – Duino and San Michele del Carso.  I cannot say enough about either place we stayed at.  There are cheaper places to bunk down at, but …  Staying at Lokanda Devetek immersing yourself into the Carso itself.  A Michelin star goes to the lokanda for the expertise with the local wine situation as well as the superb dining options presenting the Carso at its best.  The Italian zona sacra atop Monte San Michele is a simple walk away.  The food and wine offerings recognize the Carso at its best.

seaside option

Duino was to be a stop for the Italian army before pushing on to the promise land of Trieste.  Neither Duino nor Trieste fell to the Italian army before November 1918 when Austria-Hungary collapsed.  Duino is at the western base of Monte Ermada, the last Austro-Hungarian defense line before Trieste.  Site of a castle – destroyed during the war – and the beginning point of a famous walk, the Rilke Path, Duino was also the near the site of one of the sadder episodes of the war from the Italian perspective – an attack across the Timavo with the hope of raising an Italian flag atop the ruins of the Duino castle for people in Trieste to witness.

We stayed at a bed and breakfast; the Villa Mira B&B located directly above the little harbor.  From here, it is an easy walk out to the Carso grounds where soldiers of the Brigata Toscana were sacrificed for the whims of Italian soldier-poet Gabriele D’Annunzio.  Monte Ermada, the Rilke Path with its beautiful views over cliffs and the Adriatic both lie within walking distance, as well.

north

For walks in the northern regions of the Isonzo, I have liked staying in Bovec though my favorite place in Slovenia remains Gostilna Psnak in Zgorna Radovna, a magnificently situated farm-guesthouse surrounded by mountains.  The bad thing here is that you must drive about an hour to reach the trails you can access out your door in Bovec.

Bovec and Kobarid were sites of several battles beginning at the end of May 1915 up until the catastrophe – or Miracle, depending upon your point of view – of Caporetto/Kobarid at the end of October 1917.  There are several open-air museums all located on the Pot miru or one of the main trail’s spurs – Mengore, Kolovrat, Mryzli vrh, Zaprikraj, Ravelnik, Čelo and Forts Kluže and Hermann nearby.  The trail ends at a cemetery at Log pod Magartom filled with Austro-Hungarian soldiers next to a very useful narrow-gauge railway used prewar for miners.  During the war, the railway used to bring up supplies and men.