Rifugio Prudenzini: trekking in Val Salarno, Adamello

Into the glacial heart of the Adamello

A hike into the most authentic corner of the Adamello Park, at the foot of the massif crowned by Monte Adamello (3,539 m), the highest peak in the park and in the province of Brescia. This is one of the most iconic glacial landscapes in the Italian Alps, with the Pian di Neve among its symbols.

We start from Fabrezza di Saviore dell'Adamello, near Rifugio Stella Alpina, and walk up Val Salarno: a broad, scenic granite valley where the trail alternates long stretches of easy mule track, old hydroelectric works and increasingly stark views. On the way up we pass Lago di Salarno with its dam, then Lago Dosazzo, and finally Rifugio Paolo Prudenzini at 2,235 metres, at the head of the valley.

It is the kind of trek the Guidders love: a steady climb, a landscape that keeps changing, water, rock, huge walls and that high-mountain energy that makes you feel small, happily small. When the Prudenzini appears, framed by the walls of Corno Miller and the Corni di Salarno, you understand this is more than a walk.

Why come

• the Adamello group seen from its most scenic approach valley
• three stretches of water on the way up: Lago di Salarno, the dam and Lago Dosazzo
• Rifugio Prudenzini below the walls of Corno Miller
• a granite valley that stays quiet even in August

Who it suits

Seven hours of walking and 800 metres of ascent: you need trained legs and to be used to a full day outdoors, but there are no technical or exposed sections. If you walk regularly, you are in.

Come with the Guidders: book your place and let's walk up to the Prudenzini together.