The beginner-friendly granite ferrata near Canal San Bovo now has an upper floor. The Vanoi valley opens it this Saturday with a group ascent and a mountaineer's snack, and on Friday night Himalayan veterans tell their story.

Since 2018 Val di Scala has been the Vanoi valley's go-to first via ferrata. It's short, packed with iron rungs and starts a few steps from the road between Canal San Bovo and Caoria. Now it has a sequel. The municipality has extended the route and the new upper section, named Via Ferrata Flavio Veronese, officially opens on Saturday 24 October 2026.

The new part begins a short walk from the top of the original line. A long traverse through the forest leads onto a more exposed ledge with a fine view down the valley, and then the route heads straight up a steep yellow wall. Bergsteigen.com puts that wall at B/C, while the lower section stays around B. Plenty of rungs keep it manageable, but the cable sits quite far to the right and can throw shorter climbers off balance. Both sections together take about 1 h 45 min including the walk down. For the opening day the local tourist board lists the combined route as difficult.

Saturday kicks off at 8:45 at the foot of the ferrata. Geologist Marco Bonat will talk about the local granite, there are a few words from local officials and the Pro Loco of Canal San Bovo hands out a mountaineer's snack. Then everyone climbs both sections at their own pace, with the return planned for around 13:30. If you'd rather go with a mountain guide, it's €35 per person and you need to book by Thursday 22 October on +39 0439 768795. Harness, via ferrata set and helmet are compulsory and the minimum age is 10.

The night before, on Friday 23 October at 20:30, the parish theatre in Canal San Bovo hosts the Aquile mountain guides of San Martino and Primiero together with the Coro Vanoi. They're marking 50 years since May 1976, when two guides from Primiero stood on the summit of Dhaulagiri. Entry is pay what you like and the money goes to associations working in Nepal.

Route details, access and practical tips are on the Val di Scala ferrata page.

The Vanoi valley seen from Pront. Photo: Syrio, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.