Val Venina to discover the ancient smelting furnace

The hike starts from the beautiful village of Ambria where you can leave your car in a large parking lot. From here you continue on foot crossing the ancient settlement of Ambria, turn right near the church, and once you pass the last huts follow a steep path that leads to Alpe Care', a pasture no longer used. Then continue along the easy and obvious path up to the Venina stairs which lead us, on the left, in front of the homonymous dam; this first part of the route is undoubtedly the most tiring as most of the elevation gain is overcome in a rather short distance. Once you reach the dam wall, always staying on the left, continue along the edge of the artificial lake. From here onward the slope is much gentler and as you go up the valley you reach the various stations of Alpe Venina, Old Hut, then Dossello and finally Alpe Venina itself. At the bottom of the valley we reach the remains of the ancient smelting furnace, the destination of our hike, where the buildings that served as shelter for those who worked there are clearly visible. The view over the whole valley fully rewards the efforts made. For the return, follow the ascent route backwards.