One step away from the sky … Scan the celestial vault in the silence of Cima Rest!
Travel time: 0.20h (one way)
Difficulty: T (Tourist)
Route: Bike & Trekking
Notes: also possible with a mountain buggy; if done in the evening, bring a torch.
Departure: Cima Rest – little church (1200 m)
Arrival: Corva (1270 m)
Difference in altitude: 70 m
Places to visit: Characteristic barns with thatched roofs in the village of Cima Rest, Valvestino Ethnographic Museum and Astronomical Observatory
(for information, tel. 0365.745060 / 0365.745007 email: info@visitvalvestino.it).
The cartography is an extract from the map 4LANd n. 111 “Parco Alto Garda Bresciano”
The Astronomical Observatory of Cima Rest is open to the public on Saturday evenings from May to September. To consult the calendar of openings, visit our website www.visitvalvestino.it (booking required, tel. 0365.745060 mail: info@visitvalvestino.it).
The constellations are groupings of stars that people have given the most imaginative names: names of mythological heroes, monsters and animals, names of objects. The aim of observation is to identify and recognise what can be observed in the sky. The activity begins with an introductory theoretical phase that will study the universe, our galaxy, our solar system and, by referring to mythology, will allow us to understand the origin of the names of the various celestial bodies. We will discover what exists beyond planet Earth, in infinite space. You will then observe the sky with your own eyes using the telescope. All this in the splendid setting of Cima Rest and its characteristic barns.
Cima Rest is located in a panoramic position in the heart of Val Vestino, in the Alto Garda Bresciano Park. It is a place where nature and man have coexisted for centuries and have found a splendid balance. The mountain landscape is well-preserved, fascinating with soothing meadows and imposing woods.
The mountain pastures are dotted with typical barns with thatched roofs, one of which has been converted into an ethnographic museum, while others have been converted into accommodation facilities where tourists seeking peace and freedom can find special hospitality.They are completely peculiar and currently represent the only known example of a building with a thatched roof still present in Lombardy. Borgo Cima Rest can be reached from Gargnano or Idro, arriving first at Magasa.
The entrance to the Rest meadows is marked by a small church, near which it is possible to leave your vehicle in an open space. Alternatively, it is possible to park your car in the parking of the village, near the bar restaurant and the Ethnographic Museum, and then proceed uphill for a few hundred metres on the road from Magasa to the small church of the Alpini. This is where our itinerary begins, marked 63, which, for those who intend to continue beyond Corva, can lead up to Cima Gusaur 0.40 and Bocca della Croce 1.00.
Through an easy road, cemented and sometimes unpaved, you will soon pass some barns and, a little further on, turning left, you will reach the Astronomical Observatory, following the clearly visible track that climbs in the meadow.
In the village of Cima Rest, it is possible to peer at the celestial bodies from the Astronomical Observatory, located at an altitude of 1200 metres, in an area still uncontaminated by the intrusiveness of artificial lights. The particularity of the sky in the valley, free from atmospheric and light pollution, allows observations in ideal situations for experts, but also for those who for the first time have the opportunity to approach the instruments that the Salò Astrophiliac Association makes available to the public. The Observatory was built with high quality optical instruments housed in a small dome, so as not to disturb the beautiful natural setting of the place, where silence and tranquility blend with the natural aspect. It consists of two structures: the first is dedicated to the public and consists of an observing station equipped with a 37.5 cm Newton telescope open at F.4.5 stationed in a sliding roof shelter. The second is dedicated to the association’s observation and research work. The management of the Observatory is entrusted to the Associazione Astrofili di Salò (Salò Astrophiliac Association) thanks to an agreement with the Municipality of Magasa, which has the merit of having made the realisation of this project possible. The Observatory is part of the Valvestino Ecomuseum.
If you go straight ahead, you will reach a clearing full of marvellous centuries-old beeches in the Corva area. In the shade of the monumental beech forest, we find the malga of the same name, now a restaurant and bar. For the return, at the crossroads from which we climbed to the Observatory, we take the road on the right, marked with a one-way sign, which ends on the asphalt road that leads to Cadria in the immediate vicinity of the car park. If we have parked at the start of our route, we proceed uphill for a few hundred metres on the road coming from Magasa until we rejoin the small church of the Alpini.
1. One of the typical haylofts with thatched roofs in the hamlet of Cima Rest, unique in the whole of the Alps and evidence of a very ancient culture, have been restored and readapted for the hospitality of tourists (for information, tel. +39.0365.388120 / +39.347.9072076).
2. The Astronomical Observatory of Cima Rest.
3. Cima Rest, the small church of the Alpini where our itinerary begins, trail marker 63.
4. Meadows of Rest seen from the clearing near the church.
5. Section of the route up to Malga Corva.
6. Splendid century-old beech trees in Corva area.
7. Malga Corva Restaurant – Bar (+39.333.7411846), in the shade of the imposing beech forest.
8. Crossroads: once you have descended from Malga Corva, turn right to return to the starting point, while to climb up to the Astronomical Observatory, follow the clearly visible track in the meadow.
9. Descent section from Corva onto the paved road which leads to Cadria, in the immediate vicinity of the parking, the restaurant-bar and the ethnographic Museum.
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