Vallecetta cuppelle trail

The numbering of the historiated boulders depends on the sequence in which they have been marked and discovered over the years; the path was made later to facilitate their visit along an accessible, safe route that respects the private property that the visitor may have to cross. Upon reaching Palueta bend, where one can conveniently park the car, a visit to the boulder 7 de li Caribona, which is located in a small clearing inside the hairpin bend, is suggested. This boulder has only three cup marks, but it allows one to understand how to locate the stones scattered along the trail: often they are found in large grassy clearings, other times somewhat hidden among the vegetation of alders, firs and shrubs. Having taken the forest road leading to Boeir, past the Rio Vallecetta in the locality of Campecc are boulders 8, 5 and 4 in sequence. Boulder 8, located some 20 meters beyond the stream just below the cartroad leading to the Incant, has 23 cup marks and as many as 32 crosses. Closer to the road, climbing the slope on the left, boulder 5 has six cupmarks. Boulder 4 is placed in the highest part of the pasture, clearly visible by the outcrop of polished rock on which there are 10 cupmarks some of which are connected by the characteristic drainage channels. Abandoning the road to Boeir, the trail continues by crossing the Rio Vallecetta on a small wooden bridge in the direction of Lecina. Having climbed the bank, after a hundred meters or so of slight descent, you regain altitude and cross a stretch of forest, mostly consisting of larch trees, to reach the Baita di Cagnola. Continuing on, in a wide clearing called Carbonin, boulders 1 2 are encountered. Boulder 1, of particular interest, has as many as 23 cupmarks of different sizes, one of which is very large (about 26 cm in diameter). Because of its location and shape, this boulder is also identified with the name altar boulder suggesting a possible function of these particular and very widespread archaeological sites. Boulder 2, just below and slightly discordant turns out to be sparsely surfaced by vegetation and preserves 18 cupmarks. To reach the other boulders one travels along a stretch of asphalt road in the direction of Bormio 2000 and near the hairpin bend one returns to the forest path, slightly downhill, until reaching the ski slopes. At Plan de li Fontana, on the high edge of the escarpment, boulder 3 with 23 cup marks is clearly visible, 6 of them arranged to form an arch. This non-random arrangement of the engravings (like the presence of drainage channels) has also given rise to various interpretations. Having crossed the Pista Stelvio, one travels along the junction that skirts the forest, and upon reaching the hairpin bend de li Stradela one can observe boulder 6 with its 8 cup marks. From here, having reached the Ciuk, go back on the paved road for about 500 m and past the stream take the small road on the left that leads to the Baite del Praculet (private property). Near the small wall on the left placed at the base of the barn door, it is possible to observe boulder 9 on which very close and well-preserved cup marks can be seen. At the conclusion of the walk we return to the asphalt road of Bormio 2000 about 1 km away from the Palueta hairpin bend.