52 Tunnels Hike + Terme Spa
Three years ago, we took our friends (the Garners) up into the mountains to hike a portion of the Road of 52 Tunnels. We only made it to Tunnel #15 before we decided we'd had enough, and then we turned around and hiked back down. I've always wondered if I could make it through the entire 52 Tunnels . . . Well, I'm happy to report that on September 26, 2026 - I DID IT!!! I hiked the entire length of the trail and man, was it epic!!
We invited some of the young soldiers in our ward to go with us, to which they enthusiastically agreed. Total numbers would have been higher, but several of the boys had military assignments that they couldn't get out of. So the 5 of us took 2 cars, with Daniel and Reynold in one car, and the two of us plus David in ours. We all met outside our gate at 7:30 a.m. that Saturday morning, and then we were off on an hour-long drive, caravan-style.
The jaggedy mountain that we would soon be conquering was enshrouded in foggy clouds, and I was grateful to be a passenger in the front seat so I could take pictures of it along the way.
on the far left . . . We would soon be UP THERE!!
The last portion of the road to get there is very skinny and curvy - where it feels like it's just a one-way road, but in fact it's a TWO-WAY. Shocker, ha ha. We actually had to stop once and back up a little ways to make room for a car to pass by us going the other way.
Finally we were ready to begin!
I nabbed a quick selfie of the five of us:
(L to R) David, Daniel, Reynold, and Scott, with me down in front.
During 9 months of 1917 (Feb - Nov), these tunnels were masterfully constructed by Italian engineers. They served as a lifeline for Italian soldiers as they strived to keep the Austro-Hungarians from entering Italy over the dangerous mountain passes. The tunnels were designed by Lt. Engineer Giuseppe Zappa, while the massive work was literally carved out by the 33rd Miners Company of the 5th Engineers Regiment, along with roughly 600 militarized civilian workers.
Working through freezing alpine conditions, the men carved the path using pickaxes, pneumatic drills, and dynamite. The trail was specifically engineered to be a minimum of 2.2 meters wide, which allowed 2 fully loaded supply mules to pass by each other without stopping.
Per Wikipedia: The route spans 6.5 kilometers, with nearly 2.3 kilometers completely underground, woven through the 52 distinct tunnels. Because the miners had to scale a vertical wall of rock while remaining invisible to the enemy, they engineered incredibly creative underground paths: [1]
- Tunnel #19 (Galleria Tarvisio): The longest tunnel at 318 meters, which climbs through the mountain in a vertical helical (corkscrew) shape with four loops. [1]
- Tunnel #20: A tight, upward spiral carved completely inside a narrow rock pillar. [1, 2]
- The Windows: Many of the tunnels feature rough "windows" blasted through the outer rock face. These served two vital tactical purposes: they provided natural light for the mules, and they acted as exhaust ports to vent out the choking smoke generated by the miners' black powder explosions. [1]
One of the tunnels still houses an original artillery piece leftover from WWI . . .
What a view to start the day . . .
Total distance to cover: 14.9 km (roughly 9.2 miles)
Elevation gain: 1,065 meters (3,494 feet)
Video of one of the first tunnels we walked through: (8 seconds)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/d7Njow3Kg3Vn2JXe9
A slightly different meaning to the phrase, "The light at the end of the tunnel" . . .
Some of the tunnels were more gravelly, while others were more chunky. Often, we needed to turn on our headlamps or flashlights to safely navigate through each one, depending on the length.
Video of David carefully picking his way down a steep slope - he had mountain-goated his way up to see what he could see: (10 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/dv22K8f6beugUvv77
Daniel, posing for a photo . . .
Video of the chunkyness of the trail: (10 seconds)
From Tunnel #1 to Tunnel #20, I was gasping for breath much of the time. I had already used my inhaler 3x, and I didn't want to use it anymore. The steepness of the path and the tunnels, plus the higher elevation were getting the best of me. I kept having to stop more and more often just to breathe and bring my heart rate down to a safer range.
The boys quickly charged ahead, with the exception of my sweet husband, who patiently plodded alongside me for the next few hours.
Here I am at Tunnel #20 - with a mediocre thumb signal for Chelsea & Garret (which I shared with them later, since it's our little inside joke). I wasn't doing great, but I wasn't doing horribly either. Just "meh".
Video of the foggy unknown while I paused to catch my breath: (10 seconds)
Shortly after we passed through Tunnel #20, Daniel hiked back down to where we were so he could check on us, bless his heart. As he and Scott conversed while I just focused on breathing, I overheard Scott telling him that we were probably going to turn around and go back down. Wait, what?!? No way, Jose. I knew he was worried about me and was obviously thinking that there was no way that we were going to make it, but I was bound and determined to do so. I had been psyching myself up every single day that whole week, telling myself that I COULD DO IT. I had been praying that I could, in fact, do it. I didn't want to give up. I didn't want to hike back down that steep trail, with all the jagged rocks and precarious footing, knowing that it would absolutely ruin my knees. The ONLY way for me to get back to the car, was to get up to the TOP first, and then walk happily and carefree down the wider and gentler path on the other side.
After gently making my stubborn wishes clear, we trudged onward and upward once more . . .
Video of a moment when I saw some people hiking WAY up on top of the ridge above us:
(18 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/2YG7b6GyHwJcrtJJ6
The fog rolling across the peaks was both mesmerizing and hauntingly beautiful . . .
I took a lot of photos because that's how you can somewhat hide your need to just breathe . . . lol
Standing on the edge of nothingness . . .
Only once or twice did I pause long enough to read the signs posted outside the entrance of each tunnel. Tunnel #30 was a significant milestone because this was as far as Scott had ever been. During the first year that he was in Italy (2022), and whenever I was back in the U.S. for another 90-day stint, he would occasionally go on an early Saturday morning adventure by himself. He attempted to do the Road of 52 Tunnels three separate times. Once he hiked up to #15, and another time he made it to #20. The third time, when he came out of Tunnel #30 and saw how ridiculously far away Tunnel #31 was, he lost heart and just turned around and hiked back down. That's as far as he ever got. Until THIS DAY.
The sign for Tunnel #30 explains: "After this tunnel which travels through a tower of rock, the road continues in the open for a length of 327 m, turning the head of the Val Camossara and entering the enormous opening that separates Bella Laita from M.te Forni Alti."
To understand what that even means, I asked Gemini for a little help:
The text [on the sign] outlines exactly what you will see and where you are walking over the next several hundred meters:
- "After this tunnel which travels through a tower of rock...": Tunnel #30 is carved into a massive vertical rock formation (a spire or "torrione"). It actually curves spirally inside the stone. [1]
- "...the road continues in the open for a length of 327 m...": Once you exit Tunnel #30, you won't immediately enter another dark tunnel. Instead, you will walk out in the fresh air on an exposed cliffside path for exactly 327 meters (about 1,073 feet).
- "...turning the head of the Val Camossara...": Val Camossara is the deep alpine valley/gorge dropping off to your side. "Turning the head" means the path wraps all the way around the very top edge or "bowl" of this valley, contouring along its crescent-shaped upper rim. [1, 2]
- "...and entering the enormous opening that separates Bella Laita from M.te Forni Alti.": As you finish wrapping around the valley, the trail guides you directly into a massive gap (a mountain pass or saddle) in the landscape. This gap separates two prominent mountain peaks on the Pasubio massif: Bella Laita (the ridge behind you) and Monte Forni Alti (the peaks ahead of you). [1, 2]
https://photos.app.goo.gl/JQAq5NcJiQjbpGdz8
Coming around the corner, we could see the Rifugio Hut off in the distance . . .
This was my absolute favorite video that I took that day: (25 seconds)
When I saw this plaque attached to the mountain itself, we paused to try and dissect the Italian words, based on our limited understanding of the language. We were able to deduce that it was a memorial for someone who had died, but some of the words we didn't know. (translation below)
Translation: "On these rocks, the morning of July 16, 1955, Jesus descends to bring the fragrant soul of Silvestro Rossi to Heaven. Aspiring Missionary Xavery N. [born] 22-7-1939 [died] 16-7-1955."
*In Europe, they put the DAY first, then the MONTH.
In just one small section of the entire trail, we needed to cross over a jerry-rigged bridge of sorts, due to the instability of that spot from recent rock slides.
The boys, after quickly finishing the trail and then resting up at the Rifugio Hut with some refreshments for about 45 minutes, decided to backtrack to see if we were still anywhere along that last stretch. Daniel had no idea that I was so determined to finish earlier . . .
To their shock and amazement, there we were!! Somewhere around Tunnel #41 or so. They whooped and hollered and wanted to hear all about our experiences so far. David was quick to offer some relief by saying, "You're SO CLOSE! The last ten tunnels are pretty close together, and there's maybe only a half-mile to go and then you're DONE!!" That burst of encouragement did wonders for my mood!!
David, pausing for a photo before we pushed on again . . .
[Pretend for a moment that I got a small trophy for my accomplishment - and this is the short speech I might give]: I'd like to thank my generous husband - who never left my side. And those boys, too, with their infectious energy and encouragement. I don't know what I would have done without all of them!! XO
I grabbed a mostly dry and mostly just bread sandwich at the Rifugio Hut, with a very thin layer of lunchmeat. I've definitely had better meals on top of a mountain in other places. This one was very unimpressive.
The bathrooms were free . . . but then it was that same ol' nasty hole in the floor. I just don't understand the concept. WHY???????
There is also no potable (drinkable) water up at the top. I think you can buy a bottle of water, but you cannot refill your own bottles from any sink or tap.
There is a map near the Hut which helped us find the path to get back down to our car. In red, near the bottom of the map, it says "Voi Siete Qui", which means "You Are Here." We would be following the old mule road - the green trail - back down to the parking lots.
One of the groups that we played leap-frog with during the second half of the hike was a group of young adults in bright orange t-shirts. We'd pass them while they were paused for a snack break, and then they'd pass us whenever I needed to breathe for a bit. Before we hit the easier trail going down, they asked if we could take a group photo for them. I'm not sure what their association with each other was, but they all had a matching t-shirt that said, "Strada delle 52 Gallerie". (52 Tunnels Hike) I wonder where they got them . . . I would have liked to have one, too!
I was so happy that the trail was nice and easy on the way down. I was able to keep up a great pace AND have some fun conversations with the boys as we bounced along.
Daniel, Scott, David, Reynold, and yours truly . . .
We had a long ways to go on this downhill path . . . 9 km in fact. But it was enjoyable and I was so glad I had already made it through the worst part earlier!!
There are several "shortcuts" in the middle section of the path going down, which gives you another option instead of doing the longer, winding switchbacks. But the shortcuts are basically straight down, and you will need to be young, with incredibly strong knees, and also be part mountain goat in order to handle them.
Waaaaayyy off in the distance (in the upper right area) is where the parking lot was located . . .
I was pretty exhausted by the time we got back to our car. It was a good 2 hours going down - even on that easier mule path! As soon as we arrived home, I immediately filled up the bath tub with hot water for a nice long soak with some epsom salts that smelled heavenly (citrus + menthol). The bath helped a lot.
When I had to go downstairs to go to church the next morning, it took me a long while to carefully make my way down each step because my legs and hips were still so sore and tight, ha ha.
I am so immensely proud of myself for finishing the entire trail. I set my mind to do it, and with some encouragement and kindness, I was able to actually do it. Now, however, when people see all the gorgeous views that we experienced (through the photos that I took), they keep asking, "When we come over there, will you take us to do the 52 Tunnels, too?"
The answer will always be the same. A Big. Fat. No. ha ha
Just because I did it once, doesn't mean that I'll be able to (or WANT TO) do it again. No thank you. But we'd be happy to drop you off at the start of the trail. And while you're huffing and puffing up the mountain, we'll spread out a blanket in a nearby meadow and eat some goodies while reading a book, or maybe we'll even take a nice long nap. But we'll be there to clap and cheer for you when YOU'RE all done. :):):)
I caused a little bit of chaos within my Tuesdays in Italy adventure group by suggesting that we postpone the Via Ferrata, since my body was still pretty broken from the 52 Tunnels. The Via Ferrata was scheduled for 3 days after our big hike. Thankfully, we switched a few things around and ended up going to a much needed Terme Spa instead.
My dear friend Emily Thompson goes to Terme Spas all the time, so she helped us narrow down the choices until we settled on Hotel Plaza Abano Terme, which is slightly south of Padova. The Abano Terme area is famous for their many hot pools, all of which are natural and soothing and so good for your overall health. Some of the spas require you to wear a swim cap, so I brought mine, but then it was only optional at this location. I wore it anyway because it was very comfy. Some swim caps are silicone or rubber and they like to grab at your hair, but this one was made out of thin, breathable fabric, and it was nice and stretchy. I found it at Decathlon for about 3 or 4 euros.
I didn't want to take a bunch of pictures with people in them, so I only took a photo of the indoor pool because nobody was in there. The indoor pool attaches to the outdoor pool off to the left, and you can swim through a few gentle flap-screens to access either one. They also have plenty of pool noodles on hand, which made me super happy. There's no better feeling in the world than being able to float endlessly in the water.
There were only 4 of us who were able to go that day, and it ended up being the four of us that serve in the Relief Society Presidency! Emily had to leave a bit earlier than the rest of us, but Addie Mae, Lauren, and I stayed clear until 5:30 p.m.
Upstairs, there are several sauna options. I'm not normally a person who enjoys a hot room, or a hot and steamy room, but since everyone else wanted to sauna, I decided to suck it up and join them. One room had really hot temperatures, but very little humidity. Another had lower temps, but higher humidity. Each room had something unique, and all of them had the option to spoon a ladle of essential oil-infused water over the hot coals to add to your experience. That option was actually really cool.
Other stations upstairs included:
- Ice bath: Picture large chunks of ice (with the consistency of snow cones) that you rub on your arms and legs in between sauna rooms. I actually liked doing this and I did it 3x. I know, I'm weird.
- Varying degrees of water temps and varying types of sprayage in little booths that were also infused with essential oils (like orange, lemon, or mint)
- A relaxing room with large chaise lounges where you can take a nap or just rest.
- Infused water with little cups for you to stay hydrated, with floating orange slices, or lemon slices, or cucumber and melon, etc.
Revelation and ideas began flowing immediately. It was incredible!! I was also able to brainstorm a little with Lauren later that afternoon, and she was a big help with some of the details. Later, Emily and Addie Mae helped me to further refine the ideas, while Scott helped me figure out some of the logistics.
The nuts and bolts of the activity are:
- Theme: Around the World in 80 Days
- Families and individuals can choose their own "marker" to move along on the big map that we've already purchased. There will be a variety of vehicles to choose from to use as a marker.
- Families and individuals will decide how many "legs" (or tasks) they feel up to doing in the 80 days. As they complete each leg, they can move their vehicle marker to the next pitstop on the world map.
- Goals will vary. Starting points will vary. Pace will vary. Not everyone will finish, and that's okay. This is just a fun way to make a little bit of effort and progress with our family history as a ward group.
- The culmination activity will be an International Feast, where people will bring a dish from whatever country they choose, and it doesn't have to be fancy. Someone could bring a crockpot full of hot dogs and call them wurstels from Germany, ha ha.
- Scott has been building me a website where people can use a QR code to access the map from wherever they are, choose a number of legs (tasks), and choose activities that appeal to them from a drop-down menu.
- And we will be available to help anyone who needs it along the way.
This particular spa also offered several lovely options for lunch, which the three of us took full advantage of. FYI: We did have to book a table for a specific time when we checked in that morning.
Entrees included: (all for very reasonable prices)
- Roasted prawn tails, hummus, buffalo mozzarella, red onion strings, toasted croutons
- Seasoned Culaccia (a type of fish?), with burrata and mixed salad
- Marinated beef carpaccio with arugula, marinated red radicchio, shaved cheese, hazelnuts, and mustard mayonnaise
- Carrot soup with toasted cashews and a yogurt/mint dressing
- Purple potato dumplings (gnocchi) sauteed with gorgonzola cream, walnuts, and crispy speck on a pumpkin base
- Fresh pasta with shrimp and scallops, Jerusalem artichoke chips, and almonds, on a cauliflower mousse
- Chicken breast slices with mixed salad, parmesan shavings, and balsamic vinegar dressing
- Pork cheek with its stock, sauteed porcini mushrooms on a cream of Mantua pumpkin
- Roasted octopus tentacle with herbs, crispy Jerusalem artichoke, and "cacio e pepe" fondue
Drink options:
- Mineral water
- Soft drinks
- Fruit juices
- Orange juice (freshly squeezed)
- Smoothies:
- Sensory - orange, pineapple, ginger
- Cristalia - cucumber, apple, lemon
- Vyta - pineapple, apple, celery
- Plaza - apple, orange, ginger
I was going to go under the water with Emily . . . I really was . . . But because it was SO COLD, I chickened out at the last second. Check out Emily's hilarious expression under the water . . .
Can you believe that this whole entire day at the Spa was only 40 euros??!! They provided you with a thick, fluffy robe, a locker to stash your stuff, and unlimited access to all the areas I've described above. The only thing that was extra was the lunch, and even that wasn't expensive.
I felt so relaxed on the drive home. My body felt significantly better, too, with noticeably less muscle soreness. I slept like a rock that night, too. Zzzzzzzz . . .
Next Blog Post:
Missionary visits in Verona
Italian Class Field Trips
My first Via Ferrata
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