Lazing in Levico

June 22, 2025

The Tuuttotondo B&B is a gorgeous timber frame building and sits almost at the top of Levico Terme, away from any traffic or noise. As west coasters, we appreciate the craftsmanship of the exposed wooden beams and these ones are exquisite. The B&B is quiet, has a beautiful view and is one of those places you’re just thankful to settle in for awhile. Add to that, our host, Anna, is a beautiful young woman who has a knack for making us feel welcome and at home. There seems to be just one other family and one young woman, a cyclist, staying here at the moment.

Anna had stocked the breakfast bar with cakes and pastries, fresh fruit, yogurt, ham, cheese and prosciutto and plied us with cappuccino’s and americano’s. We are going to miss this morning ritual when we get home.

Pretty centrepieces on the breakfast tables.

The plan today was to relax, take a walk up the mountain behind the B&B to the Forte Werk Colle delle Benne, do a little writing and some bike maintenance and just chill out. And, that’s how it went. Here are some photos of our walk up the mountain, starting with a veggie garden nearby us. It benefits from the full sun exposure, intermittent rain and plenty of humidity. The black landscape cloth is widely used by gardeners here. It makes sense and just I might give it a try in my own raised beds.

The garden soil is so very different than our island soil. The plants thrive in the sun, the rain, and the humidity. This is a city lot, just downhill from us.

The trail to the fort began just three blocks from our B&B. It was actually more of a gravel road with a grassy strip down the middle than a trail, and while it’s also a bike route, vehicles are not prohibited. Warning signs along the path showed a car hitting a cyclist head-on, throwing the cyclist up in the air. Ok, we get it, by why the heck wouldn’t the sign tell the driver to use caution? I suppose you could argue it’s another way of saying the same thing.

The info panels along the trail explained how the lower slope of this mountain was cultivated with vineyards prior to World War I when this region was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. At the end of the war, in 1919, it became part of Italy and the growers lost access to their markets. Apple growing was established and became more profitable, and the vineyards went into decline. Today, the hillsides are covered by dense evergreen forests.

These steps and walls were built in the last century when this entire slope was grapevines.

We could make out the old terraces in the forest floor below.

I half expected to see a deer or some other wildlife, maybe a wolf or a hare, but no such luck. Instead, we were serenaded by the birds who sang their hearts out. The loudest and most boisterous was the Eurasian Blackcap. It has an entire songbook of songs so is the default bird for this area. It replaced the chiff-chaff that we heard so much of last week. Cuckoo birds have dropped off lately too, but occasionally add a coo-coo or two to the chorus.

The trail up the mountain is part of the Via Claudia Augusta. We saw several bikers coming down the hill at a good clip as we walked up.

I should add a word or two about the via Claudia Augusta as it has become a big driver of cycle tourism in this region. It was initially constructed as a Roman road for military and trade purposes, during the reign of Emperor Claudius in 47 AD to enable troop movements, trade, and cultural exchange between the Italian peninsula and the northern Roman provinces. In the 1990s, it was developed as a cycle path, opening up a popular route for recreational cyclists travelling through the Alps, the Alpine foothills and the Po Valley, from the Danube to Venice. Altogether, you can cycle 700km on this route. There are other established cycle routes as well, such as the 410km Alpe-Adria from Salzburg to the Adriatic and the Munich-Venice 560km route. In high season these paths get a lot of use by e-bike riders, for good reason. Tourism has built up along the route and your every need is catered to. Well worth considering if such a model works for you.

Via Claudia Augusta, part of the ancient route that the Romans established to connect economically and culturally with the lands to the north.

I have to put a plug in about hiking in this area. This signboard along the trail reminded me that these mountains and hills are crisscrossed with all levels of trails. There’s truly something for everyone. A super holiday could be based on renting a car and checking out the hiking opportunities nearby just about every small village. We will tuck this one in our files as a possible future adventure.

From one man’s passion, a long trail network, including this trail, was established across the mountains in this part of Italy.

A private vineyard along the trail that overlooks Lago di Levico.

The fort has been restored and has been open to the public since 2014. It was mainly used for storage and surveillance when it was built and in the first world war. Today it is used for public arts events. We decided to enjoy it from the outside.

The Werk Colle delle benne is a defensive fort built by the Austro-Hungarians between 1882 and 1889 on the top of the hill overlooking Levico Terme.

The sun was overhead by the time we reached the fort and it was a becoming quite hot out so we snooped around and then headed back to the trail where it was shady and cooler.

Native flowers grow from the crevices in the stone walls.

A snake, like the one that crossed the road as we sailed down Mont Grappa a few weeks ago.

We decided to walk all the way down to the lake where we could get some lunch and a cold drink. Today, being Saturday, it’s hopping with beach-goers. We definitely felt like the odd couple, wearing long shorts, t-shirts socks and shoes while others had minimal attire. There was a lot of flesh on display! After a refreshing break, we headed back up the hill to our B&B and snapped a few photos of Levico along the way.

One of the many almost vertical streets in town. Well above 15%, anyway.

View of a road we were considering riding up on the far mountains.

We cleaned up, rested and just enjoyed doing not much of anything for a few hours. Then, the Facchia Torria restaurant was calling our names. We had another great dinner to attend. Along the way downhill, we stopped at the via Roma to watch the activities of a weekend festival.

A kids BMX track… a little boy exploring the ups and downs on this course.

The climbing wall was popular with these little kids. It looked like a lot of fun.

One of several bronze sculptures of Levico.

A cold stream runs downhill and along Via Roma on its way to the main stream at the edge of town.

In the heart of Levico is the octagonal Belvedere Tower, 18 metres high, with an external spiral stone staircase. It was built in the mid 19th century and is now a landmark in Levico.

The second visit to the Fattia Torria did not disappoint. The food, the atmosphere, the staff.. all top notch. As they poured a tasting of the wine we’d ordered, the waiter said, “if you don’t like it, don’t worry. I can bring you something else”. Wow, that’s generous! No worries, it was a great local Pinot Grigio.

How can something so simple be so utterly satisfying?

They are not shy with the serving size. A delicious seafood spaghetti for David.

Another day, another adventure. Looks like another gorgeous day is on the way.

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