Driving through the village of San Genesio with its unique panorama, we leave our car on the Salto parking area shortly after the village on the left side, right next to a riding stable. From here, we follow the white-red marked hiking trail, which passes the riding stable at its left side and runs steadily upwards through the forest. We reach an asphalted street which soon transforms itself into a gravel path. Some Haflinger horses graze in the meadows near the trail.

Finally, we have arrived at the high plateau of Mount Salto and start discovering its 12 legends, which are explained on 16 information panels. This is in brief the legend of the sunken city: "Once upon a time there was a big and mighty city on the meadows of Lavena. Their citizens were very evil, led a vicious life and did not obey God's commandments. They had a lot but gave nothing to the poor. One day, the city sunk into the earth, together with all its citizens and animals. Today, there is only a marshy depression left." Hiking across a beautiful landscape of larch forests and small mountain huts we get to know many other legends of Mount Salto, like the legend of the witch of Avigna, the legend of Greifenstein Castle or the legend of Tille, the mermaid.

The Legends Trail was created by the children of the San Genesio primary school. After a short picnic in one of the beautiful lush meadows we have another rest at the restaurant Gasthof Edelweiß with its cute petting zoo. From the legends trail, in about 50 minutes you can reach the beautiful hamlet of Lavena. Moreover, the European trail leading from Oberstorf in Germany to Bolzano crosses Mount Salto here (trail no. E5).

Author: MS