Description

Hikes don't come with a much better effort:reward ratio than this! The hike up to Madonna di Besta is not well signposted and seems relatively unknown despite its ease and proximity to civilisation. The route up to Madonnina di Besta is not signposted, however there are few junctions and it is largely following first a road and then a footpath.

Start from the Pile-dwelling Museum in Molina di Ledro on the south eastern shore of the lake.

The museum features reconstructions of a Bronze Age village and is therefore easy to spot.

Cross the main road from the museum and head uphill on Via dei Colli, then keep left at the junction.

Continue up the winding asphalt road for 1.2km until it runs out, then take the small forest footpath leading uphill to the right of a small wooden hut.

Follow this relatively steep path for approximately 20 minutes, with the lake on your left hand side, to reach the small statue of Madonnina di Besta.

The view from the statue is wonderful and you will likely find yourself pondering why there aren't more people enjoying it.

Soak in the views and solitude and then descend to Molina via the same route you came up.

If you are still feeling energetic and would like some more views and moderate exercise, carry on hiking by following our route along the entire shore of Lago di Ledro.