The Fabiolo Valley is a small and enchanting valley that leads from the village of Forcola, on the banks of the Adda River, to Campo Tartano, in the province of Sondrio.

This valley, is known as the valley of mysteries, there are in fact several legends that inhabit it. It is said that, after sunset, passing outside some of the huts, one can hear the mysterious tinkling of a "zampugnìi," the bell that is tied around the goats' necks to locate their position, and one can see mysterious figures dancing while holding a torch. The explanation for these events is traced back to an ancient landslide that, in the Sponda locality, buried a group of people intent on gobbling, without restraint or fear of God. It seems that their souls still wander and meet, sometimes, to renew the thrill of unrestrained dancing: many say they have seen and heard them, passing on the mule track, on the clearest nights.

The proposed route, starting from Somvalle, a small hamlet of Forcola, descends the Fabiolo valley to the Scalòcc junction and then climbs the east bank reaching Ca' Redunda at Pramusìi. A walk suitable for everyone, including children, at any time of year.

The Round House, the destination of the itinerary, is a small building, which, as its name implies, has the particular characteristic of being round. This particular hut was designed after World War II by Giuseppe Toccalli, an original type, who, finding no reason to build it with the four classic sides, decided to make it round. From the meadows of Pramusìi, where the hut stands, the view runs along the lower Valtellina, first crossing the opposite side of the Fabiolo valley with the group of huts of Sostila, and the peaks of Culmine and Crap del Mezzodì. Going further we cross the Costiera dei Cech and Mount Legnone and, further in the distance, the peaks of the upper Lario surrounded by the Lepontine.

The path, always evident and well marked, crosses the broadleaf forests, typical of the Orobie at low altitudes, which, in autumn, give shades from the bright red of chestnut trees to the light yellow of birch trees. From Somvalle we descend, on a wide, often damp path, to a first group of huts, Sponda, which, thanks to its meadows, allows us to enjoy the granite giants of Val Masino. Past the mountain pasture, we continue downhill to an anonymous junction, called Scalòcc. Here the ascent begins, following the signs for Ca' Redunda; we climb the slope that, with several hairpin bends, leads to Motta, a group of houses facing west. The path bends right immediately after the last house and resumes the ascent.

After a short while it comes out in a clearing surrounded by dry stone walls: the Pramusìi and the unmistakable Ca' Redunda, this last passage seems to have been, in times long past, manned by a fearsome basalèsk, an indefinite being, part lizard, part dragon, part rooster, who paralyzed wayfarers with his terrible whistle but has long since gone unheard, seeming not to have survived the disenchantment of the contemporary world.

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Ph: Mattia Bedetti