Guello – Masso Avello (also known as the Roman Tomb) (from Limonta)

Starting point: Limonta (mt 274)

End point: Limontasca (mt 607) - Guello (mt 610)

[Qpart]: 274 m s.l.m.

[Qmax]: 610 m s.l.m.

[D]: +350 m

[T]: 1:30 h

Trail signage: Trail no. 25 and no. 23

Cyclability: On the way back

Difficulty: Hiking / Hiker Level

Limonta – Limontasca – Guello – Masso Avello (Roman Tomb) – Limonta

Itinerario Guello - Tomba Romana (da Limonta)

From the square in Limonta, behind the “Muraglione”, built in the mid-19th century by the Archdukes of Austria, take path no. 23 towards Limontasca.
After 20–25 minutes of ascent you reach the junction with the small chapel dedicated to Saint Anthony, where you must continue on the left, still along path no. 23.

After about 30–35 minutes of climbing through the woods, you reach another junction, where you again take the path to the left.
After 50–60 minutes from the start, you arrive in a valley called Val di Voglia, near a small stone building (casello) and a carriage road (uphill, leading to the locality of Civenna2).

At the casello, continue keeping the stream on your left, follow the track through the woods and then turn right along a section of trail that, in a few minutes, emerges, near a bend, onto the Limontasca carriage road.
At this point, follow the road to the left for a few hundred metres until you reach a junction.
At this junction, take the dirt road on the right which ends in front of the gate of a villa.
Then continue to the left, take a descending staircase and walk along a small road that ends at the provincial road, near the beautiful villas of Guello.

Proceed to the right along the road for about thirty metres, until you reach a staircase on the right descending among the houses of Guello.
Follow it as far as a gate.
On the right side of the gate, follow the barely visible descending trail that, in a few minutes, leads to the Masso Avello, also called Tomba Romana (about 1 hour and 20 minutes from the start).
The Masso Avello is also known as the “Navellone” and is made of sarizzo stone.
These stones, known as “Avelli”, are ancient tub-shaped tombs carved from erratic boulders detached from Valtellina and Valchiavenna and transported further down-valley by melting glaciers in the Quaternary period.

The tomb of Guello, possibly dating to the Roman era, was also carved from an erratic boulder; until a few years ago it had a stone cover which was later stolen, leaving the tomb in a state of abandonment.

In the same area there was, until 1914, another tomb made from a block of sarizzo, later demolished to obtain building stone.

From this area, below the former Albergo Guello, descend to the lower path and follow it for a very short stretch until you reach a junction where there is a ruined casello.
Then take the path to the right (called Strada Nova, as it was traced only after World War II).

The path on the left (no. 25), instead, leads directly to Limonta.
This section, badly damaged by neglect and by water erosion, is noteworthy because among the chestnut woods you can see ruins of ancient buildings and the boulders that fell in the mid-19th century.
Some of these boulders reached almost as far as the village square, forcing the Austrian government to build the “Muraglione” to protect the settlement.

The path to follow, after 10–15 minutes, leads to Limontasca, and once you reach the main road, among the houses, you must go left to the end of the road, where there is a white villa.

At this point, follow path no. 23 to Limonta, downhill, until you reach the junction already encountered on the outward route, and then follow the same path back to the square in Limonta (50–60 minutes of descent).

ACCESSIBLE VERSION

From the square in Limonta, behind the large Muraglione, take path no. 23 towards Limontasca.

After 20–25 minutes, you reach a junction with a small chapel dedicated to Saint Anthony.
You continue to the left, still on path no. 23.

After another 30–35 minutes of walking in the woods, you reach another junction:
here too you keep to the left.

After about 50–60 minutes from the start, you enter the Val di Voglia, near a small stone building and a carriage road leading uphill to Civenna2.

Near the stone building, keep the stream on your left, follow the track through the woods and turn right.
In a few minutes, the trail reaches the Limontasca road, near a bend.

Follow the road left for a few hundred metres to a junction.
Take the dirt road on the right, which ends at the gate of a villa.
Turn left, descend the steps and follow a small road until you reach the provincial road near the villas of Guello.

Walk right along the road for about 30 metres.
On the right, take the staircase that goes down between the houses.
Follow it to a gate:
beside the gate, take the faint path that descends to the Masso Avello (about 1h 20’ from the start).

The Masso Avello is an ancient tub-shaped tomb carved in an erratic boulder.
These “Avelli” were shaped from stones carried down by glaciers.
The Guello tomb may date back to Roman times.

From the Masso Avello, go down to the lower path.
After a short stretch you reach a junction with a ruined stone hut.
Take the trail on the right, called Strada Nova.

The left path (no. 25) goes directly to Limonta and is damaged, but interesting for its old ruins and fallen boulders.

Following Strada Nova, you reach Limontasca in 10–15 minutes.
Among the houses, go left to the end of the street, where there is a white villa.

Then take path no. 23 downhill towards Limonta, passing the junction seen on the way up.
Follow the same route to return to Limonta (50–60 minutes).