Day 40 : Rifugio Rivetti to Sant'Antonio

A beautiful stage, with two passes, but a long descent to Sant'Antonio.

Take the path up to the Colle della Montagna Grande (2342m), behind rifugio Rivetti. The goes quickly up to the pass and then continues traversing to the Colle Lazoney (2395m), where the last bit is quite steep,  and some scrambling may be required. From the pass, there is a nice view of the upper valley which you need to cross to the next pass.

Go down into the upper valley, pass the crossing (don't turn left) and continue to the Passo del Maccagno (2495m). Monte Rosa should be visible from here when the weather is good (not when we were there). From the pass, descend to Lago Nero (2322m) and the summer farm of Alpe Maccagno (2188m). From there, a steeper descent along a stream continues, which then levels out again, but it is still quite a walk to the end of the valley and the bridge across the stream. The last km or so is along a gravel road to Sant'Antonio and Rifugio Valle Vogna, a nice restaurant with bunk beds on the attic.