The best family-friendly hikes and walks around Nature Reserve Val Rosandra / Naravni rezervat Dolina Glinščice

The former Gabrio Modugno station is the first stop you encounter when ascending the Giordano Cottur cycle path from Trieste. Located in the Altura district, it owes its name to the memory of the Bersaglieri second lieutenant Gabrio Modugno, who fell during the First World War. Originally conceived as a railway stop on the Trieste-Kozina line, the station today has lost its tracks to become a crucial hub for the city's soft mobility. The building, despite having changed function, retains the typical volume of secondary stations from the late nineteenth century. It represents the point where the route definitively leaves the strictly urban context to immerse itself in the greenery of the woods that precede the scenic entrance to Val Rosandra. For many Triestines, Modugno station is the true "point zero" to begin the climb towards the Karst, an equipped resting place where you can catch your breath while admiring the first glimpses of the Gulf from above.

The Giordano Cottur cycle path is a route of about 12 kilometers that connects the center of Trieste to the Karst plateau, following the track of the disused Trieste-Kozina railway. Starting from the San Giacomo district, the route climbs with a constant and gentle gradient, crossing tunnels dug into the rock and spectacular viaducts that offer dizzying views of the Val Rosandra. Along the way, the landscape quickly changes from an urban environment to Mediterranean scrub, until it reaches the white limestone of the Karst. After passing the Draga Sant’Elia station, the trail crosses the Slovenian border, becoming a symbol of cross-border union. It is a much-loved green artery for leisure, capable of blending industrial archaeology and wild nature.

Located behind Trieste, Val Rosandra is a unique nature reserve where the homonymous stream has carved the only deeply incised valley of the Trieste Karst. The landscape is dominated by rugged limestone cliffs, white scree slopes, and vegetation that blends Mediterranean and continental species. Famous for its 36-meter-high waterfall, the valley is a sanctuary of biodiversity and history: it hosts the remains of a 1st-century AD Roman aqueduct and the ancient church of Santa Maria in Siaris. A prime location for Trieste's mountaineering, its cliffs were the school of Emilio Comici. Between arduous trails and views of the Gulf, Val Rosandra represents a concentration of wild nature and millennia-old testimonies, suspended between the Karst plateau and the Adriatic Sea.

Impressive tunnels, trenches, and embankments along this former railway, now a cycle-pedestrian path. Not to mention the always beautiful views of the Rosandra Valley in every season. Be careful when the Bora wind blows, it's really tough going

one of the railways, today one of the cycle paths that I really love even though it is short. Wonderfully smooth surface although unpaved. A spectacular gateway to enter Slovenian land

Beautiful former railway, always, today restored at the bottom offers splendid views of the Val Rosandra.

It's worth it for the beauty of the place. Not suitable for people with walking difficulties.

"The refuge was built in 1933 and completely renovated in 1989. It is named after the Trieste mountaineer and speleologist Mario Premuda, who died in 1931 in an accident on the Picco di Mezzodi in the Julian Alps. The hut also houses the climbing school named after the Trieste mountaineer Emilio Comici. The refuge is a popular destination for its cuisine, but does not offer overnight accommodations and is open year-round except in February." https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifugio_Mario_Premuda Contact: https://www.cai-fvg.it/sentieri-e-rifugi/rifugi-e-opere-alpine/rifugi-in-fvg/001-rifugio-premuda/