The Trekking of the Thinking Christ is an itinerary suitable for everyone of great historical and scenic interest in the area of Rolle Pass that connects Baita Segantini with the top of Monte Castellazzo (Castelaz), a panoramic balcony overlooking the Pale di San Martino. Once you reach the top, you will find the statue of the Thinking Christ and a wooden cross.
The starting point is the Baita Segantini, reachable by shuttle bus or on foot from Rolle Pass along the trail 710 (about 1 hour walk). The itinerary suitable for everyone and of great historical and landscape interest begins after about 100 meters in the direction of Venegiotta valley. From the white road, take the road on the left with the signposted "Castellazzo - Trekking of the Thinking Christ", which soon becomes a comfortable path that proceeds in the plain and light descent enjoying a breathtaking view of the Pale di San Martino, the Val Venegia and the Marmolada.
At the end of the descent, under the scree, take the right path, where, after 100 m, you can see the remains of the Great War. At a certain point, after passing the flat section, continue uphill along a mule track that, after a series of hairpin bends, becomes a path again and climbs into a long meadow at the end of which you arrive at a saddle with a tunnel. From here we proceed to the right passing in front of a ruin of war that marks the end of the climb. Continue for 50 m along a war pathway, where you can glimpse again the trenches and the remains of the Great War. After about 200 m you reach the top where there is a wooden cross and the statue of the Thinking Christ.
You return by the same road and, for those who do not want to return to the Baita Segantini again, when you reach the second junction, you can continue towards Capanna Cervino.
Trekking of the Thinking Christ: technical dates
Starting point: Passo Rolle (1984 m) o Baita Segantini (2200 m)
Arrival point: Monte Castellazzo (2333 m)
Length: 4.9 km
Total altitude difference uphill: 475 m
Total altitude difference downhill: 146 m
Crossing time: 3h
Period: summer-autumn
Sign: R01 “Castellazzo – Trekking of the Thinking Christ”
Trekking of the Thinking Christ: variation
The Thinking Christ can also be reached from:
- Juribello Malga: take the path that leads to the Cervino Hut and then to the Baita Segantini, about 90 minutes walk
- Val Venegia: there are two possibilities either along Val Venegia up to Baita Segantini (journey time about 2 / 2.30 h) or passing through Malga Juribello and then to Capanna Cervino up to Baita Segantini (travel time about 2 / 2.30 h ).
Curiosities about the statue of the Thinking Christ
The statue of white marble was originally a boulder extracted from the quarry of Canzoccoli di Predazzo, then worked by the sculptor Paolo Lauton. The weight of the statue is about 20 quintals and the height of 180 cm. On the basis of the Thinking Christ an iron plate was placed engraved with a sentence by Maria Teresa of Calcutta: "Find the time to think, find time to pray, find the time to smile".
How to get there and where to park
For Rolle Pass follow the SS50 of the Rolle both coming from Val di Fiemme (Predazzo) and from Val di Primiero - San Martino di Castrozza. You can park either at the Piazzale di Passo Rolle or, for those who want to lengthen the route, at one of the car parks located at the beginning of the Val Venegia.
