Riva del Garda, inhabited center: do you know that white light that at night seems to be magically floating in the dark? What an incredible sensation it gives to those who look up to the mountain that majestically overlooks this town …
This is the small church of Santa Barbara (625 m on Monte Rocchetta). If you point towards the Bastion (200 m), higher up as the crow flies, you will cross it with your eyes. Candid and bewitching. Not because you shine with particular beauty; to make it special are the context in which it is located and the spectacular view of Riva del Garda and all the Trentino mountains, which it offers to its visitors.
The Church of Santa Barbara.
Built in 1935 during the works for the construction of the Ponale hydroelectric plant, which from Lake Ledro pours water into Lake Garda through penstocks, it was dedicated to Santa Barbara, patron saint of all miners, including those who worked on that ridge of rock a little less than a century ago. Just before it is also the homonymous hut (560 m – open at the discretion of the SAT Section of Riva del Garda), at the time a refuge for workers, now a panoramic hut used as a place for refreshment.
How to get to the Church of Santa Barbara.
The starting point is the path 404 which leads to the Bastione and which slowly enters the woods. From there the signs for Capanna Santa Barbara begin and then for the church (which is already visible from there and is just 10-15 minutes away). You can park your car in Via Monte Oro and surrounding areas (the center is still close), in Riva del Garda.
The climb takes about an hour and a half overall, with medium difficulty. If you want to do the circular route (therefore without redoing the same route as the outward journey), the return involves passing the church to take path 405 which from ‘Bochet d’Enzima’ returns to Riva del Garda. Along this stretch you will find iron stairs for which the use of via ferrata equipment is recommended.
I have a question for you: do you know what the worst enemy of boredom and immobility is? The enthusiasm dear readers.
The one that comes from little things, that makes a party from within. The one capable of moving a very shiny tuft of weed grass in the way the sun reflects, for the force with which they bend the roots in the middle of the stones, for the ecstasy of human silence that leaves room for the sounds of nature. Then there is the shared enthusiasm, that which interacts with who and what is, which exploits the complicity of a moment with the awareness that it is unique and ours alone. The more “constructed” enthusiasm that invents opportunities to smile and transforms them into opportunities to influence the surrounding environment with good humor. Knowing how to be passionate about everything we take for granted gives us a completely different interpretation of the present from those who are committed to thinking only of “I don’t have” – ”I miss”.
In reality we all have various opportunities, which are renewed every day, to create and live a very personal enthusiasm. From a simple windy day in our hair, to the scent of a passer-by who touches our coat.
Enthusiasm is pure energy for our mind, which will only feed it with confetti of creativity. Inventiveness is easier to arrive with tranquility, with a calmed soul because it is able to read between the lines of a bad day, which has nevertheless created food for thought and personal growth. Those who know how to grasp them are lucky. Every evening, before going to bed, he will still feel a feeling of fulfillment. At times it will be feeble, sure, but firm it will reappear in front of our mirror at the end of the day. We all want to see reflected an image of ourselves, enriched despite everything.
Enthusiasm does not look to earnings or meager personal gains. Breathe the experience to nourish yourself and stay alive. This is the true power of the victory that will ensue. Each will have their own, inclined to their own personality.
See you next time dear Outdoors!
Silvia Turazza – Garda Outdoors editorial staff
