Walking tour in the Paper Mill Valley with nature guide

A nature guide will guide you on foot through the Valle delle Cartiere (Paper Mill Valley) in the hinterland of Toscolano Maderno, a place where paper production was the basis of the economy for centuries and which can still be reached today via paths and cart tracks.

We will walk through nature, always close to the water, recounting the times when the Sentiero delle Assi (The Axis Path) was once present, mostly consisting of wooden footbridges that went up the river along the canals and waterways of the paper mills.

Starting from the Paper Museum, we will walk together through the valley and its ancient villages of Maina Superiore, Maina Inferiore, Gatto and Luseti, which once housed as many as five paper factories. In the 16th century, the wealthy Tamagnini family built a small church here dedicated to Saints Philip and James: we will tell you about the valuable stucco decorations, dating back to the early 17th century and recently restored.

We will immerse ourselves in nature, among olive groves and the ruins of ancient paper mills partly covered by vegetation, and in the centuries-old history of the ancient and prized papermaking tradition of these places.

Along the old workers' path, now laid out with comfortable steps, we will reach the locality of Gaino up to its church, located in a panoramic spot with an open view of Lake Garda. We will finally return to our starting point along a charming ring-route immersed in the woods and mountains.

Those who wish can then visit the Paper Museum.

Backpack, water, hiking shoes, rain gear, snacks and packed lunch are recommended; hat and sunscreen during the hot season.

Low, no special experience required: 9 km with a positive altitude difference of 200 m.