Technical data:
Start: San Bartolomeo, Muggia
Arrival: Noghere Lakes
Length: 13.59km
Difference in height: 300mt
Maximum elevation: 203mt
Minimum elevation: 4mt
Estimated travel time: 4 hours, 40 minutes (ignoring possible excursivenesses into Muggia’s old town center)
Cartography: Tabacco chart 1:25000 sheet #047 - Carso Isontino and Triestino
Difficulty: touristic
Descroption:
The itinerary starts from the suggestive San Bartolomeo harbor, near the border of the Stato del Lazzaretto, which can be reached from Muggia by the bus line 7.
Now, following CAI 1 roadmarks that partially resume the Traversata Muggesana (illustrative panels), proceed upward and walk a stretch of asphalt road that rises from sea level to about 50mt above, arriving then to San Floriano-Ligon. Here, abandon the asphalt road and start along a dirt road (il sentiero dell’Arciduca) characterized by the presence of meadows, ex-fields, and an oak-Turkey oak and hornbeam mixed wood (il bosco di San Floriano).
There are gymnastic exercises tools along this route, and numerous benches invite you to stop and rest, both to admire the 180° panorama on the Gulf (from the Duino crags to Val Rosandra), and to enjoy the quiet of the muggesana nature.
The trail takes the Country road 17, then hike a short stretch South-West until you walk into Strada per Fontanella. Passing by villas and houses both ancient and recently built, this roads gains altitude, thus reaching the 14th century Muggia Vecchia Sanctuary (la Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta).
The ancient and well-preserved place of worship, located about 168mt above sea level, offers north-west a splendid panorama over the Trieste Gulf and Muggia, south-west over the Santa Barbara Hill and the nearby Slovenian towns. It also constitutes an historic-archeological interest site thanks to the numerous findings.
From Muggia Vecchia, the route proceeds north-east, flanking other buildings and then arriving to another suggestive place of worship, the small church of San Sebastiano.
It is an architecturally simple church, built with sandstone ashlars (the Muggia stone), characterized by a single nave. Though dedicated to San Sebastiano martyr, the church glorifies a wooden statuette of the Madonna with Child that dominates in the central niche.
From this knoll that dominates Muggia, it is possible to reach the town center through a stairway and a following sandstone road (locally called “masegno”).
After reaching Muggia’s town center (which deserves a separate visit), hike up a stretch of asphalt road to Santa Barbara hamlet (located about 180mt above sea level). The route unfurls along Via Colarich and later, still following the CAI roadmark, along Country Road 16 south/south-east. Along this stretch you can admire the fields, the olive tree groves, and Italian-Slovenian vineyards, the underlying town of Muggia, Muggia Vecchia Hill north-west and, in the distance, the Miramare Castle and the city of Trieste.
After reaching the ridge summit, proceed partly on asphalt road and partly on carriageway. There are signs with indications to reach the Noghere lakes, Rabuiese and the sandstone quarries. The latter (today only Renice quarry is still operative) used to be of great importance, since they represented an important source of raw material – as the Aquileia theater and Val Rosandra Roman aqueduct can prove - and activities for the locals.
Hike down from the quarries, proceeding east/north-east until you arrive to Rabuiese. Here ends the dirt trail, making room again to the asphalt road. Walk this hamlet flanking the ancient houses of Stramare, most of them restored. It’s a small hamlet where every building has its own parcel of cultivated land or garden. Proceed under the Grande Viabilità Triestina Lacotisce-Rabuiese viaduct. After crossing the asphalt road (the one that would lead to Rabuiese’s ex-border crossing), take a dirt trail, grassy in places, that runs slightly upward.
From the bump you can notice the hamlets of Vignano, Stramare and, in the distance, the Carsic villages Crociata di Prebenico and Plavje on the Slovenian slope. A few minutes later, you’ll walk into the road leading to Plavje, Slovenia. Walk it for a very short stretch, slightly down east/north-east and, after taking a roundabout, proceed along an asphalt stretch toward Strada per I Laghetti. At its end, follow a trail and mind the indication of the informative panels to reach Noghere Lakes.
The lakes are formed by the filling of some old clay quarries and constitute an important element of biodiversity –so much to be recognized as biotope of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region.
For the return trip to Muggia, take line 47. Take then line 7 from the town’s Bus Station and go back to San Bartolomeo-Lazzaretto, start point.
