Orrido di Ponte Alto - Trento, Italy

The part of the canyon below the Alto bridge can be visited thanks to a partially covered tourist path that allows you to descend into the ravine of the stream. For safety reasons, the route can only be accessed with a guided tour. There are two waterfalls in the area under the Alto bridge due to two artificial greenhouses. The northernmost greenhouse under the bridge is known as the old greenhouse of Ponte Alto. A few meters further south is Serra Madruzzo. The first construction interventions on the greenhouses date back to the first half of the 16th century, especially in 1537, commissioned by the Bishop of Trento, Prince Bernardo Clesio, with the aim of limiting the flood damage caused to the city by the floods of the Fersina. Near the Serra Madruzzo there is a long spiral staircase carved into the rock, which dates back to the second half of the 19th century and is part of the route of guided tours into the ravine. The depth of the gorge formed by high, red shale walls is approximately 100 meters. In its middle and lower sections, the width varies between about 10 and 15 meters, with a slightly winding tendency determined by the progressive erosion caused by currents and the change in the speed of the flow. In the uppermost upstream part of the gorge, erosion brought to light the lower majolica and ammonite red rock formations.