Mount Baldo Expeditions: Teaching Students Through Nature and Hiking
The trails instead of books and Mount Baldo as a blackboard. For about sixty third-year middle school students from Virgilio School in Sona, the lesson—including an overnight star-gazing experience—was unforgettable.
The initiator of the project, launched for the first time four years ago, is Professor Bruno Leoni, an expert mountaineer and an excellent connoisseur of Mount Baldo’s flora and fauna. The purpose is to teach students about the Veronese mountains.
The departure from the schoolyard is at 9 a.m. Then, by bus, the students reach an old shepherd’s hut in Valfredda, above Caprino, rented for the occasion by the teachers.
Hiking and Night Observations
«In the afternoon, after a simple lunch,» recounts Professor Leoni, «we go for a hike around the area. In the evening, after dinner, everyone gathers on the meadow for an astronomical lecture, an extraordinary experience for the students who, unfortunately, are rarely accustomed to observing nature in their daily lives.»
The next morning, they wake up at dawn. «We follow trail 656, which winds over steep switchbacks up to the marmot plateau,» continues Giovanna Corsi, one of the teachers accompanying the students on the mountain hike, «and there, in complete silence, we can observe these mammals in their natural environment.»
Then, with our guide, we ascend to Naole Pass, stopping near the Austrian fort. Afterwards, via trail 658, we reach the Fiori del Baldo refuge, the only one open year-round, where Anna and Adriano, the hosts who have become friends, await us.»
After resting, the young climbers resume the journey toward the Chierego refuge, Bocchetta Coal Santo, Passo del Camino, culminating at Rifugio Telegrafo at an altitude of 2,219 meters.
Return and Reflections
At dusk, the students and their teachers head back. «A tough day, but full of satisfaction,» comment the teachers, «the kids are tired from the sun, the wind, and the effort, but glowing from having seen, touched, and learned directly.»
And they learn to share difficulties. Mountain teaches solidarity. «We saw students carry their classmates’ backpacks when in difficulty. These acts reaffirm how educational these outings are,» observes Professor Corsi.
The hikes are preceded by classroom lessons on the Veronese mountain environment, the land’s configuration, human settlement, climate, flora, and fauna. «The school’s goal,» explains Leoni, «is to stimulate curiosity, interest, responsibility, and respect.»
Mount Baldo is a life classroom where it’s learned that the most beautiful things and greatest satisfactions are those that require the most effort. The excursions will continue even after the school year ends, with parents and alumni, who, thanks to their teachers, have fallen in love with the peaks.
For his work with students, Professor Leoni was awarded in Caprino by the president of the Baldo Mountain Community.